The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Built in 1937, this quarter-mile asphalt flat oval short track will host the Cook Out Clash after last hosting a NASCAR Cup Series race in 1971. Nicknamed “The Madhouse”, Bowman Gray is known for its hot racing and hot tempers.

Welcome Knighthead: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB announced on Monday the team joined forces with Knighthead Capital Management See more here: LINK

First Time for All: This weekend will mark John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones’ first time competing at the Bowman Gray Stadium. With no prior experience at the quarter-mile oval, LEGACY MC is relying on simulator time to get up to speed.

Partner Spotlight: “The Madhouse” will host two LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries. John Hunter Nemechek will support the familiar green, white, and gold Dollar Tree colors on his No. 42 while Erik Jones will have the black, red, and orange colors of Family Dollar on his No. 43 Camry XSE.

LEGACY MC Debut: Travis Mack will make his debut with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB at Bowman Gray Stadium as the crew chief on the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. Throughout his career, Mack has called the shots as a crew chief for 156 races for drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Daniel Suarez, A.J. Allmendinger, Ty Dillon, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Josh Williams. He has one victory to his record and 11 top-five finishes.

Richard Petty’s 100th Win: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s ambassador, Richard Petty “The King” is no stranger to Bowman Gray Stadium. Petty is a four-time winner at the track, most notably, including his 100th NASCAR Cup Series win at “The Madhouse” on Aug. 22, 1969. A special shirt commemorating this historic win is currently available for purchase by visiting the Petty Museum’s website: Shop | Pettymuseum.

Hometown Hits: Rick Rozier, the fueler for the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE pit crew, attended Winston-Salem State University, where he majored in exercise science and competed as a football and track student-athlete. For those visiting the Winston-Salem area, Rozier recommends checking out Forsyth Seafood, Milner’s, or Jeffery’s Adams on Fourth for a great meal.

Off-Season Fun: When he’s not at the track or at the LEGACY MC race shop, Nemechek enjoys quality family time with his wife and two daughters. During their break, the Nemechek family headed to Aspen, Colo. for some fun on the slopes. Nemechek also made a trip to the X-Games to catch the action and cheer on some friends who were competing.

EJ Dad Duty: The off-season was different this year for Erik Jones as he and his wife Holly welcomed their first child, David, during the Thanksgiving break. David will attend his first DAYTONA 500 On Feb. 16 to cheer on his Dad.

Eyes in the Sky: Both Jones and Nemechek will have new spotters in the spotters stand this year. Jones will be matched up with Will Rodgers while Nemechek will be paired with Hayden Reeves.

Reeves comes from a racing family as he is the son of Stevie Reeves, a former NASCAR and Open-Wheel driver in the 1990s. His father would go on to become a spotter for Jimmie Johnson, Ernie Irvin, Robbie Gordon, Christopher Bell, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., leading him to his first Daytona 500 victory in 2004. Hayden has a vast background in racing himself, having raced quarter-midgets up to sprint cars. Reeves has also been a mechanic, a shock mechanic, and currently a spotter.

Rodgers began his racing career in go-karts at the age of nine and quickly rose to the ranks as state champion. At age 13, he switched to motocross racing, becoming a regional champion. In 2015, he became a West Coast NASA Champion, and the following year he competed in six starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series – winning two races, one of which came at Sonoma Raceway, where he won over five NASCAR Cup Series drivers. In 2018, Rodgers made his ARCA debut and followed that up with his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in 2019. Since 2021, Rodgers has competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, mainly racing road courses. Rodgers will make his full-time Cup Series spotting debut with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB at the Clash.
QUOTABLE:

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:

“I think [The Cook Out Clash] is going to be wild for sure. I believe that the qualifying and the heat races, are going to be intense and it’s going to be really tough to qualify for Sunday’s main race. At the same time, it will be exciting from a fan perspective. With that many cars on a quarter-mile racetrack, around a football and so much history there, it’s neat to be able to go back there. We’ll see what the Cup cars can do and if we’re able to live up to the hype and hopefully we can put on a great show for them.”

Travis Mack, Crew chief of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:
“It’s a great practice before going to the Daytona 500. This is a new team with new processes, we started from the ground up – it’s going to be new to everybody just to get family with each other, and how we work together before get to the Daytona 500.”

