Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Results: Finish Order, Winner, and Key Takeaways

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray finished with Ryan Preece taking the win. He has claimed his first Clash win before his first Cup Series points race win. He joins Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as the only three drivers to achieve that feat.

RFK Racing came up short so many times a year ago. This year, they start the season with a win at the Clash. It doesn't count for points, but it counts for a lot more than that. Preece was emotional in the post-race interview in Victory Lane.

Key Takeaways from Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

This race was strange. There will be no other like it on the Cup Series schedule for the rest of the season. A quarter-mile track, 17 cautions, freezing temperatures, wet-weather tires, and a late decision to allow teams to fuel up. There is no way to recreate the conditions we had for tonight.

However, we did see a mix of drivers and manufacturers lead laps tonight. There was a strong showing from Hendrick Motorsports in their new Chevy Camaro bodies. However, we can't discount the strong performances that the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers had, or the performances from the Fords like Preece and Blaney.

Caution laps were not counted in the official lap count. So, this race ran a little longer than it was supposed to. With a little over three hours from green flag to checkered flag, it was a marathon of a short track race.

Is there anything you can really take away from this race? I'm not so sure. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that Ryan Preece is ready to step up and win races. If that is the case, this could be a very interesting season and championship battle.