NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium Track Length: 0.250 Mile Asphalt Oval
Sunday, February 1 The Time: 8 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 6 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 50 miles (200 Laps – Green Laps Only)
Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:
Saturday, January 31
NCS Practice & Pole Qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM at 6 p.m. ET)
NCS Heat Races 1-4 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM at 8:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 1
NCS Last Chance Qualifier Race (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM at 6 p.m. ET)
NCS Main Feature: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET)
NASCAR Cup Series
Bowman Gray Stadium:
· 2026 is the 48th running of the Clash, just the fifth held outside of Daytona since its inception in 1979
· Between 1979-2020, the Clash was held on the NASCAR oval in Daytona, 2021 was held on the Daytona road course, 2022-2024 was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and moved to Bowman Gray in 2025
· The Clash was won by a different driver each of the last eight years
· Five drivers won the Clash in their first attempt: Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006)
· Joe Gibbs Racing (eight) and Team Penske (four) combined won the Clash 12 of the last 15 years (Hendrick Motorsports, with two, and Richard Childress Racing, with one, won the other three)
· Joe Gibbs Racing leads all teams with 12 Clash wins, all 12 came in the last 25 years
· All eight of Toyota’s Clash wins have come in the last 14 years
· Chevrolet won the Clash only three times in the last 15 years after winning six straight between 2005 and 2010
· Only twice has a team swept the top-two finishing positions in the Clash: Hendrick Motorsports in 1990 and Team Penske in 2018
· Joe Gibbs Racing led 286 of the 651 laps raced in the Clash in the Main since it was moved to a .25 mile track in 2022
· Hendrick Motorsports failed to lead a lap in the Main on the 0.25 mile track at the Coliseum, but led 171 laps at Bowman Gray last year
· Chris Buescher was the only driver who failed to make the Main in all three years the Clash was held at the Coliseum, he won his heat race Bowman Gray last year
· Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson were the only drivers to finish in the top-five in all three Clashes run at the Coliseum, William Byron was the only other driver to finish top-10 in all three, none of them finished top 10 at Bowman Gray in 2025
· All four Clash winners on a quarter-mile track started in the front two rows
· The Clash was won from the pole the last two years
· In 2025, Group 1 had the biggest advantage in first practice, sweeping the top 5 and placing nine of the top 10 in the session
· In 2025, Group 2 had the biggest disadvantage in qualifying in 2025, with no cars qualifying in the top 10. Group 3 placed three cars in the top five
· Corey LaJoie is subbing for an injured Brad Keselowski in the 2026 Clash
· Kyle Larson is the only driver locked into the 2026 Clash
2026 Clash Format:
· Three practice groups with each group having three sessions
· Final practice determines the starting order for the four Heat races (fastest on pole for Heat 1, 2nd on pole for Heat 2, 3rd on pole for Heat 3, 4th on pole for heat 4 etc.
· Heat races are 25 laps each
· The top 5 finishers from Heat races fill the first 20 of 23 spots for the Main event with the winner of Heat 1 on the pole, winner of Heat 2 in 2nd, Heat 3 in 3rd, Heat 4 in 4th
· The remaining cars compete in a 75 lap last chance race, the top 2 finishers advance to the main event
· The 23rd spot goes to the highest driver from 2025 driver points standings that is not already in the main event
· 200 lap Main event with 23 cars, halfway break after lap 100
· Only green flag laps count during the Heats, LCQ and Main (no overtime in the Heats and LCQ but the Main must finish under green)
Burt Myers Bio:
· Burt Myers is 49 years old from Walnut Cove, NC
· Made his only Cup start at Martinsville March 2025 (finished 36th)
· Two-time Southern Modified Tour Champion
· 11 Bowman Gray Stadium Modified Track Championships; 102 Modified wins at Bowman Gray Stadium
· Son of Gary Myers who has 38 wins at Bowman Gray Stadium
· Great-uncle Bobby Myers, 16 wins and one Championship at Bowman Gray Stadium, 15 Cup starts in the 1950s.
· Grandfather Billy Myers had over 20 wins at Bowman Gray Stadium and three track Championships.. Billy had two Cup wins in 84 starts, neither came at Bowman Gray
· The Myers Brothers Award is an annual award that is voted on by the NMPA, that recognizes people who have made outstanding contributions to stock car racing. The award is named after Billy and Bob Myers.
2026 Major Changes Worth Noting:
· Return to the Chase with 16 drivers making a 10 race Chase to win the Championship
· Connor Zilisch is in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet with crew chief Randall Burnett who moves from Kyle Busch and RCR to Trackhouse
· Shane van Gisbergen’s number changes from #88 to #97
· Daniel Suarez replaces Justin Haley in the #7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
· Ross Chastain’s new crew chief Brandon McSwain replaces Phil Surgen
· Noah Gragson’s new crew chief Grant Hutchens replaces Drew Blickensderfer who moves to competition director for Front Row Motorsports
· Kyle Busch’s new crew chief Jim Pohlman replaces Randall Burnett
· Rick Ware Racing moves from Ford to Chevrolet in a technical alliance with RCR and will utilize ECR engines
· Haas Factory Team moves from Ford to Chevrolet in a technical alliance with Hendrick and will utilize Hendrick engines
· Increased horsepower on ovals under 1.5 mile tracks and road courses to 750hp from 670hp in 2025
Historical & Significant Events at Bowman Gray Stadium:
· Constructed in 1937 as a public works project during the Great Depression the venue began as a college football field and evolved into a multipurpose venue. The inaugural football game took place between Wake Forest and Duke in 1938.
