NASCAR bet more than $1 million to bring cars into Coliseum

By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti thought it was nuts to host a NASCAR race inside the Coliseum the first time he heard the idea. He figured NASCAR was going to build a circuit outside the iconic venue. Instead, NASCAR spent significantly more than the $1 million budgets to turn the Coliseum into a temporary asphalt quarter-mile track. It will host the Busch Light Clash exhibition on Sunday night, one week before the Rams play 10 miles across town in Sofi Stadium for the Super Bowl. Garcetti called LA “the sports capital of the world” and said the city is primed for a golden decade.