Event: Cook Out Clash
Location: Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Start: 21st
Finish: 12th

Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team emerged from a marathon Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium with a 12th-place finish after winning the preliminary Last Chance Qualifier to earn a spot in the 200-lap main event, which was impacted by the same winter weather that pushed the race from Sunday to Wednesday night.

For the second straight year, Berry raced his way into the Clash starting field with a top-two finish in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier. In 2025, it took an aggressive drive to second to advance. This year, Berry started on the pole, briefly lost the lead to AJ Allmendinger, then powered back to the front, leading the final 59 laps to beat second-place finisher Austin Cindric by 7.4 seconds. By the time the checkered flag flew, Berry had lapped up to the ninth-place driver.

“We just struggled a little bit on the restarts,” Berry said between races. “With the cold temperatures, I was locking the left front and got it locked up a little bit under AJ and washed him out. But once we were able to settle in and get some heat in the tires, I felt good about our car.”

Berry said advancing to the main event was a relief.

“It’s a long night when you don’t make this race.”

It turned out to be a long night anyway.

Starting 21st in the main event, Berry steadily worked his way forward and was running 13th at the halftime break. During the break, sleet began to fall, prompting teams to switch to treaded tires designed for wet-track conditions. The change initially worked in Berry’s favor as he climbed into the top 10 by Lap 115, but four laps later he was involved in one of the Clash-record 17 caution periods that plagued much of the second half of the race.

Berry returned to the track one lap down in 22nd place before rejoining the lead lap at the three-quarter mark of the non-points exhibition. With laps under caution not counting, the race stretched to three and a half hours in length.

With 35 laps remaining, Berry was running 19th but continued to move forward, advancing into the top 15 by Lap 175 and climbing to 12th by Lap 185. He held that position through the remainder of the race.

Berry and the No. 21 team now turn their focus to Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, where qualifying for the Daytona 500 is set for Feb. 11, followed by the Great American Race on Feb. 15.

Cook Out Clash – Bowman Gray Stadium
Winston-Salem, NC – February 4, 2026

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 FREIGHTLINER FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 22ND FINISH: 21ST

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse, finished 21st in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday night, several days after the event was postponed from its originally scheduled date. Cindric advanced to the 23-car main event following a hard-fought run in the Last Chance Qualifier, where he finished second to earn one of the final transfer spots alongside Ford Racing teammate Josh Berry. The result placed Cindric 22nd on the grid for the 200-lap main event. The first caution waved on Lap 41, with Cindric scored 20th at the time as he noted continued improvement in the handling of the No. 2. Shortly after the restart, Cindric sustained right-side damage while battling for position. A subsequent caution on Lap 77 came when he was spun by the No. 97, prompting a trip behind the wall for the Freightliner Ford. After a quick inspection, the team determined there was no significant damage requiring immediate repairs, allowing Cindric to return to the track. At the halfway break, Cindric was scored 23rd and received four fresh tires along with adjustments, including a front-toe reset. As teams prepared to resume racing, sleet began to fall, forcing the field to switch to wet-weather tires. The second half of the race was slowed by multiple cautions on the damp track conditions, limiting opportunities to advance through the field. Cindric made several additional stops for service as the team worked through the challenges presented by the changing conditions. When the checkered flag waved, the No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse crossed the line 21st.

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/GREAT LAKES FLOORING FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 16TH FINISH: 3RD