“I am excited about this weekend. I grew up racing at a track just like [Bowman Gray Stadium] it’s a lot that I can remember about growing up. I hope we see some good racing and fights on the track, some of the normal stuff that the fans see on a Saturday night!”

Erik Jones, Driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

“I think Bowman Gray is special for everyone because of the history. The Cup series went there for a long time years ago, and to be able to go back is always fun as a driver and as a fan to go to historic tracks. We’re looking forward to going back and hopefully put on a great show for everybody.”

Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

“The history of the track makes it a special one to race at. To be able to go back to one of the original tracks that got NASCAR started is really cool and I think it will put on a great show for the fans”

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit DollarTree.com

Clash Event Info:
Date: Sunday, February 2
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Format: See Below
TV: FOX
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 6:10 p.m. ET, Practice/Qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 8:30 p.m. ET, Heat Races Begin (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 6 p.m. ET, Last Chance Race (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 8 p.m. ET, Clash (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The 2025 season unofficially begins this weekend as the Clash at Bowman Gray takes place Sunday in Winston-Salem.
• This is the first year of the Clash taking place at Bowman Gray Stadium, marking the Cup Series’ first return to the historic Bowman Gray Stadium since 1971.
• The format for the Clash remains similar to the 2024 edition held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as 23 cars overall will make the main event.
• Saturday features three practice sessions with entrants split into three groups. The fastest lap time in each car’s final session will determine the starting lineup for the four heat races, meaning no separate qualifying session will take place.
• The 25-lap heat races will feature up to 10 cars per race, with only green-flag laps counting in each heat with no overtime allotment.
• The top five finishers in each heat will automatically advance to Sunday night’s main event, while the drivers that finish below fifth will advance to Sunday’s last chance qualifier (LCQ). Starting positions for that race will be determined by the finishing order in the heats. The top two finishers in the LCQ will advance to the Clash and start 21st and 22nd, respectively.
• The 23rd and final position in the Clash is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2024 season points standings that did not otherwise transfer via the heat races or LCQ.
• The Clash will be 200 laps and feature those 23 cars.

41 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: HaasTooling.com

Custer in the Clash
Starts: 2
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

Custer has two starts in the annual Clash event with a best finish of seventh back in 2022. He finished 20th in 2021 in Daytona.

The Wood Brothers and the crew of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang kick of the team’s 75th Anniversary season with a return to a familiar old venue – Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Sunday’s Cook Out Clash will be the first outing in the iconic No. 21 Ford for driver Josh Berry and crew chief Miles Stanley, and the new duo will be attempting to capture some of the magic that the team’s founders enjoyed back in the day on the tight, flat quarter-mile oval track known then and now as “The Madhouse.”

The late team founder Glenn Wood had four Cup Series wins at Bowman Gray and a total of 29 victories across all divisions he competed in at the track. Wood’s success at Bowman Gray will be honored with a special paint scheme representing the Modified “Backseater” that was among his winning mounts back in the day. That heavily-modified 1937 Ford flatback coach got its nickname from the fact that Wood was sitting so far back that it looked like he was in the back seat.

Those wins often meant prevailing in spite of the on-track incidents that often occur in races at Bowman Gray. In Wood’s final Cup win there, he started from the pole and led the first lap only to be collected in a Lap 5 multi-car crash that sent him to the rear of the field. He roared back through the pack and led the final 94 laps of the 200-lap race, finishing five seconds ahead of Ned Jarrett, with Buck Baker, Lee Petty and Jack Smith completing the top five. (It was the final top-five finish of Petty’s career, which was cut short by a devastating crash at Daytona International Speedway two years earlier.)

Berry said he expects Sunday’s race to be a typical Bowman Gray affair.

“Bowman Gray is known as The Madhouse for a reason, so I’m sure we’ll see plenty of excitement there,” he said. “It’s such a historic track, and bringing the Cup Series back to it is going to be really cool. The Wood Brothers have a long history at Bowman Gray, and I’ve already heard some great stories and seen a lot of pictures from back in the day. It’s even more special that we get to run a paint scheme that reflects their early success at the track, which is a great way to kick off the team’s 75th anniversary.”

Stanley said he too is looking forward to starting the season in his new position.

