The 2026 Cook Out Clash was a non-championship exhibition NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 4, 2026, postponed three days from February 1, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Contested over 200 laps, it was the first exhibition race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.[5]
Ryan Preece won the race, joining Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as a driver to win the Clash before winning their first points race. William Byron finished 2nd, and Ryan Blaney finished 3rd. Daniel Suárez and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five, and Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top ten.
Due to snowfall around the area, the race was postponed multiple times to Wednesday, February 4. This was the first Cup Series race on a Wednesday since the 2020 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500.
Report
Background
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned 1⁄4-mile (0.40 km) asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track". Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team.[6] It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team from 1956 until Groves Stadium (later BB&T Field) opened in 1968.
On August 17, 2024, NASCAR announced that the Clash would be moved to Bowman Gray Stadium, becoming the first NASCAR-sanctioned race at the track since 1971.[7]
Scrutineering will take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Post-race inspection will take place in both Winston-Salem and also at NASCAR facilities in Charlotte.[8]
On January 29, 2026, NASCAR announced that practice and qualifying, and the Last Chance Qualifier, would be held on February 1 due to weather and extreme coldness. The four heat races would be canceled.[9] On January 31, it was announced the race would be postponed to February 2.[10] On February 1, 2026, it was announced that the Clash would be postponed to Wednesday, February 4.[11]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
Christopher Bell was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 14.193 with an average speed of 63.411 mph (102.050 km/h).
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.193 | 63.411 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 14.219 | 63.295 |
| 3 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 14.255 | 63.135 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 14.137 and a speed of 63.662 mph (102.454 km/h).[13] Josh Berry will start on the pole for the Last Chance Qualifier.
Qualifying results
"Last Chance" qualifying race
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 75 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 75 |
| 3 | 4 | 6 | Corey LaJoie | RFK Racing | Ford | 75 |
| 4 | 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 75 |
| 5 | 10 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 75 |
| 6 | 15 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 75 |
| 7 | 13 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 75 |
| 8 | 12 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 75 |
| 9 | 14 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 |
| 10 | 16 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota | 74 |
| 11 | 2 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 |
| 12 | 9 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 73 |
| 13 | 17 | 66 | Chad Finchum | Garage 66 | Ford | 73 |
| 14 | 18 | 50 | Burt Myers | Team AmeriVet | Chevrolet | 73 |
| 15 | 7 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 73 |
| 16 | 6 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 72 |
| 17 | 5 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56 |
| 18 | 11 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47 |
| Official last chance race results | ||||||
Josh Berry and Austin Cindric, the top two finishers, qualified for the main event. Alex Bowman also qualified as the highest driver in previous season's standings that have not yet qualified.
Starting lineup
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||
| 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | ||
| 4 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | ||
| 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | ||
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | ||
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | ||
| 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | ||
| 9 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | ||
| 10 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | ||
| 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||
| 12 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||
| 13 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | ||
| 14 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | ||
| 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | ||
| 16 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | ||
| 17 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | ||
| 18 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Ford | ||
| 19 | 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | ||
| 20 | 7 | Daniel Suárez | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||
| 21 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | ||
| 22 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | ||
| 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||
Race
Race results
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Ford | 200 |
| 2 | 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 3 | 16 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 200 |
| 4 | 20 | 7 | Daniel Suárez | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 5 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 |
| 6 | 4 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 |
| 7 | 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 8 | 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 200 |
| 9 | 9 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 10 | 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 11 | 14 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 200 |
| 12 | 21 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 |
| 13 | 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 |
| 14 | 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 |
| 15 | 12 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 16 | 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 17 | 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 18 | 19 | 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 19 | 13 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 20 | 17 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 200 |
| 21 | 22 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 200 |
| 22 | 10 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 200 |
| 23 | 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 199 |
| Official race results | ||||||
Media
Television
Fox covered the race on the television side. Due to time constraints, the race went over the 3-hour window provided by Fox, the race moved to FS2 after 9:00 PM EST. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and three-time Clash winner Kevin Harvick handled the call in the booth for the race. Josh Sims and Regan Smith handled the pit road duties, and Larry McReynolds provided insight on-site during the race.
| FOX/FS2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Kevin Harvick | Josh Sims Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
Radio
MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Todd Gordon called the action from the broadcast booth when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the action for MRN when the field raced down the backstretch. MRN Lead Pit Reporter Steve Post, Chris Wilner & Jacklyn Drake covered the action for MRN on pit lane.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Todd Gordon | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Steve Post Chris Wilner Jacklyn Drake |
References
- ↑ "2025 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ↑ "NASCAR releases 2026 schedule, adding Chicagoland and shifting All-Star to Dover". NASCAR. August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ↑ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium Results". Racing-Reference. February 4, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Cook Out Clash postponed to Monday". Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ Zona, Chris; Trevin Goodwin (2007). 2007 Rams Football (PDF). Winston-Salem State Athletics. p. 30.
- ↑ Albert, Zack (17 August 2024). "Season-opening Clash exhibition heads to Bowman Gray Stadium in 2025". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ↑ "Cup cars to be inspected at Charlotte Motor Speedway before transported to Bowman Gray". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ↑ "Cook Out Clash Saturday events postponed at Bowman Gray Stadium". NASCAR. January 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Cook Out Clash postponed to Monday". Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ "Cook Out Clash postponed to Wednesday". Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 1, 2026. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- ↑ Bob Pockrass (January 8, 2026). "EXCLUSIVE: Brad Keselowski Will Miss Clash Amid Recovery From Broken Femur". Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ↑ DeGroot, Nick (February 4, 2025). "Kyle Larson earns Clash pole as 20 cars lock into Bowman Gray feature". Motorsport.com. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 4, 2025.