A NASCAR race has been held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time ©Getty Images

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - twice an Olympic venue and set to host track and field again come the 2028 Games - witnessed a different kind of sprint when the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) staged a pre-season exhibition at the stadium.

Joey Logano emerged victorious after a 150-lap race on a temporary racetrack assembled at the Coliseum.

It was the first time since the pre-season race was first held in 1979 that it did not take place at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, with Los Angeles' centrepiece of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics instead chosen as NASCAR sought to attract a new audience.

There was a decidedly Olympic feel too, with four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon invited to light the Olympic Cauldron at the Coliseum pre-race.

Rapper Ice Cube, a Los Angeles native, and Pitbull performed mid-race at the event dubbed Clash at the Coliseum.

"To see the excitement and energy of the crowd, I mean that’s what NASCAR racing and great events are all about," Gordon said afterwards.

"We were entertained - it wasn’t just about a race, it was about the whole experience. 

"So I’m very pleased."

Carl Lewis won the men's 100m at Los Angeles 1984 - but was not moving as fast as a NASCAR vehicle ©Getty Images
Carl Lewis won the men's 100m at Los Angeles 1984 - but was not moving as fast as a NASCAR vehicle ©Getty Images

NASCAR executive vice-president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell added that California "is a big market for us", and praised how "everybody was really enthusiastic, ready to go, they wanted to win this race".

The track was removed soon after the conclusion of the race, with Major League Rugby side LA Giltinis set to play at the Coliseum this coming season.

The Giltinis' first home game in on February 27.

Aside from the fledgling rugby union side, the University of Southern California Trojans American football team also play at the venue, but are not in action again until September 3.

Clash at the Coliseum is far from the biggest sporting event to have taken place at an LA28 venue this month.

SoFi Stadium, which is expected to share Opening and Closing Ceremony duties with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, staged Super Bowl LVI, the climax of the National Football League season.