Nascar is back, old-school style, while 2025 opens on a return to the “Mecca of Madhouse” for the shock of the pre-season of Sunday evening at the Bowman Gray Stadium.
The quarter of Mile de Winston-Salem Notorious for his raw and destroyed racing style and many fights have been hosting his first event in the series of Cups since 1971 with the non-point exhibition race.
“I think it’s great that the location is changing, and I think it should change every year,” said Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman. “We have the ability to do so. Continuing it and doing different things is somehow what Nascar has become. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.”
The unofficial kick -off of the new season took place at Daytona International Speedway from 1979 to 2021 while the warm -up law in Daytona 500. Nascar came out of the box in 2022 and moved it across the country At Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was transformed from a football stadium to a short temporary track for three seasons.
Last year, the shock of the rain forced Nascar to an unprecedented jamming to pile up all the activities on track in one day – which led to a financial blood bath for the sanction organization.
The racing at the Colosseum was in no way good because the drivers had trouble chaining several laps of green flag, which led to waiting for waking crash which were anything but entertaining. Nascar therefore decided to return to its simpler roots and stay closer to your home in 2025.
But racing purists like historic Bowman Gray and the shock sold its 17,000 seats two months ago. The installation belongs to the city, houses the Winston-Salem State University football team and was built in 1937 as a public work project to provide jobs during the Great Depression. The first event at the New Stadium was a 1938 football match between Wake Forest and Duke.
The first cup race took place in 1958 and won Bob Welborn. Rex White’s six victories are the record for the Cup series. The Glen Wood renown temple won four times – and recorded a total of 29 victories in all divisions – and his sons remember the pleasure they had watched dad’s race in one of the most volatile circuits of NASCAR.
Wood Brothers Racing rightly launches its 75th Nascar competition season with the return of this weekend to Bowman Gray.
“There were probably a dozen people who went every Saturday evening and you sat in the same place. You would go to have fries with vinegar on it. We couldn’t have peanuts. I wanted it, but they would not leave you because of the peanut (superstitious) thing, “said the team co -owner, Eddie Wood. “Bowman Gray is really special for me. When I heard for the first time that they even thought of going to the stadium to run the shock, I thought:” guy, it’s the coolest thing of all time . “”
“There is something about Bowman Gray who brings out the worst of people, or the best,” he continued. “You can say it anyway, you want it, but I think everyone is really amplified to do well.”
The local weekly race has remained an element of Bowman Gray since Nascar withdrew from the stadium, and the lower divisions made the track notorious for the fights which often follow after altercations on track. When Nascar was questioned this week on Bowman Gray’s penchant for fighting, an official said joking: “We simply ask that (the drivers) do it on the frontrasse” – meaning in view of the spectators.
Who is in the race?
There are 39 cars registered this weekend, and eight have previous experience on stock because in Bowman Gray. They are Bowman, title winner of Daytona 500, William Byron, Cole Custer in his series of return to the Cup, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace.
Ryan Preece and Cody Ware have already run the changes on the track, as well as the regulars of Bowman Gray Weekly Tim Brown and Burt Myers, who both obtained rides for the event. Brown is the holder of the Bowman Gray record with 101 victories and 12 championships and will lead for Rick Ware Racing, where he is a mechanic and will work on Ford n ° 15 that he will conduct.
“Now that it actually happens, his mind is blowing. Anyone who knows me, it is very rarely that I am always speechless, but it made me speechless, “said Brown. “Many pilots with whom I am friends were like,” guy, I was going to make you lead my driver trainer or something like that “, so now I don’t even talk with these guys because we want to go there too Although possible and not help these guys at all.
What is the format?
The track is too small for the 39 to run at the same time, so the cars will be divided into three groups which receive two eight -minute training sessions on Saturday evening. The cars will then be divided into two groups for a training session during the last minute when their best turn will put the alignments for heat races.
Four rounds – three with 10 cars, one with nine cars covering 25 laps – will take place on Saturday evening. Only the green flag towers count, there will be no overtime hours, and the first five of each heat take place towards the main event on Sunday evening.
The 19 remaining cars will participate in a 75 -round race on Sunday, the two best cars going to the principal. Of the remaining 17 cars, the driver with the highest points last season will receive the 23rd and last place in the principal.
The main event will be 200 laps with a break at half-time at 100 laps, and only the green flag towers count.
Event upgrades
To prepare for the Cup series, Nascar had to strengthen the capture fence and install safer barriers. Nascar has also added a new permanent LED lighting, but will require additional temporary lighting for the two nights of running.
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