2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Predictions

JUST HEAR THOSE SLEIGH BELLS JINGLING RING TINGLE TINGLING TOO!!! No, it’s not Christmas time, but it’s North Carolina in February. Let’s host a race north of the Mason Dixon Line in the middle of winter. What could possibly go wrong? Without further ado, NASCAR kicks off another season tonight with its annual exhibition race, the 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray. First opened in 1937, the historic Bowman Gray Stadium is a quarter-mile oval located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the heart of racing country. Bowman Gray serves as host of the Cook Out Clash for the second consecutive year, after previously being held at the L. A. Coliseum from 2022-2024.

Short tracks have tradionally equaled boring, follow the leader style of racing in the age of the Gen 7 car. Each of the last four Clash winners started inside the top four, including two starting on the Pole position. Passing will be difficult and hard-earned. Patience will be required, until it isn’t. The chrome horn will undoubtedly be used. Equipment management will be vital. With cold temperatures on tap (under 40 degrees with the potential of rain), part failures are at a higher risk of happening. And possibly throwing the rain tires into the mix, this might just turn into a good ol’ fashioned Saturday night demolition derby. This race could go one of two ways: one of attrition, with plenty of tempers flaring and wrecks aplenty (which I’m here for), or follow the leader, let’s just run this and get it over with as quick as we can run it  (also highly possible).

Track position is King, and the outcome of this race will hinge not so much on the race itself, but on the qualifying session. With the track being just 0.25 miles in length, 40 cars on the track at once is just not feasible (although it would be quite fun). Traditionally, The Clash has featured four heat races, with the top five from each heat advancing, to set the field, along with the top two finishers from the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier, as well as the highest remaining driver from the 2025 Point Standings not already locked in. With the massive snowfall over the weekend, the qualifying session will be slightly different this year. The final practice session will serve as a qualifying session, with the top 20 drivers in speed locking themselves into the main race. From there, the Last Chance Qualifier and the highest ranking driver in points not qualified will proceed as normal.

The Cook Out Clash was originally held from 1979 through 2021 at Daytona International Speedway, with the 2021 edition being held on the road course configuration. The clash moved to the L. A. Coliseum from 2022-2024, another quarter-mile layout, before making its long-awaited debut at Bowman Gray Stadium last year. Many icons of the sport have won this race through the years, with Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning The Clash most often, finding Victory Lane six times in his career. Denny Hamlin has four Clash victories, while Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, and Tony Stewart have won this race three times. Other multiple-time winners of The Clash include Neil Bonnett, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, and Ken Schrader.

Last year’s edition was won by Chase Elliott, who put on a clinic and led 171 laps from the Pole on the way to his first Clash victory. Ryan Blaney finished in second place after starting the race from 23rd position, utilizing the Points Standing provisional to make the main race. Denny Hamlin started and finished the race in third place, leading 28 laps on the day, while Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five. Tyler Reddick was the only other driver to lead a lap during the race, pacing the field for one lap on the way to an eighth place finish.

Coverage of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray can be seen on FOX, with the Last Chance Qualifier beginning at 4:30 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 6 PM EST.

Driver to Fade:

Short track racing is very much a crapshoot. All it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time to get caught up in somebody’s else mess and see your own race go up in smoke. Lately, the lucky horseshoe has been absent from Erik Jones on short tracks, logging no top 15 finishes on this style of rack in nearly two years (12th place at Martinsville 2024 spring race is his most recent short track top 15). Since The Clash moved to a short track configuration, Jones has seen a steady decline, finishing fourth in 2022, 27th in 2023 (last place in that race), and missing the main race entirely in both 2024 and 2025. With potentially adverse weather conditions in the forecast, I suppose anything can happen, but I just don’t see Jones having much success tonight. Expect Erik Jones to miss the main race for the third consecutive season.

Dark Horse:

He may very well be a “one trick pony” to the haters, but Shane van Gisbergen has shown flashes of success when short track racing, posting a pair of top 15 finishes last season (14th at Richmond and 14th at the Martinsville fall race) and a 12th place finish at Martinsville fall race in 2024. SVG also had a strong showing at Bowman Gray last season, qualifying in 10th place for The Clash and holding his ground on the way to a ninth place finish. With the threat of rain in the forecast, things could very well get messy. Give an advantage to SVG if that happens. Before you all start cackling, no, SVG will not win tonight’s race. I very much expect him to make the main race and log a top 10 finish for the second consecutive season.

Top 10:

Ryan Blaney. That’s it. That’s the entire post. We know he’s an absolute baller. Cup Series Champion. Threat to win at any track from any starting position. Most likely to get caught up in somebody’s else incident or have a freak mechanical issue. You get the gist. Anyway, Blaney is an absolute stud on the short tracks, even more so lately. Last season, Blaney finished in the top five at Iowa, Richmond, both Bristol races, and the Martinsville fall race, not to mention wins at both New Hampshire and the season finale at Phoenix (not official short tracks, but relatively flat tracks that utilize the short track package). The Clash, in its short track configuration, has been feast or famine for Blaney, finishing 17th in both 2022 and 2023, while posting third place and second place showings in 2024 and 2025 after starting from the 23rd and final starting position both times. Doesn’t matter where he qualifies at, Ryan Blaney will drive his way to the front by the end of the race. A Ryan Blaney top 10 is an absolute lock, but don’t be surprised if he’s in the hunt for the victory late in the going.

Winner:

The two-time defending Daytona 500 champion, William Byron has proven to be one of the best on the biggest tracks. He’s also made quite a name for himself on the shortest of tracks, winning three of the last 12 short track races, two of the last four short tracks races, and leading 304 laps in the most recent short track race at Martinsville last fall. Byron has shown he has the speed early on today, ranking third on 10 Lap Averages and second on 20 Lap Averages. All of that led to a front row qualifying effort for Byron, starting from the second position, right next to teammate Kyle Larson, who earned the Pole. Passing is so difficult at Bowman Gray, and three of the last four Clash winners have started from a front row qualifying position. It may not be sexy, and it certainly won’t be liked by a certain portion of the NASCAR fan base (“Those Hendrix cars are cheating.” “Rick Hendricks paid NASCAR off.” And even though he has nothing to do with this post, I have to make an obligatory “Bubbles is the worst driver on the track” reference.”), but I expect Larson and Byron to put on a clinic from the front row this evening, with William Byron taking home his first Clash victory and the second straight Clash victory for Hendrick Motorsports!