NASCAR is starting its 75th anniversary celebration in a spectacular way: a NASCAR Rose Parade float! The 2023 Rose Parade® is presented by Honda and is a part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses®, which also includes the Rose Bowl Game®.
The 2023 parade will be held on Monday, January 2. It consists of a 5.5 mile route, passing by people who’ve camped out overnight for a prime viewing spot, as well as TV hosts commentating on the floats. It’s going to be an amazing day, and hopefully the weather will cooperate!
The float is going to be titled “Always Forward,” in keeping with the theme of the parade, “Turning the Corner.” It seems very apropos given how the last few years have gone in the world. It will showcase NASCAR’s 75th anniversary and the upcoming Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum
“We’re beyond thrilled to be participating in such an incredible spectacle as the Rose Parade,” said NASCAR Vice President of Marketing Services Patrick Rogers. “There’s truly no better way to enter NASCAR’s 75th year than by celebrating at an event that brings people together through immense creativity and color. With a theme that so closely resembles the growth of our sport and organization, I can’t wait to see our float come to life in the new year.”
There are many rules to float creation, but the basic is that the decor and construction must be made of natural materials, such as seeds, petals, stems, ground products, nuts, acorns, etc. A few years back, I attended the preview for the parade, where we got to see the volunteers affixing the materials to the foundation. It smelled HEAVENLY in that building, from coffee grounds to lavender and more.
I’ll leave the description of the float to the latest press release to describe it:
The 2023 NASCAR Rose Parade float design features the renowned entrance of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the Olympic Caldron atop the Peristyle, with speedy stock cars racing around a track surrounded by checkered flags, ribbons, palm trees and more, headed by the diamond logo to signify the start NASCAR’s 75th year. The float stands 25 feet tall, from the base to the top of the flame, and 55 feet in length.
The Coliseum façade will be decorated with light and dark sesame seeds while the caldron will be coated in Green Tea leaf, with warmly hued carnation petals as the flame. The cars, track, ribbons and checkered flags will be adorned with elements such as red cranberry seed, black seaweed, rice, orange lentils, poppy seeds, blue statice and ground green split pea.
The NASCAR 75 diamond logo will be made up of various seeds and decorated with yellow strawflower, red carnation and blue statice, representing those three famous colors in the NASCAR bar mark. All of the float’s design elements will sit atop a base of hot pink, orange and red roses with sprinkles of blue florals throughout.
Finally, a portion of the float will bring to life philanthropic efforts in California highlighted by a NASCAR-themed license plate in partnership with the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), with proceeds benefitting Expo Park, parks in the Fontana, Calif. area and the NASCAR Foundation. More information can be found at www.nascarplates.com.
NASCAR will partner with Artistic Entertainment Services (AES), an official float builder and partner of the Tournament of Roses.
The annual Rose Parade celebrates 134 years of success with its upcoming celebration on Jan. 2, led by the volunteer-driven, non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. In addition to participating in the 2023 parade, NASCAR will also be providing the Tournament’s 935 volunteers with a special Busch Light Clash and Auto Club Speedway ticket offer, in recognition of their dedication to America’s New Year Celebration®.
The Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, as a part of the destination’s “Coliseum Forever” celebration to honor the historic stadium’s centennial anniversary and will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. After an action-packed 2022 season, the 2023 NASCAR season-opener is bound to be another thrilling event in a momentous year. For more information about the Busch Light Clash and details on ticket pricing, please visit nascarclash.com.
I attended last year’s Clash, and it was a momentous occasion. The roar of the engines, the smell of the tires and burning rubber…it’s a race fan’s dream. There is no bad seat in the LA Coliseum for this, and my big advice would be to arrive early. Traffic into the parking areas can back up for quite a while; it took me over 20 minutes to get through ONE light before entering the parking area last year, so come early and bring your patience. I promise though, it’s SO worth it.
I’ll be watching for the 2023 NASCAR Rose Parade float to come by, while sitting at home enjoying a wonderful breakfast by the fireplace. I’ve never seen it in person, and I’ve lived in Southern California for a very long time! Have you watched the Rose Parade in person? Someday, I will!
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