· The quarter mile track around the football field was a dirt track used for trotter horse racing and car races until 1947 when the track was paved by Bill France Sr. and Avin Hawkins.
· The quarter mile race track held its first NASCAR sanctioned event in 1949 and became NASCAR’s first weekly track.
· The track has since hosted a multitude of racing series including NACAR Cup series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Convertibles, Dash series, NASCAR East series, NASCAR Late Model Sportsman and a multitude of modified divisions.
· The tight confines and rough racing on the quarter mile gained the track the nickname “Madhouse”.
· In 1953 an additional 7,000 seats were added to bring the capacity of the venue to 17,000.
· In 2010, the History Chanel aired a show focused on weekly racing at the track called “Madhouse”. The 13 episodes focused on the 2009 Modified season at Bowman Gray. The series followed Junior Miller, Tim “The Rocket” Brown, Burt Myers, Jason Myers and Chris Fleming throughout the season. Other local drivers Jonathan Brown, Austin Pack and Gene Pack were also introduced during the series. The series featured weekly racing at the track in the Modified division and focused on the growing conflicts between different rivals. It highlighted the rough style of racing and high level of drama between different drivers as well as showcasing sacrifices some drivers had to make to get to the track each week to race. The show was cancelled after one season, but the producers indicated that future seasons could be possible.
· In 2018, Discovery Channel aired a similar eight episode series called “Race Night at Bowman Gray”.
· Aside from racing the stadium has held a significant role in the local community, hosting Wake Forest Football games and serving as the home football field for local high schools R.J. Reynolds High and Parkland High.
· In November of 2018 a $9 million renovation of the stadium was announced. Improvements included a new lighting system, safety barriers and catch fencing along with improvements to bathroom facilities and concessions. Drainage was also added to the aprons of the turns to aid in removal of rainwater.
Additional Key Dates at Bowman Gray Stadium:
· March 31, 1937-Ground breaking*
· May 1, 1938- First event held (Mozart Club sponsored music event)*
· October 22, 1938-Wake Forest lost a football game to Duke in the first sporting event held at the stadium (Duke won 7-0 in an undefeated season but lost in the Rose Bowl to USC)*
· September 1, 1939- First Auto Races held at Bowman Gray (Midget Races sponsored by Winston-Salem Jaycees)*
· May 18, 1949 – First NASCAR sanctioned event
· August 18, 1952- Joe Louis and Joe McFadden fought a four round exhibition fight in Joe Louis’ last ever fight, the fight was scheduled for August 15th but was postponed to Monday night due to rain*
· 1956-1967 Home Field for Wake Forest University Football
· 1955-1960-Green Bay Packers played preseason games at Bowman Gray (the first game was held on 9/11/1955 with Washington beating the Packers 33-31)*
· 1958-1971 NASCAR Cup Series (29 races)
· August 22, 1969 – Richard Petty won his 100th of 200 Cup races
· 1970-1971 Motorcycle races on temporary dirt track
· 2015 hosted its 1,000th NASCAR-sanctioned race
· March 21, 2024 – NASCAR acquired the lease to the track and will manage the facility through 2050
· February 2, 2025 – Chase Elliott wins the first Clash hosted at Bowman Gray Stadium
Key Date Information provided from: FAM (June 3, 2018) The True History of Bowman Gray Stadium…first three decades…North Carolina Collection.
Latest News at Bowman Gray Stadium:
· Four Bowman Gray Weekly Series 2025 Champions will serve as Grand Marshals alongside Cook Out’s Shakey and 9-year-old Roo Reaves, saying some of the most famous words in motorsports ahead of the 2026 NASCAR Cook Out Clash.
· The champions include Brandon Ward from the Modified division, Chase Robertson of the Sportsman division, Bryan Sykes Jr. from the Street Stock division and Brandon Brendle of the Stadium Stock division.
· NASCAR fans will get an exclusive first look at Cook Out Clash Weekend when the all-new Clash Preview kicks off the festivities on January 30 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Event Center. Serving as the official start to an action-packed weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium, the event will offer an immersive, up-close NASCAR experience for fans of all ages. The Clash Preview will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature a wide range of interactive displays and activities, including:
- NASCAR Cup Series cars on display
- NASCAR Experience Stage featuring a live DJ, plus Driver and Alumni Q&A sessions
- Driver and NASCAR Alumni autograph sessions
- Photo opportunities with the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy
- NASCAR iRacing Simulators
- NASCAR Cup Series Competition Office Hauler on display
· NASCAR, in collaboration with the City of Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem State University, announced that construction began recently on a new, state-of-the-art video board at Bowman Gray Stadium — delivering a major technology upgrade for fans, competitors, and community events at the historic venue.
· The new Samsung LED display will significantly expand the stadium’s visual capabilities, replacing the previous 19’ x 19’ board with an enhanced 32’ x 19’ Video Board-10MM LED screen. Driven by a next-generation Motion Rocket LaunchPad 3 content management system — featuring built-in redundancy for uninterrupted performance — the board will provide high-definition clarity, improved brightness, and exceptional color accuracy. The upgrade ensures optimized visibility for both daytime and nighttime events, including NASCAR races, Winston-Salem State University football games, and a wide variety of community events.
NASCAR
http://www.nascar.com/
Photos & Graphics Courtesy of NASCAR