NASCAR found itself embroiled in its own storm. The fans aren’t having it, and even the bitter cold engulfing North Carolina doesn’t match their harsh comments. As a winter storm descended on Winston-Salem this weekend, Bowman Gray Stadium was pre-treated with brine ahead of the scheduled NASCAR Cookout Clash, a precaution intended to aid snow removal and maintain track conditions. However, as NASCAR Vice President Ben Kennedy addressed the situation online, fans couldn’t help themselves and began calling for a major change.
Kennedy spoke to X to explain how NASCAR was trying to improve the situation.
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“The team prepared the facilities late last week. We continue to monitor the situation. Stay safe, everyone.
“, he wrote.
However, this update seems to fuel fan fury more than anything. It’s not personal; it’s just scheduling the event without points on a cold February day.
Despite the efforts, the region’s freezing and snowy weather has frustrated many who are already facing delays in supporting series like the NASCAR Truck Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, whose practice sessions were pushed back from Feb. 3-4 to Jan. 27-28.
Even with the unpredictable winter conditions, NASCAR kept the Clash on its historic short quarter-mile track because of its unique heritage and the success of last year’s event. NASCAR noted that fans from 44 states, 5 countries and 3 continents purchased tickets to the 17,000-seat arena.
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But the Clash never belonged on the North Carolina track. The NASCAR Clash began in 1979 at Daytona International Speedway as a non-points season-opening race before the Daytona 500 for more than four decades.
However, all that changed starting in 2022, when NASCAR moved the Clash to alternate venues such as the Daytona road course and the temporary short track at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving it again in 2025 to historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.
And now, in 2026, the Clash are returning to the North Carolina track.
Bowman Gray Stadium is deeply rooted in stock car racing as one of the sport’s oldest weekly tracks, and its return to the national stage in 2025 draws sellout crowds despite weather concerns.
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However, the temperatures on and around the track are no joke. The powerful storm left temperatures at or below freezing in the Winston-Salem area.
Forecast models show daytime highs struggling to rise above 30°F, with nighttime lows dipping into the low 10s. A winter storm warning is in effect for the area through Monday due to the threat of snow, sleet and freezing rain.
This freezing cold has compounded fan frustration as many spectators face icy roads, freezing rain and the prospect of facing icy conditions just to watch their favorite drivers compete.
NASCAR fans want the Clash to move to Daytona
As freezing temperatures grip Bowman Gray Stadium, frustration among NASCAR fans has boiled over online, with many openly questioning why the Clash were ever strayed from their traditional Florida roots.
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One fan bluntly called for a return to familiar territory, writing, “Bring him back to Daytona, where he belongs,” while another echoed that sentiment with a more measured suggestion: “Move Clash to Daytona for a year.” »
The recurring theme was clear: cold weather and winter storms pushed fans to the breaking point. And why wouldn’t we want to move the Clash to Daytona?
In contrast, the bitter cold in Winston-Salem this time of year is usually mild, making it much more comfortable for fans and competitors.
Climatological averages show highs in late January and early February around the mid 60s F and lows near the mid 50s F, pleasant weather compared to frigid conditions further north.
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Other fans broadened the scope of the criticism, arguing that NASCAR has plenty of warmer options if it wants to completely avoid February weather headaches.
One comment pointedly asked, “Are there any race tracks in Florida that NASCAR could use to avoid winter conditions?” »
To some, the situation at Bowman Gray seemed like confirmation that this decision was a mistake from the start.
“This is a sign that this should never have been here in the first place. NASCAR is over,” one frustrated fan wrote, summing up the growing backlash.
Since NASCAR moved the Clash to Winston-Salem last year, for the first time since NASCAR raced there in 1971, fans view the decision differently.
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Anger has intensified heading into Speedweeks, with fans accusing NASCAR of unnecessarily complicating what has long been a smooth build-up to the Daytona 500.
“Hey, do you know where it doesn’t freeze? Damn Daytona. Thanks for ruining Speedweeks, idiot,” one message read, capturing both the emotion and the feeling that tradition had already been disrupted in the name of novelty.
Yet not all reactions were purely exaggerated; some fans offered alternative ideas rather than outright rejection.
One suggestion suggested simplifying the event altogether, writing: “How about just running a 20-lap sprint race before Daytona 500 qualifying on a Sunday at 11 a.m. Eastern?”
?”
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Taken together, the reactions paint a stark picture of a fan base divided between appreciation of Bowman Gray’s historic charm and an increasingly tired sense of freezing temperatures, endless delays and what they see as an avoidable scheduling gamble.
The position NASCAR VP Calm Bowman Gray Clash Update Sparks Fan Revolt appeared first on EssentiallySport.