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney managed an up-and-down night in Wednesday’s season-opening Clash at Bowman Gray, coming away with a third-place finish in the No. 12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Blaney proved to have one of the stronger cars during the first half of the 200-lap event, driving from 16th to fourth by the scheduled caution on lap 100. A mix of rain and sleet began to fall during the break, prompting teams to put on wet weather tires for remainder of the exhibition event. Blaney struggled to find the right balance to fire off, dropping out of the top-20 during the first 25 laps of a caution-filled run, but began to make his way forward with under 50 laps remaining as the track conditions began to improve. He made his way up to sixth in the running order by lap 165 before charging to second with the leader within reach prior to the final caution of the night with 20 laps remaining. Blaney took the final restart from the inside of row one, but was unable to take over the top spot in the closing laps before settling for a third-place finish.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “A pretty wild day. From the race, we were really, really good in the dry. I thought we were the best car by a mile the first half, driving from 16th to fourth and I was really looking forward to getting the second half going and then it started raining. A wintry mix I guess you could call it, and then the rain tires went on and when we fired off in the rain I went straight backwards. I wasn’t good. My car wasn’t handling good, and then as it started to dry out my car came back. Even on the wet tires, my car came back a little bit and we were able to pick a couple good lanes and creep through there and ended up third. Overall, a back and forth night, but I’m proud of the effort and proud of a really fast car in the dry, and then just sticking with it in the wet. It dried up a little bit for us to be able to go back forward.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 14TH FINISH: 11TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team came away with an 11th-place finish in Wednesday night’s season-opening Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Logano broke into the top-10 in the opening laps of the 200-lap event before climbing to eighth by the time of the scheduled caution at the halfway point on lap 100. A mix of rain and sleet began to fall during the break, prompting teams to put on wet weather tires for remainder of the exhibition event. Logano continued to maintain top-10 pace in the wet conditions before a spin in turn three on lap 144 forced the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to the tail end of the lead lap. Despite battling handling issues from then on, Logano continued to fight his way forward, reaching 13th by the time of the final caution with 20 laps remaining. Logano narrowly missed out on a top-10 result, settling for 11th in the exhibition event.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway next week in preparation for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. The crown jewel event is scheduled for Sunday, February 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Coverage of the Great American Race will be carried on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet Team Start 2026 on a High Note with Strong Finish at Bowman Gray Stadium

Finish: 7th
Start: 15th

“What a fight all night from this No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet team. The rain tires saved our night. We struggled on the slicks. When the rain and sleet came, it put us back in the ballgame and we found speed at the end of the run. I got shipped a couple times and probably should have been in the wall, but was able to save it in turns three and four. Proud of the effort from everyone at Richard Childress Racing. It’s a good start to our season.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet Team Turn Focus to Daytona 500 Following Short Track Battle at Bowman Gray Stadium

Finish: 19th
Start: 13th

“The entire No. 8 zone Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet team fought hard today. We lacked grip at the start of the race, but after making changes at the halfway point we were battling our way to the front. We unfortunately got caught up in on-track contact a few times tonight and are leaving Bowman Gray Stadium with a 19th-place finish. But, I’m ready to turn my focus to the Daytona 500 and getting back to Victory Lane.” -Kyle Busch

NASCAR Cup Series
Bowman Gray Stadium
Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
February 4, 2026

· William Byron earned his career-best Clash finish under the Wednesday night lights of “The Madhouse” – driving his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a runner-up finish in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native led Chevrolet to a manufacturer-leading five top-10 results – earned by four different Chevrolet organizations with Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suarez in fourth; Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon in seventh; Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in ninth; and Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Alex Bowman, in 10th.

· In his first start with Spire Motorsports, Daniel Suarez brought home a strong top-five finish. Securing his spot in the main event through qualifying, the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet came to life during the second-half of the race – making a quick climb through the top-10 to prove to be a contender throughout the closing laps. The 34-year-old Monterrey, Mexico, native went on to take the checkered flag in the fourth position to mark his career-best Clash finish.

· A manufacturer-leading 11 drivers representing four different Chevrolet organizations earned a starting position for the 48th running of the Clash. Picking up right where he left off, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the pole position for the twice-delayed Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Electing the bottom lane to take the green flag, Larson took command of the field with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, in tow to pace the field in the opening laps. A quiet 40 laps around the North Carolina quarter-mile saw Larson already approaching lap traffic when the first caution of the race flew for debris.

· A short green flag run led to the second caution of the race for an incident in Turn Four. With a challenge for the lead on the restart from Chase Briscoe, the speed in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet prevailed to quickly find his way back to the top position. But it was Larson’s teammate, Byron, that became his next challenger, with the 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native making the pass for the top position on Lap 71 to lead his first laps of the race. Despite getting moved up to the high lane for the lead, Byron continued in a side-by-side battle with a hard-charging Carson Hocevar for the third position – going on to maintain the position to the halfway break.

