With the winter weather postponing the Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, a lot of people have thought about what the future holds for the NASCAR Clash. NASCAR has reported that Bowman Gray will continue to host until the 2027 season.
NASCAR has provided a new scoreboard at Bowman Gray Stadium costing $1 million. The cost is broken up between the city of Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem State University, and Winston-Salem Speedway LLC. The breakdown is 50% from the city, 40% from the Speedway LLC, and 10% from WSSU. NASCAR has also agreed to hold five events over the next five seasons, currently four, to help the city pay for the new scoreboard.
With talks of the Clash or other NASCAR events at the Madhouse for five seasons, it’s possible the Clash won’t return to a speedway or a superspeedway.
North Wilkesboro Speedway would be an example of a similar situation. Bringing back an abandoned speedway gave a chance to hold the All-Star Race, which was a success for the drivers, fans, and town of North Wilkesboro. After two years of holding the All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro will hold a points race in 2026. With North Wilkesboro being a smaller track, it offers hope that NASCAR is looking to stay true to its roots.
Bowman Gray has held the Clash last season and currently, so what will happen next year is still very questionable. But the main question is, will it hold a Clash event in 2028, or will it be another NASCAR series going in its place?
From 2011 to 2015, the K&N Series raced at Bowman Gray Stadium. So there is a possibility we won’t get the Cup Series back; instead, we might get a lower-level series, like the ARCA Series or the NASCAR O’Reilly Series.
Would Daytona be a good fit?
A large number of old-school NASCAR fans want the Clash back at its old stomping grounds.
The racing at Daytona was good, and the weather is normally warm. Alongside that, Daytona has many things to do outside of the track. Two of those three statements are not the case in Winston-Salem. As I write this, there is snow on the ground in Winston-Salem, with no chance of melting anytime soon. Winston-Salem also doesn’t have a strong day and nightlife outside of its smaller downtown.
One of Daytona’s major issues with hosting the clash was the event’s hype. Since it’s at Daytona every year, it felt like an event used to prepare drivers for the upcoming Daytona 500.
With the event being moved to the LA Coliseum and Bowman Gray Stadium, it gives fans a different experience. It also gives people unfamiliar with NASCAR an opportunity to get involved in the sport.
The NASCAR hauler parade went through Winston-Salem earlier today, and fans were encouraged to watch. Many of those trailers will not be back in that area. So, for people who saw them, it gives them a chance to get close to NASCAR without watching a race.
In conclusion
The Clash has its pros and cons, including its appearances at Bowman Gray Stadium and other venues.
Bowman Gray has a lower average attendance than Daytona, but not entirely because fans don’t want to watch. Bowman Gray holds around 17,000-18,000 people. Significantly smaller than Daytona International Speedway.
With the track only being 1/4 of a mile, are drivers okay knowing that they might walk away with a damaged race car two weeks before the Daytona 500?
Bowman Gray Stadium, with its weekly races, allows drivers to gain or lose fans based on their performance each week, so the NASCAR Cup Series could gain or lose fans based on what happens. For instance, Bowman Gray’s favorite Burt Myers appeared to be spun out by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the 2025 Clash. Will there be any retaliation this year? Who knows! Though this definitely changed how Winston-Salem NASCAR fans thought of Stenhouse.
