Storylines to follow for Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the track at Bowman Gray Stadium in a season-opening exhibition race. Here are storylines to follow following Saturday's heat races. 

Big names in the LCQ

While the Clash itself is the main event, the last-chance qualifier will be a show in and of itself. Only the two top finishers in the LCQ will advance to the main event, and the fight for those two spots will be very intriguing. Among the drivers who must race their way in via the LCQ are a pair of Cup Series champions in Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney, who both struggled in their respective heat races. Ty Dillon and Zane Smith will start the LCQ from the front row. 

Aggression will be at an all-time high

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the stars of the Cup Series wasted no time helping Bowman Gray live up to its reputation. Cole Custer and A.J. Allmendinger got tangled up in their heat race, while Justin Haley and Kyle Busch also traded blows. If the heat races were any indication, there will be no mercy given to any drivers in Sunday's race. 

Best of the best still show up 

As chaotic as Bowman Gray can be, the best drivers in the Cup Series remained the cream of the crop on Saturday evening. Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green flag, while Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick also won their heat races. Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell will also start inside the top 10, which should make for an interesting race as the drivers try to sort things out early on.