Feb 2, 2025; WInston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliot (9) leads the start of the Clash at Bowman Gray at Bowman Gray Stadium. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Cook Out Clash is Back at Bowman Gray Stadium in 2026

Originally posted on Racing America on SI
By Toby Christie | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 9:53 AM ET

It's official. NASCAR's annual preseason exhibition event, the Cook Out Clash, is set to return to the historic Bowman Gray Stadium for the 2026 season. The 0.250-mile short track affectionately known as 'The Madhouse' hosted 29 NASCAR Cup Series events from 1958 to 1971, but would serve a 54-year hiatus until it returned as the venue of the 2025 edition of The Cook Out Clash.

While Bowman Gray Stadium has hosted NASCAR Weekly Racing events since 1949, NASCAR feels the return of the NASCAR Cup Series cars to the iconic track was a massive page in the history book of motorsports.

“We wrote a new chapter in the storied history of motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash this year,” said Joey Dennewitz, Managing Director, NASCAR Regional. “As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home to grassroots racing. Thanks to the City of Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem State University for their continued partnership at ‘The Madhouse’.”

The 2025 edition of the Cook Out Clash, which was won by the sport's most popular driver Chase Elliott, was wildly successful as Bowman Gray Stadium played host to a sold-out crowd, and the action on track was vastly improved from the three-year stretch of The Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum, which concluded in 2024.

“The City of Winston-Salem is deeply honored to have been chosen to host the 2026 Cook Out Clash,” said City of Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. “The 2025 race was an immensely successful event for all parties involved. We will work hard to ensure that the 2026 Cook Out Clash is even more successful.”

The quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium race track was built in 1937, and in 2024, NASCAR took over the long-term management of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium through a partnership with the city of Winston-Salem.

For fans looking for additional information about the 2026 Cook Out Clash, and would also like to have their name placed on the list to purchase tickets for the event, are encouraged to visit NASCARClash.com.