· The return to the track was short-lived as a wintery mix took over “The Madhouse”, forcing the race back under red flag conditions – ultimately making the second-half of the event deemed a wet weather race. Enduring a string of cautions, the Chevrolet camp had a strong presence in the front of the pack throughout the next 100-lap run with the manufacturer seeing six drivers in the top-10 as the race reached 50 laps to go. With an abundance of cautions laps already logged, fuel mileage became a growing concern throughout the garage with the pole sitter, Larson, becoming the first driver to lose his position after a stout climb back into the top-10. Shortly thereafter, the race was once again red-flagged with 36 laps to go to allow teams the opportunity for a fuel-only stop – setting up for an all-out race towards the checkered flag.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results

Pos. Driver

2nd – William Byron
4th – Daniel Suarez
7th – Austin Dillon
9th – Ross Chastain
10th – Alex Bowman

 The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicks off at Daytona International Speedway with the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 15, at 2:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 9th

“It sure was a cold day and really cold night here at Bowman Gray Stadium. It felt great to be in the Choice Privileges Chevrolet today and it was my first race with my new crew chief, Brandon McSwain. I experienced pretty much everything out there tonight – passing cars, being bumped, spinning, a wet track for the last half. It was eventful, that’s for sure. Brandon and the guys kept working on the car all night and finally towards the end we worked our way forward to ninth. It was wild out there tonight with everything we experienced, but I’m looking forward to getting to Daytona next week for the first points race of the season. I hope it’s a lot warmer there, that’s for sure.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 7th

“What a fight all night from this No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet team. The rain tires saved our night. We struggled on the slicks. So when the rain and sleet came. It put us back in the ballgame and we found speed there at the end of the run. I got shipped a couple times and probably should have been in the wall, but was able to save it in turns three and four. Proud of the effort from everyone at Richard Childress Racing and it’s a good start to our season.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

“Very proud of this No. 7 Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Chevrolet team. I think that the car was very, very capable of running in the top-five. In both the dry and wet conditions, I felt like we were pretty strong. There was a lot of contact throughout the race and at one point, it started to feel like it wasn’t driving as well anymore. But overall, happy to come home with a top-five. I think this was a good start for everyone on his No. 7 team.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 19th

“The entire No. 8 zone Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet team fought hard today. We lacked grip at the start of the race, but after making changes at the halfway point we were battling our way to the front. We unfortunately got caught up in on-track contact a few times tonight and are leaving Bowman Gray Stadium with a 19th-place finish, but I’m ready to turn my focus to the Daytona 500 and getting back to victory lane.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 2nd

“It was just a marathon race. I feel like NASCAR did a good job with the rain conditions. I wish we would have had a practice session in the rain, just to kind of understand the characteristics a little better. It just seemed like guys were kind of using each other up. But then it started to dry up there at the end and it was fun. Overall, it was a solid finish and good start to the season for the No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet team.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 18th

“It was a very chaotic race. At the end of that first run, we drove up to 12th. We had good speed in the dry conditions, but immediately when we fired off in the wet, our No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was really fast. Once the cautions started coming out every other lap, it started to become a bit of a mess. The restarts just became really chaotic and that kind of cost us track position. We were running inside the top-seven, top-eight; just got clipped in a wreck and that kind of killed our night. We had glimmers of hope, just disappointed to come home where we did considering the day and the speed that we had.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 20th

“It was a good bit of fun. There were moments of brilliance and moments that weren’t. It was cool to get to the front. We were just trying to search for the grip. The wet weather conditions were very different than what I’ve raced in Supercars, just with the way the corners are and the way the rubber lays down. But then it started to come back up again and dry up. It was pretty wild.

But all-in-all, happy with our run and it’s a good way to start the season for this No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Toyota Places Two in the Top 10 in Exhibition Race to Kick Off 2026 Season

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (February 4, 2026) – Two Toyota Camry XSE drivers finished in the top 10 in Wednesday night’s Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Denny Hamlin was the top-finishing Toyota with a fifth-place result in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 11 Camry. His JGR teammate, Chase Briscoe, finished in sixth-place after leading 35 laps as he battled for the lead throughout the majority of the race that featured a Clash record 17 cautions.

The 2026 season will officially begin at Daytona International Speedway when the NASCAR Cup Series competes in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Bowman Gray Stadium
The Clash – 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Ryan Preece*
2nd, William Byron*
3rd, Ryan Blaney*
4th, Daniel Suarez*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
6th, CHASE BRISCOE
13th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, TY GIBBS
22nd, TYLER REDDICK
23rd, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver

FAILED TO ADVANCE TO THE MAIN EVENT

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
ERIK JONES
RILEY HERBST