Yes, it wasn’t pretty. But then again, it’s not really supposed to be.
The 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will likely be regarded as one of the more embarrassing events for NASCAR in recent years. With a total of 17 caution flags — more than any NASCAR Cup Series race since the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 — a chaotic attempt at racing in sleet, a postponement that lasted three whole days until the green flag because of snow and, to top it off, FOX relegating the broadcast from its main channel to FOX Sports 2 with only around 40 laps to go.
It was pure chaos. Really, you could say it was quite the madhouse.
But wait, that’s exactly what it is, isn’t it?
When Bowman Gray was first announced to host the Clash in 2025, you’d find few who were disappointed by the news. It was what most in the industry had been wanting for years. It was a clear sign that NASCAR was returning to its roots and nodding toward the short tracks of its past. BGS was one of the most popular, and its 2025 edition of the Clash saw great success.
But the reason why everyone adores BGS isn’t solely because it’s a short track; it’s that it’s a short track with a reputation.
It is nicknamed The Madhouse for a reason. Merely typing its name in a YouTube search bar will likely spawn countless videos of fights, crashes and hurt feelings. It’s a track that rewards bumping, slamming and sliding, and it feeds on chaos. At its core, isn’t that the spirit of short track racing?
And we are surprised when we saw some chaos on that very same track? Clutch your pearls.
Don’t get me wrong. Nobody can look at Wednesday night without cringing a little. The rule of not counting caution laps is probably one that will get removed in the future.
In fact, it was practically the root of most of the problems of the night. More laps being run caused a number of teams to have fuel concerns, forcing NASCAR to allow them to make an impromptu race stoppage for refueling.
It also forced FOX’s hand when the event went well over its allotted time, forcing the relegation to FS2.
Finally, the constant yellow-flag periods continued to delay the event, and racing in wet conditions wasn’t remedying that effort in any regard.
But with all that said, the first half of that race was actually pretty spectacular.
In fact, without the wet conditions, Wednesday would likely have been a very successful race for the industry. There was bumping, banging, and yes, even some hurt feelings, up to lap 100.
It even had 11 different lead changes, seven different leaders and a decent 20-lap run to the finish that saw an emotional Ryan Preece win his first Cup Series event in the RFK Racing No. 60 Ford shortly after the passing of Greg Biffle.
It was, in every essence of the term, a short track race.
So, don’t let a chaotic race at a chaotic track turn you away from the madhouse. It’s exactly what we asked for.
Paint Scheme of the Race
Close enough. Welcome back, 2003 Kevin Harvick.
While this is a primary sponsor for Austin Dillon and not a unique one-off paint scheme, it sure is one of the coolest ones I’ve seen come out of the offseason.
With a clear nod to the old Goodwrench Harvick scheme, it’s a reminder of what better days were for Richard Childress Racing. The silver secondary color clashing with the black primary and orange borders made it appealing back in the 2000s, and it was no different on that cold Bowman Gray racing surface, either.
It’ll surely be a hotter item on the diecast market this year. They know it, too. It went on sale for pre-order only a day after its reveal.
But it does beg the question, is this considered a throwback?
What’s Next?
It’s starting to feel like Christmas in Daytona.
It’s time for five straight days of NASCAR activity in central Florida as the Cup Series field takes to the World Center of Racing for the 2026 edition of Speedweeks.
And it all culminates to the biggest stock car race in the world – the Daytona 500.
Qualifying for the Great American Race will be live on FOX Sports 1 at 8:15 p.m. ET. on Wednesday, Feb. 11 with the Duel races on the same channel on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. ET.
It all culminates with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET. on FOX.
Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT
when the sleet came and the wet tires went on i went to bed.
i hope the teams and drivers are healthy come daytona, cause it will be amazing if no one ends up with the flu.
to be i though starts/restarts looked like they were jumped a few times. just could had been how it was shown on tv.
they got it in. where is the clash to be held next year?
If you told someone that you went to a race that was 50 miles in length and it took over 3 hours to finish they’d probably guess it was a bike race.
Ridiculous and frustrating to watch.
The Cup car has no business running on a 1/4 mile track. Teams would learn just as much racing in the parking lot back at the shop.
Last night was an embarrassment for the sport. It was a gut punch to the fans.
Speaking of fans. How many new fans were gained last night? How many fans changed the channel before FOX gave them the middle finger? This is how much NASCAR cares about their fans.
It seems like Fox cares more about IndyCar now – during NFL games there were plenty of ads for their upcoming season but barely anything about NASCAR.
Yes it stinks that they’re pushing Indycar so hard and putting NASCAR on the back burner. I bet Indy pays them more to put the races on Fox.
Fox bought partial ownership in Indycar. They literally have a vested interest in its success. Still odd they treat the bigger series (NASCAR) like a rented stepchild.
Maybe all that stuff we blamed on Fox wasn’t Fox’s idea after all?
when larson took off and had the lead for such a long time i thought “here we go again…so much for improved product”. i did learn that i could easily fall asleep listening to the race.
Ha Janice that’s so funny. I once fell asleep in the stands at Dover. Yes the race was THAT boring.
I turned it off when they brought the hotdog announcer on, real original idea.
The clash needs to be run at daytona like it use to be before nascar went on their fan chasing excursion. How did that work out. Los Angeles was a real joke!
Go back to the original Clash format: Pole winners only, 20 b***s to the wall laps at Daytona.
For anyone born since the first in 1979 here is the first Clash and anyone else who is interested…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEFHUk_FvFk
These are real race cars!
I’m interested and thank you for finding and posting it. I thoroughly enjoyed it
Check out the 1983 Clash. Watch Neil Bonnett!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghTYasPcxls
Another good one, thank you. They all look sooo young now. lol heck, my Dr looks like she should be in high school. In May my granddaughter becomes a Dr, hard to believe time is so fast.
With apologies to those who don’t have cable, this is why I like having the races on FS1 or USA. They don’t have to switch channels when the races run long because of local networks.
I remember the fans complaining that Daytona Clash was boring and a wreck-fest. Now the fans want Daytona back.
Nascar should be giving a free pass to another Nascar race this season to all those that endured the elements of winter during that poor display of a race Move it back to Daytona or to New Smyrna Speedway to make it part of speed weeks
I agree. The weather ruined what could have been a really good race, and the caution laps not counting was a regrettable move. Still, there was some good racing, and the close quarters and non-points situation made it fun… for a while. Hats off to Ryan Preece and RFK Racing.