Next February, NASCAR will be returning to its roots, contesting its pre-season exhibition event (known as “The Clash”) at the quarter-mile short track named Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
For the first time since 1971, the NASCAR Cup Series will compete at the quarter-mile short track affectionately known as “The Madhouse”, with the series set to race at the venue on February 2, 2025.
Coverage of ‘The Clash’ at Bowman Gray Stadium will be live on FOX.
“Bowman Gray Stadium has a storied history in motorsports, so we look forward to bringing the Cup Series back to this revered racetrack for the first time since 1971,” said Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, NASCAR. “As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, Bowman Gray Stadium holds a special place as the original home to grassroots racing. With a history of intense competition, we are proud to host The Clash at the ‘The Madhouse.’”
The event will mark the 30th time in NASCAR Cup Series history that NASCAR’s premier series has competed at Bowman Gray Stadium, although this one won’t count towards the series championship.
To commemorate the return to Bowman Gray, NASCAR Studios and FOX will produce a one-hour documentary entitled The Madhouse: NASCAR’s Return to Bowman Gray Stadium that will premiere on FS1.
“The city of Winston-Salem is very excited and grateful to NASCAR for selecting Bowman Gray Stadium as the site for The Clash in 2025,” said City of Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. “This further solidifies our city’s relationship with NASCAR and the many fans in the region as we welcome the NASCAR Cup Series back to Bowman Gray Stadium.”
Built in 1937, Bowman Gray Stadium holds a special place in NASCAR history as the longest-running weekly racetrack. In 1949, Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two founding fathers of NASCAR, brought motorsports to the facility as the first weekly racetrack and the first paved racetrack that NASCAR competed on.
Earlier this year, NASCAR took over the long-term management of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium in partnership with the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The racetrack hosted 29 NASCAR Grand National, now NASCAR Cup Series, races from 1958 to 1971. Bowman Gray Stadium has hosted many NASCAR legends including Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Glen Wood, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, and others. Petty won his 100th NASCAR Grand National race in the 1969 Myers Brothers 250 at the racetrack.
More recently, Bowman Gray Stadium hosted several East Series races from 2011 to 2015. Ben Kennedy, great-grandson of Bill France Sr., won an East Series race there in 2013. Other winners include two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes and Cup Series drivers Ryan Preece and Corey LaJoie.