“We’ve put in a lot of work during the offseason to build the team and establish a strong foundation as Josh and I have gotten to know each other,” he said. “I feel like we’re ready for the challenges ahead of us at Bowman Gray this weekend. There’s still some fine-tuning to do as we prepare for Daytona and the rest of the season, but we’re making great progress. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together.”

Eddie Wood, who grew up watching his dad race at the Stadium, for years has regularly attended races there as his schedule allows.

“Bowman Gray is really special to me,” he said on a teleconference this week. “When I first heard they were even thinking about going to the stadium to race the Clash I thought, ‘Man, that’s the coolest thing ever.’ I’m really into the Stadium. I keep up with it weekly during the summer with the Myers boys and Brown and Butner, all those guys.

“I was listening to Josh, and he was talking about the fighting and the stuff that goes on there, you didn’t really see any of that out in L.A., but there’s something about Bowman Gray that brings out the worst in people, or the best. You can say it either way you want, but I think everybody is really amped up about doing well there. I know we are, and everyone I’ve talked to and been around is really looking forward to it. I have nothing but good memories about Bowman Gray Stadium.”

Practice for the Cook Out Clash is set for Saturday at 6:10 p.m. The field will be divided into three groups for three sessions, with each driver’s fastest lap time from the third session setting the line-up for the four 25-lap heat races that kick off at 8:30. The top five finishers in each heat earn a starting spot in the main event. A 75-lap Last Chance race gets the green flag on Sunday at 6 p.m. The top two finishers, plus the highest points finisher from 2024 not already in the starting field, will be added to the 23-car starting field for the 200-lap Clash, which is set to start at 8 p.m.

FOX Sports 1 will broadcast the preliminary events on Saturday, with FOX carrying Sunday’s races.

About Motorcraft®
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford Dealers and Lincoln Retailers, independent distributors and automotive-parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty* of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
*See your dealer for limited-warranty details.

About Quick Lane® Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine maintenance, serving all vehicle makes and models. Quick Lane provides a full menu of automotive services, including tires, oil change and maintenance, brakes, batteries, alternator and electrical system, air conditioning system, cooling system, transmission service, suspension and steering, wheel alignment, belts and hoses, lamps and bulbs and wiper blades plus a thorough vehicle checkup report. Service is performed by expert technicians while you wait at any of nearly 800 locations in the U.S., with evening and weekend hours available and no appointment necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
*See your dealer for limited-warranty details.”

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty. Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, along with connected services. The company does that through three customer-centered business segments: Ford Blue, engineering iconic gas-powered and hybrid vehicles; Ford Model e, inventing breakthrough EVs along with embedded software that defines exceptional digital experiences for all customers; and Ford Pro, helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs. Additionally, Ford is pursuing mobility solutions through Ford Next, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 177,000 people worldwide. More information about the company and its products and services is available at corporate.ford.com.

About Ford Performance
Ford Performance is based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for Ford’s performance vehicle development and major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO British GT, FIA World Rally Championship, Supercars Championship, World of Outlaws, Ultra4, SCORE-International, FIA Rally-Raid, Formula Drift, NHRA, Rebelle Rally, Thailand Super Series and our latest commitment in Formula 1 with RedBull Ford Powertrains. Ford Performance also maintains a constantly evolving fleet of electric performance demonstrators to showcase the limits of electrification technology. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit Performance.Ford.com or follow @FordPerformance on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.

About Wood Brothers Racing
Founded in 1950 by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, Wood Brothers Racing holds a special place in NASCAR history as the sport’s longest-running team. Over eight decades, the team has earned 100 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 120 poles, and remains proud of its longstanding relationship with Ford Motor Company, fielding only Ford products since its inception. Glenn’s brother, Leonard Wood, played a key role in shaping modern racing by developing the techniques behind today’s pit stops. With a rich legacy rooted in innovation and tradition, Wood Brothers Racing continues to honor its heritage while adapting for the future as it competes in NASCAR’s premier series with Josh Berry.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Clash at Bowman Gray Media Availability | Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, is the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion and a two-time winner of the Clash. As the season prepares to start this weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium, Logano spent a few minutes chatting with media about what lies ahead.

