Fans anxiously awaiting the 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium are going to have to wait a little bit longer, as the annual preseason exhibition event was further postponed on Sunday afternoon. The event, which was originally scheduled for Sunday evening before being moved to Monday evening, is now scheduled to be contested on Wednesday, February 4, at 6 PM ET. FOX will continue to provide television coverage of the race.
Wednesday’s on-track activity will kick off with practice and qualifying beginning at 1:30 PM ET, which can be viewed on the FOX Sports App. The Last Chance Qualifier race is set for 4:30 PM ET on FOX, and will be followed by the Cook Out Clash Main Event at 6 PM ET, also on FOX.
Parking lots for the event will open on Wednesday at 11:30 AM ET, and an off-site shuttle service will begin operating at noon. Gates at Bowman Gray Stadium will open at 12:30 PM ET.
The second postponement of The Clash comes as the state of North Carolina is reeling following a wild winter weather storm, which has dumped historic levels of snowfall in the region. As The Clash is a non-points race, the main purpose of running the event is to give the fans a little something to whet their appetite before the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15.
As a result, NASCAR felt moving the event until Wednesday evening would give the sanctioning body the best shot at hosting a safe event for competitors and fans alike.
“This event is for the fans, and the fans at The Madhouse are some of the most passionate fans in all of sports,” said Justin Swilling, Project Lead, Cook Out Clash. “Moving the Cook Out Clash to Wednesday, Feb. 4, gives us the best opportunity to hold this event with fans at Bowman Gray Stadium while allowing the City of Winston-Salem to dedicate all of their resources to respond to the needs created by this historic weather event.”
When the race does go green, Chase Elliott will look to defend his win in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray a season ago, a win that he took after holding off Ryan Blaney in the closing laps. The Cook Out Clash moved to the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in 2025 after a three-year stint at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Daytona International Speedway served as the host venue for The Clash from 1979 until 2021.
In a press release, NASCAR states it is continuing to work closely with the City of Winston-Salem and the North Carolina Department of Transportation on the ongoing impacts of the historic winter weather in the city and surrounding region to host a safe event.
Race fans with tickets, looking for more information pertaining to the race or their tickets, are encouraged to visit NASCAR’s Clash website or call 855-525-7223 for further information.
