NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray was a 'marathon race' that was 'never gonna end'

Nor rain, nor sleet, nor gas mileage, nor a seemingly unending string of cautions could keep Wednesday's Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray from finally coming to an end after three hours. 

Ryan Preece won the exhibition race, while William Byron and Ryan Blaney finished second and third in a 50-mile event that felt like an endurance race. 

"It was just a marathon race," Byron said. "Seemed like it was never gonna end, just looking at the board, seeing 70 laps to go. I feel like they did a good job with the rain conditions. I wish we had a practice session in the rain to understand the characteristics a little bit."

"Just a wacky day," Blaney said. "Just a wacky race, really, from the first 100 laps going dry and the sleeting, wintry mix right in the middle there. Pretty wild day. Long race, that's for sure." 

The abundance of cautions gave drivers who went backwards early in the race's second half an opportunity to rebound. That included Blaney, who slipped outside the top-15 before mounting a late charge to finish third. 

"I wasn't good in the wet at all," Blaney said. "I thought my car was unbelievable in the dry. Got to fourth there at the break, and I was kind of nervous when we were going to re-fire on wets. I faded hard and honestly rode around there seeing what would happen. Missed some wrecks and kind of picked our way through." 

Wet conditions throw drivers a curveball

Conditions that included rain and sleet threw the entire field a curveball shortly after the halfway break. 

"You're just guessing," Blaney said regarding the conditions. "Race car drivers, we always adapt. That stuff's pretty neat to do when we're thrown into that stuff."

"I feel like everyone's really good at adapting," Byron said. "It takes a few laps to get your bearings. It's a balancing act."

Neither Blaney nor Byron had enough to catch eventual race winner Ryan Preece, who pulled away in the closing laps to score the victory. 

Regardless, both Byron — the two-time defending Daytona 500 winner — and Blaney enter the season-opening Daytona 500 with momentum behind them and as favorites to win the 2026 Cup Series championship.

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.