Clash returns to Bowman Gray for 2026

Bowman Gray Stadium will host the Cook Out Clash for the second consecutive year in February 2026.

NASCAR announced the pre-season exhibition event will return to the North Carolina short track Feb. 1 and Cook Out returns as the entitlement sponsor. FOX Sports will broadcast the event.

“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, Managing Director, NASCAR Regional. “As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, 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.’”

Bowman Gray Stadium hosted the Clash in February after it moved back to the East Coast after three years running at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. NASCAR built a quarter-mile racetrack inside the Coliseum.

This year’s event was sold out at Bowman Gray Stadium. It was the first time in 54 years that Cup Series cars had run at the Winston-Salem facility.

“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.”

Chase Elliott the reigning winner of the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.