Bowman Gray Stadium to host Clash’s return in 2026
The Cook Out Clash will return to Bowman Gray Stadium to open the 2026 season, NASCAR officials announced Wednesday.
The historic quarter-mile oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina will host the season-opening exhibition race on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, marking the second consecutive year the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in a non-points event at the venerable multi-purpose venue. The race will be broadcast by FOX Sports.
Wednesday morning’s announcement included the news that Cook Out will return as the event’s entitlement sponsor. Details about the race procedures have not yet been announced. The 2025 format featured a 200-lap main event for a 22-car field, which was set after four qualifying heats and a Last Chance Qualifier.
Wednesday morning’s announcement included the news that Cook Out will return as the event’s entitlement sponsor. Details about the race procedures have not yet been announced. The 2025 format featured a 200-lap main event for a 22-car field, which was set after four qualifying heats and a Last Chance Qualifier.
“We wrote a new chapter in the storied history of motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash this year,” said Joey Dennewitz, NASCAR Regional’s managing director. “As NASCAR’s first weekly race track, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home to grassroots racing. Thanks to the City of Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem State University for their continued partnership at ‘The Madhouse.’ “
NASCAR’s top division made its long-awaited return to the track in February after a nearly 54-year absence. Chase Elliott fended off Ryan Blaney in a contest between former Cup Series champs for a rousing Clash victory in front of a boisterous sold-out crowd.
The Clash’s Bowman Gray debut prompted a series of capital improvements to the facility, which was dedicated in 1938. Prime among those enhancements was the installation of a new MUSCO lighting system, which illuminated the stadium with a red glow for pre-race ceremonies this year. Officials also upgraded the well-worn guardrail with energy-absorbing SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier.
Bowman Gray has been a crucial piece of NASCAR’s history, with weekly sanctioned race meets beginning on the grounds in 1949 and continuing to this day in the spring and summer months. That run includes Cup Series racing from 1958-1971, when a who’s who of NASCAR Hall of Famers dominated the list of feature winners.
“The City of Winston-Salem is deeply honored to have been chosen to host the 2026 Cook Out Clash,” said City of Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. “The 2025 race was an immensely successful event for all parties involved. We will work hard to ensure that the 2026 Cook Out Clash is even more successful.”
The close-quarters style of racing on a flat oval around a football field led to the stadium’s nickname of “The Madhouse.” That label has also applied to the track’s “Madhouse Scramble” inversion format, plus the fireworks and temper-fueled antics that often stem from the facility’s on-track tendency for contact.
The France family, NASCAR’s founders, have long been linked to the quarter-mile, partnering with promoter Alvin Hawkins in stock-car racing’s pioneer days to showcase and advance the sport. The Hawkins family ran the racing operations at the city-owned stadium for decades until NASCAR assumed the management duties in March 2024.
The France family, NASCAR’s founders, have long been linked to the quarter-mile, partnering with promoter Alvin Hawkins in stock-car racing’s pioneer days to showcase and advance the sport. The Hawkins family ran the racing operations at the city-owned stadium for decades until NASCAR assumed the management duties in March 2024.
Before Ben Kennedy began his role as NASCAR executive vice president, chief venue and racing innovation officer, a highlight of his driving days was a come-from-behind ARCA Menards Series East victory at Bowman Gray in 2013. Kennedy’s grandfather, former NASCAR president Bill France Jr., also met his future wife Betty Jane Zachary at Bowman Gray in 1957.
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