JOEY LOGANO, Driver, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW HAS YOUR OFFSEASON BEEN? “The offseason has been great, obviously. Anytime you leave the season as the winner, the offseason becomes a lot more enjoyable and also a lot busier at the same time, where a lot of opportunities have come my way and you don’t want to waste those. You don’t want to waste any opportunity that comes your way because you have a championship under your belt. A lot of great things and a lot of fun things. I got to spend some time with the family, which is great and get prepared for the season. The facts are the championship was awesome and we enjoyed it, but it’s over. If you look at the scoreboard right now, everybody has zero. We’ll have an opportunity to go up to Bowman Gray and have a little bit of fun and knock the rust off and just go through the motions and try to win a race up there with nothing to lose and then, obviously, the biggest race coming up here in the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.”

NASCAR SAID THEY WON’T CHANGE THE CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT. DID YOU EXPECT ANY CHANGES AND DO YOU FEEL THERE SHOULD BE? “I personally don’t expect changes and did not expect changes only because I feel like our playoff system is very entertaining and it also takes a lot to get through those 10 races to win the championship. I know it’s hard to compare to other sports because we’re a unique sport and we’re our own, but there is comparisons that you can draw to the NBA, the NFL, plenty of others as well and their playoff systems – the regular seasons they have versus the playoff runs that they have. Their seasons are long as well and ours is too and you can go up and down throughout all that, but when the playoffs start a lot of times you see teams that fire up and we’ve been one of those teams, thankfully, and it’s worked out for us through time. I don’t think that means you have to change the playoff system. I think if you look at the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, which that’s the same playoff system with just minor tweaks because of the fuel size, it’s really fun to watch as a race fan. Myself as a fan, not as a competitor, without a horse in the race in those races I find myself glued to the TV watching the races. Personally, and everyone has their own opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I like it.”

DID YOU CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAID AFTER YOU WON THE TITLE LAST YEAR? “To be honest with you, I can’t hear well because my trophies, they kind of echo around me, so I can’t hear that. It’s kind of crazy (laughing).”

WHAT DO YOU MAKE ABOUT MOVING THE CLASH AROUND? “I think we should. I think it always draw up a little bit more excitement and people talk about it more when it’s something new. ‘What are we gonna see at Bowman Gray? I don’t know.’ When we went to L.A. the first time, remember all the talk of what that race was gonna be like and no one had a clue? It draws up a lot of hype, which is good, and you’re also bringing it to the race fan. I’ve said this many times before, but it is hard to ask a family of any size to travel a long distance to go to a sporting event. It’s hard to do that, whether you have young kids or older kids, getting hotel rooms, getting the tickets, it becomes expensive. These days, it’s hard to do that, so I think moving our races around, going to our race fans is great. When you look at what Winston-Salem is to our sport, and that whole region, we all see the numbers and there are a lot of NASCAR fans there, a ton of them, and so going to our race fans is kind of going back to grassroots up there, but it’s also cool that we’re giving race fans that might not have been able to go to other races an opportunity to see a race. Whether that’s in Winston-Salem or in L.A. or name a city, I think moving it around is cool because it gives people opportunity.”

HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU FLOWN INTO THE AIRPORT AT DAYTONA? “For about 17 years now.”

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE THE FIRST TIME FLYING IN AND SEEING THE TRACK ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT? “It’s still cool. It never changes. I always enjoy the first flight of the year because you get on and everyone is exciting. You land right next to the race track and then you drive into the tunnel. That experience of getting back in the tunnel is like, ‘OK, a new year, here we go.’ You get settled back in. You get on the racetrack for the first time. That magic to me has never left. It’s always been there. It is more fun now to do that with your kids. My oldest being seven, he gets excited when he sees the racetrack now. He’s like, ‘Oh, it’s right there,’ and you’re landing in the plane and he’s talking about it. That’s cool and there’s a little extra special moment there for sure.”

