It’s time to get the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off on Sunday, February 2, albeit in an annual exhibition non-points event dubbed the Cook Out Clash. This year, the Cook Out Clash will be contested at the legendary Bowman Gray Stadium, a 0.250-mile short track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Clash moves to Bowman Gray after a three-year stint at the LA Memorial Coliseum, where NASCAR constructed a temporary 0.250-mile short track within the facility in each of the last three seasons.
Sunday’s Main Event will serve as the first NASCAR Cup Series event held at Bowman Gray Stadium since the 1971 season. That being said, it’ll be a highly anticipated event, for sure. While the Main Event takes place on Sunday night, there will also be preliminary action for NASCAR fans to keep up with throughout Saturday, and Sunday prior to the Main Event race, which will feature a field of 23 drivers.
Complete TV and streaming Schedule for the 2025 Cook Out Clash Race Weekend:
Saturday, February 1
| Time | Series | Event | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:45 PM ET | NASCAR Advance Parts Weekly Racing Series | Race: Madhouse Classic at Bowman Gray Stadium | -- | FloRacing |
| 6:00 PM ET | NASCAR Cup Series | Practice / Qualifying: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium | FS1 | FOX Sports App |
| 8:30 PM ET | NASCAR Cup Series | Heat Races: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium | FS1 | FOX Sports App |
Sunday, February 2
| Time | Series | Event | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 PM ET | NASCAR Cup Series | Last Chance Qualifier Race: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium | FOX | FOX Sports App |
| 8:00 PM ET | NASCAR Cup Series | Main Event: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium | FOX | FOX Sports App |
| 8:00 PM ET | NASCAR Cup Series | NASCAR Driver Cam | -- | Max |
Now that you have the full race weekend TV and streaming schedule, let’s dive into the format of this special exhibition event as it has a wildly different set of rules than the occasional NASCAR Cup Series race weekend.
While 39 drivers are on the entry list, only 23 will make it into the Cook Out Clash Main Event.
RELATED: 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash Entry List
In NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races, up to 40 cars can start each weekend, however, with the tight confines of the quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR, as it did with the LA Memorial Coliseum, has made concessions with the maximum field size for the main event.
However, while fewer cars will start the Main Event than a typical NASCAR Cup Series race, there will be plenty of action along the way to determine which 23 drivers and teams will advance to the Main Event.
Cook Out Clash Qualifying Format
The 39 cars on the entry list have been split up into three practice groups, and each practice group will be given three practice sessions, which will set the starting lineup for the four 25-lap heat races to be contested on Saturday.
The fastest driver from final practice will earn the pole for Heat Race 1; the second-fastest driver will start from the pole in Heat Race 2; the third-fastest driver will start from the pole in Heat Race 3; the fourth-fastest driver will start from the pole in Heat Race 4. The remainder of the starting lineups for the three Heat Races will be set by way of the same pattern from final practice results.
The Heat Races will all be 25-lap events, where caution laps do not count. These heat races will not have overtime. The top five finishing drivers from each Heat Race will advance into Sunday’s Cook Out Clash Main Event field.
The remaining 19 drivers, who failed to lock into the Main Event through the four Heat Races, will have one last chance to make the Main Event by way of a 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) Race on Sunday prior to the Main Event. Only green flag laps will count for the LCQ, which will also not have the possibility of an overtime finish.
The top-two finishers from the LCQ will start 21st and 22nd in the starting lineup of Sunday’s Cook Out Clash Main Event.
The final starting spot in the field (23rd) is reserved for the driver, who had the highest finish in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings and has yet to transfer into the Main Event.
2025 Cook Out Clash Main Event Format
The first 22 positions of the starting lineup for the Cook Out Clash Main Event will be determined by the finishing order of the four Heat Races. The driver who won Heat Race 1 will start from the pole; the driver who won Heat Race 2 will start from the second position; The driver who won Heat Race 3 will start from third; The driver who won Heat Race 4 will start from the fourth position, and so on.
The Main Event will be a 200-lap feature race, which will have a timed break at the halfway point of the race (Lap 100). Only green flag laps will count in the Main Event, and the race must finish under the green flag.
