In an event that felt like a treat for old school NASCAR fans, its most popular driver wound up in victory lane at ‘the Madhouse’.
Chase Elliott won the Cook Out Clash in dominant fashion, leading 171 of the 200-lap main event in the NASCAR Cup Series’ first race at Bowman Gray Stadium since 1971.
Polesitter Elliott led the first 96 laps but lost the lead to Denny Hamlin right before the halftime break. Elliott got around Hamlin in early stages of the race’s second half and fought through lap traffic to hold off Ryan Blaney in the closing laps.
The first Clash win of Elliott’s career is accompanied by winning the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy; Allison was the last Cup winner at Bowman Gray prior to the Clash in 1971.
“We don’t race in stadiums like this and it’s pretty cool and we appreciate (the fans) for making that special for me and my team,” Elliott told FOX. “I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win for sure. I’m just really proud of our team for continuing to keep our heads down and push forward.
“Ryan kept me honest there at the end. Denny was really good in the second half after the break. It felt like he was kind of riding. I was afraid of losing control of the race and not getting it back. Fortunately, it worked out.”
Blaney, who started at the rear of the field and qualified via a points provisional, finished second. His chances at a win slipped away with 10 laps to go when he ran wide in turn 1 and gave up ground to Elliott.
“I had a blast,” Blaney told FOX. “I mentioned last year we came from last to third (in L.A.), this year we came from last to second. We just have to not start last, and I feel like we’ve got a shot to win one of these things.”
Hamlin finished third while Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five.
The first 100 laps produced just two cautions, both caused by single-car accidents. Kyle Busch spun after a bump from Daniel Suarez and Noah Gragson in turn 3 on lap 21. William Byron spun after contact with the frontstretch wall on lap 79.
The second half of the Clash was far more chaotic with three cautions in the first 21 laps involving Carson Hocevar, Kyle Larson, Byron, Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman.
A mistake on a restart by Hamlin opened the door for Elliott, who retook the lead on lap 127. Blaney passed Hamlin for second with 53 laps remaining and the top two sailed to a huge lead over the pack. Elliott and Blaney caught lap traffic in the closing quarter of the race, but it was Elliott who managed it best.
NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash Results
The NASCAR Cup Series season opener comes on Sunday, Feb. 16, with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. TV coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
James Krause joined Frontstretch in March 2024 as a contributor. Krause was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Northern Illinois University. He currently works in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a local sports reporter, including local short track racing. Outside of racing, Krause loves to keep up with football, music, anime and video games.