Rudy Fugle reveals how cold weather will affect NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray

It will be extremely cold in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this week as NASCAR Cup Series teams prepare for the exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium to unofficially kick off the 2026 season. 

Cup Series cars will hit the track for the first time in 2026 on Jan. 31, a day when the high temperature in Winston-Salem will only be 25 degrees, per AccuWeather. That will drop down to 11 degrees Saturday evening during practice and the heat races for the Clash. 

On Sunday, the high temperature will climb just above freezing at 34 degrees, with temps dropping through the evening during the Last Chance Qualifier. The Clash is currently scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET green flag on Feb. 1. 

How cold weather could affect cars

On Monday, Cup Series crew chief Rudy Fugle, who calls the shots for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, went on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss how the cold temperatures could affect the racing product at Bowman Gray. 

"How the engine is tuned is going to be completely different," Fugle said. "The brakes will go through that phase where normally, they'd be hot the entire time at a place like Bowman Gray. Now, it's going to be very hard to get the brakes to want to work. 

"They'll want to crack when they do get hot. When you come in the pits, they're going to get cold very quick. They're going to get hot, and as soon as they cool back down that's terrible for the brakes." 

Tire wear will also be affected by the cold temperatures, and it may take a while before a layer of rubber is laid down on the surface of the racetrack. 

"The optimal surface temp, the bottom number, that a tire really wants to work at that I've been told is about 40 degrees for a track temp perspective," Fugle said. "That'll be probably the hardest part, is the tires having any grip. I definitely would worry about that." 

Needless to say, teams will be chomping at the bit to get out of the chilly climate of Winston-Salem and get down the Daytona Beach to officially start the season.