NASCAR's return to 'The Madhouse' will test temperament, resolve of sport's best

There is perhaps no greater encapsulation of the saying, “short track, short tempers,” than Bowman Gray Stadium. 

The 0.25-mile oval nestled in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is affectionately known as ‘The Madhouse’. If you’re wondering where the moniker comes from, all it takes is one quick search. 

If Bowman Gray’s walls could talk, they’d tell stories of fights, crashes and melees legendary enough to be passed down for generations. 

When the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Bowman Gray on Sunday for the Cook Out Clash, the traditions that make the track so special are sure to continue. Twenty-three of the best drivers in the world will be forced to share a 0.25-mile facility with each other, and an offseason’s worth of frustrations are waiting to be let out. 

The best action might stray away from the racing surface itself, however. If a patented Bowman Gray stack-up occurs, peel your eyes to the infield grass to see the stars of the Cup Series wheeling a 3,400-pound monster across the grass used as the football field for Winston-Salem State University.

Should one of the crashes result in a driver being forced to retire from the race, don’t be surprised to see said driver telling the competitor who instigated the incident that he’s No. 1. After the race, wait to change the dial until it’s been confirmed that no Bowman Gray boxing matches have broken out. 

It’s all of these variables that have turned Bowman Gray into a racing institution for nearly eight decades.

Now, one of the most historic and passionate racing communities in the country has the opportunity to welcome America’s biggest racing series back to a track it left nearly 54 years ago. 

The show that fans are treated to on Sunday night will, at the very least, be memorable.