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DID YOU GET DURING THE OFFSEASON? “I think there’s a lot of opportunities to take advantage of because the spotlight is on you. I think that’s what I mean when I say that, whether that’s with your partners, the sponsors that we have. How do we leverage what we have with the opportunity we have right now to make a difference? The opportunity to promote our sport, to grow. The opportunity for growth is right now and that will diminish as the season goes along and there are other storylines, but especially right after the season last year until Christmas, it was wide-open because we had opportunities to grow every area of our business in our industry, so, for me, that’s where I felt like the opportunity really was ahead of us – more so than doing cool stuff. I don’t need to go do cool stuff. Honestly, what I want to do is go home with my family and ride my four-wheeler. That’s really what I want to do, so I don’t need to go on different things, but taking advantage of the opportunities that come from the championship to grow our industry is most important as well.”

DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE OVER WHERE THE CLASH WOULD BE? IN L.A. IT WAS IN A HUGE STADIUM AND THIS YEAR IT’S A HISTORIC SHORT TRACK. DO YOU WANT TO BE AT THOSE LOCAL TRACKS THAT COULD USE A BOOST OR BE IN THE CITIES, IF POSSIBLE? “You’re asking a driver. I’m not NASCAR by any means. I don’t make the decisions. I don’t see the economics behind the decision and why they do it, so my opinion is purely based off of what I think is cool. I thought what we did in L.A., especially the first year with how many new fans there was there, was one of the largest wins our sport has ever seen that I’ve been a part of. I thought that was amazing and that was going to a whole new market and racing downtown basically, like we were really close to it at least. I thought that was huge. I would love to see our sport continue to do things like that because it just feels big. When we went to the Coliseum, it felt like a big event. It felt big. I’m not saying Bowman Gray doesn’t feel big, but it feels like we’re going to our grassroots, which is also cool in its own way, but different. It’s definitely a lot different than what L.A. is, so, personally, I’d like to see us race in the cities. That’s where our sport has a little bit more of a challenge because it’s hard to put a one-mile or two-mile racetrack in a city. It’s really hard to do that, so if we have the opportunity to be like a baseball team or a basketball team, a hockey team, and NFL team, where their stadiums are where the people are and where people can walk to it, you get a whole new demographic, so I think those type of things are really what I think is cool. I can’t make the decisions. There’s a lot more into what Joey Logano thinks is cool, but that’s what I do think.”

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE TEST AT ROCKINGHAM YESTERDAY. DID YOU SEE ANY OF IT AND IS IT SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THE CUP SERIES GO BACK TO? “Let’s see how it goes first. Let’s not pull the trigger already, but let’s watch those races. We’re all gonna be glued to our TV on Easter to watch those races, so we’ll wait and see. I know Rockingham in the past, before they repaved it, was one of the most awesome racetracks ever. I had so much fun going around that racetrack, especially the tire wear and all that. The repave definitely changed the characteristic of the racetrack in so many ways, so I’d like to watch the races and see how it goes before I say that, but I do think it’s cool to see these tracks get brought back to life from the state they were in. We’re obviously talking about Rockingham, but also North Wilkesboro, a track that was dead and now it’s brought back to life. It’s pretty cool to see that type of stuff.”

DO YOU FEEL ADDING WORLD CLASS DRIVERS HELPS GROW THE SPORT? “Yeah, it does. It brings a different fan demographic to what we do. In a way, I don’t say it legitimizes what we do in any way because I think what we do, our talent pool that we have as far as drivers, they’re absolutely incredible, but I do think you have fans that come along with some of these drivers, whether that’s from Indy Car or F1 or from the Supercar Series in Australia. We’ve seen that and it brings those fans that may not watch NASCAR racing and say, ‘Well, I’m gonna watch because this guy is in there. I want to see how he does against the NASCAR guys.’ That’s cool. That’s good, so it definitely grows the sport.”

IS THERE SOMEONE YOU’D LIKE TO SEE OR RACE AGAINST? “No. Bring them on. I don’t care. I don’t know if I’ve ever really thought about that. I’m pretty focused on just myself when it comes to racing, so whoever shows up we’ll have to figure out how to beat them. Anybody is welcome. We’ve kind of proven that, especially this year with the rules, so I’d say we’re open doors for people that want to try.”

HOW QUICKLY DO YOU START THINKING ABOUT FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS NOW? “Pretty immediate that you think about it. On one hand, I think the three championships are great. On the other hand, I think we lost four of them that we should have won, so those are the ones that are always in the back of my mind. Probably not until I’m done racing will I be content with what I have because I’m not done yet. I’m still only 34, so I’ve got a lot of years ahead of me to win more championships and races, so as great as it is, like I always say, the first 20 minutes is amazing because you’re celebrating with your team and your family, and then every day it becomes a little less exciting and more thoughts into ‘we’ve got to do it again,’ especially after Christmas, like I said, it’s over.’”

WHEN YOU GO TO BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM, HOW MUCH FREER DO YOU FEEL TO RACE FOR THE FUN OF IT? “I don’t know if it’s very free, it’s pretty confined in there. It’s pretty tight racing (laughing). You’re not gonna be able to open her up too much, but the pressure feels a lot different when you go there, only because there’s nothing to lose, really per se and everything to win. There’s a trophy to win and a lot of really cool factors to be the first to win at a racetrack, and it’s nice to get a little momentum built and all those type of things. There are a lot of reasons to want to go race, but if something was to happen, it’s not the end of the world. Would I be upset if you turn on TV and I get dumped are you gonna see Joey Logano pissed off? Absolutely, because I want to win, but it doesn’t affect the rest of our season, and I think all of the drivers probably feel similar, I would assume. If you win, awesome. If you don’t win, yeah, you might be mad for a few hours, but you’re gonna get over it and start thinking about Daytona.”

WHERE IS THAT LINE THEN IN A RACE LIKE THIS? “I think there’s gonna be bumping and banging, there’s no doubt. It’s such a tight facility that you’re gonna be bumping and banging, but I would also say things that happen at this racetrack will carry into the regular season, and so it doesn’t mean you throw all caution to the wind and you don’t care about competitors, you don’t care about the future, you don’t care about all that stuff. I always say it’s a self policing sport, so I don’t think it’s one of those racetracks where you’re gonna want to make a bunch of enemies, but at the same time, I don’t know if there are gonna be many passes made without contact. I think there’s kind of what’s acceptable and what’s not, and I think everyone kind of knows what that is.”

THAT MADE ME THINK OF THE TY GIBBS INCIDENT FROM LAST YEAR. DID ANYTHING EVER COME OF THAT? HOW DID YOU RACE EACH OTHER THE REST OF THE YEAR? “It’s obviously something that’s always in the back of your mind. It’s a thought that goes through your mind every time you see that car and that’s just racing. It’s what our sport is. Everyone is gonna keep a score sheet on each other and that’s just what it’s like, but I felt like that was too far. If you want to know where the line is, that was too far. He didn’t even win the race, either, so it wasn’t smart on his part, either.”

YOU MENTIONED AT CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA DAY THAT IF YOU WON THE THIRD TITLE YOU WERE GOING TO MENTION THAT TO TONY STEWART THAT YOU WERE BOTH THREE-TIME CHAMPIONS. DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO LET HIM KNOW? “I haven’t got to talk to him. I have not (laughing).”

I’M SURE YOU’RE STILL LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. “I would look forward to that, absolutely (laughing).”

Clash at Bowman Gray Competition Notes

Clash at Bowman Gray
Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Event: Race 1 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bowman Gray Stadium (0.25-miles)
#of Laps: 200
Time/TV/Radio: 8:00 PM ET on FOX/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Todd Gilliland Notes

In NASCAR’s first trip to the “Madhouse” since 1971, Gilliland will make his debut in the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Long John Silver’s will partner with Gilliland and bring last year’s fan-favorite blue and yellow “Fish Yeah” scheme to the 200-lap event.

Gilliland will team up with his former NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) crew chief, Chris Lawson, for the 2025 season. Lawson led Gilliland to his first win in the Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford F-150 at the Circuit of The Americas in 2021. Additionally, the duo earned back-to-back K&N Pro Series West Championships in 2016 and 2017.

“Bowman Gray is definitely going to be a challenge,” said Gilliland. “It’s going to be tight, with a lot of beating and banging, but I’m up for it. I’m excited to be back with Chris (Lawson), and he’s brought a lot of great talent with him to form a new team. I think it’s going to be a good weekend for us.”
Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Underneath Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Mechanic: Chance Burke

Hometown: Siler City, North Carolina

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Tim Meyer

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Co-Driver: Christian Boller

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Joe Haresky

Hometown: Victorville, California

ABOUT LONG JOHN SILVER’S

Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver’s continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.