NASCAR is running the Bowman Gray Clash back for another year.
After a successful debut event, the Cup Series will unofficially begin its 2026 season at ‘The Madhouse’ for a second run. The non-points exhibition was held at Daytona International Speedway as part of Speedweeks from 1979-2021 and then the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2022-2024.
NASCAR has enjoyed some competitive success in running the race on quarter-mile bullrings over the past four years in markets both new and old. Bowman Gray Stadium, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is one of the longest tenured short tracks under the purview of the Sanctioning Body and was also the site of its first ever pavement race in 1958.
Chase Elliott won the first Clash race held there this season.
“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’.”
Winston-Salem has fully embraced NASCAR beyond the weekly racing program held at the track and is actively working to have an expanded national touring presence at the venue.
“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.”
NASCAR is the promoter of the weekly racing program that takes place there from April to August.
