In case some fans found themselves stuck under a rock the past few weeks, the first Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium was a huge success across the NASCAR world.
The fans were ravenous, passionate, potentially inebriated and, above all else, fun. However, it’s been noted that the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the past few seasons brought its own benefits in terms of bringing potential new fans into the sport.
That begs the question, then, of whether or not the Clash should stay in the long-tenured motorsport haven of the Carolinas or keep rotating around the country to drum up support and excitement for the upcoming season. Two of Frontstretch’s writers have differing opinions on the matter.
The Clash Should Stay Right Where It’s At.
Bowman Gray checks off a lot of boxes to be a solid long-term home for the Clash. Settled just over an hour from Charlotte in Winston-Salem, N.C., it’s a close venue for the majority of Cup Series teams and NASCAR themselves to travel to.
On top of being close for the teams, Bowman Gray is a classic NASCAR track with a storied history dating back to 1949, the early years of the Cup Series. The venue has put on thrilling and exciting modified shows with a diehard grassroots fanbase that comes out to support the local racing.
The Bowman Gray faithful was 17,000 strong last Sunday (Feb. 2), and the fans showed massive support for this year’s Clash. And even though there was very little promotion of the event on television, the 2025 Clash still received over 3 million views on FOX, a number that doubled last year’s rain-impacted event on FS1 but was 600,000 shy of 2023’s viewership.
From the multiple camera shots of the crowd throughout the event, it seemed like the people there had fun at the track and cared about having the biggest show in stock car racing there. It meant something to them, and it only makes sense to reward the fanbase by hosting the Clash there in the future and give the event the promotional effort it deserves.
Unlike in Los Angeles, it felt like there was more room to work with on track for drivers. Not having a concrete wall in the infield gave more incentive for drivers to send it down the inside into each turn to attack for position. All drivers had to do in order to ensure a clean night was to avoid the storm drains and each other, but that was never going to happen.
When they didn’t stay clear and instead engaged in good old-fashioned beating and banging, that’s when the show truly got exciting, and that first heat race showed how mad the Madhouse could truly get.
Drivers didn’t only just use the inside. Some competitors, such as Denny Hamlin, Noah Gragson and Erik Jones, were able to master the outside lane as well. Hamlin cleared himself to the lead around halfway by being strong on the outside during the main event. Jones was able to stick on the outside lane in the last chance qualifier to take the lead, only to get turned not too long afterward. Similarly, Gragson hung it three-wide on the outside to pass both Kyle Busch and Justin Haley in the first heat.
The combination of great racing throughout the weekend and the motivation of the local fan base supporting this event both help the idea of continuing the Clash at Bowman Gray. NASCAR already made permanent facility upgrades to the track such as adding catch fencing and SAFER Barrier walls. Unlike having to rebuild the Clash like they did in Los Angeles, NASCAR can return to the track with just an hour drive and inspections at Charlotte Motor Speedway due to the size of the facility. That’s not much at all.
So, let’s see what the future has in store for Bowman Gray. It’s time for the Clash to call the Madhouse home for the next couple of seasons. -Wyatt Watson
Take the Clash and Its Impact Worldwide.
Whether you grew up watching races in person or only knew of its legend from seeing it on TV and social media, the NASCAR Cup Series running at Bowman Gray was undeniably cool.
It put new eyes on an iconic venue in the sport and introduced most of the country to Burt Myers and Tim Brown, local legends who got a chance in the national spotlight that they probably wouldn’t have received if the Clash never left Daytona or the L.A. Coliseum.
For one weekend, fans at the track and those watching via FloSports and FOX got to experience the Madhouse. Some are probably hooked — if not on Bowman Gray, then maybe on the local grassroots racing in their area.
If the Clash — even in a changed format with faded prestige — can do that for racing at Bowman Gray, what can it do for racing at other tracks around the country and beyond?
The Clash leaving Bowman Gray means taking away one of the track’s biggest events, but the impact of hosting the race, even just once, will last through NASCAR’s investment. As long as the safer barriers and new fancy lights are there, people will be reminded of the Cup Series’ return to Bowman Gray and for the series to potentially return at a later date.
What track wouldn’t want that type of investment from NASCAR to help in both the short term and long term? What grassroots fan in America didn’t go, ‘Wow, it’d be cool if the Cup Series came to my local track,’ while watching the Clash?
NASCAR has put efforts behind the revivals of North Wilkesboro and Rockingham over the past few years. It could now put efforts behind strengthening some of the short tracks in America that have great racing, ones that don’t quite have the outreach that a Bowman Gray has.
The Cup Series could go back to Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Easley, S.C., which in 1971 hosted the first Cup race that had flag-to-flag TV coverage by ABC. It was also the final year the Cup Series ventured to the half-mile oval.
Greenville-Pickens is just one of a litany of options in NASCAR’s hot bed. South Boston Speedway in Virginia, Hickory Speedway in North Carolina and Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina all carry a lengthy lineage of local short track racing that NASCAR can open to a national audience.
The sport could try returning to California, if not in Los Angeles, then maybe at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield. Evergreen Speedway in Washington just celebrated its 70th year of operation and could give fans of the Pacific Northwest a taste of NASCAR’s top series.
Want to take it internationally? Canada might be too cold in February, but Brazil would present better weather and allow NASCAR to expand its stronghold on the sport there. Want a bit of nostalgia? Why not return to Australia with the crossover appeal Shane Van Gisbergen has created or hold an exhibition race in Japan like NASCAR did from 1996 to 1998?
With all the opportunities that NASCAR has already opened up by holding this event at Bowman Gray, it’d be doing itself and the sport a disservice to stop at Bowman Gray. Moving the event every year may be a headache for fans and teams, and there’s no guarantee it’ll be a success every year.
That said, even one new frontier or a revitalized frontier is an opportunity to make a long-term investment in the sport. Plus, what’s the one thing NASCAR is looking to give their fans? Excitement. The Clash on a rotation means something new every year to knock off the rust and get back into racing. -James Krause
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for TopSpeed.com, an AP Wire reporter, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host and master's student at Mississippi State University. Soon, Tanner will be pursuing a PhD. in Mass Media Studies. Tanner began working with Frontstretch as an Xfinity Series columnist in 2022.
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.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing