WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — For the second year in a row, the NASCAR Preseason Clash celebrates the roots of NASCAR, a throwback event that keeps fans watching lap after lap.
Fans may need to get up, as they could potentially be sitting in freezing temperatures.
Can NASCAR even race if it reaches the teens?
League officials said they could, that the tires would produce enough traction on the quarter-mile track at Bowman Gray Stadium to stage the Clash, which is now scheduled for Monday (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
NASCAR can’t race in snow and ice, and with snow falling Saturday and the area under a winter storm warning until 7 a.m. ET Sunday, that’s been as much of a topic of conversation leading up to the event as the race itself.
NASCAR postponed the race and will hold the Clash as a one-day program on Monday. He hopes to start with practice at 11 a.m. ET.
As of Saturday morning, the FOX Weather app predicts the snow will end Saturday night, with temperatures reaching 38 on Monday.
NASCAR hopes giving a full day for roads to be plowed will allow for an event Monday at the historic NASCAR track that sits inside the city-owned football stadium that is home to Winston-Salem State University.
NASCAR knows that clearing roads and parking lots – not to mention the track – will take longer than a typical rain delay.
But it could depend on how much snow falls Saturday to determine if they’ll even be able to race Monday. NASCAR appears prepared to treat this like any other race weekend, racing on the first available day when the track and infrastructure are adequate.
In other words, stay tuned.
Highlights from the Cook Out Clash 2025 at Bowman Gray
With all that in mind, here is the format:
— The drivers will be divided into three training groups and each group will benefit from three training sessions. The final session times will determine their starting lineup for the main event and last chance qualifying.
— The elimination races scheduled for Saturday evening will no longer take place.
— A 75-lap last chance qualifier (scheduled for Monday) will offer two spots in the main event to those who did not finish in the top 20 in qualifying. Again, there will be no overtime.
— Final 23rd place in the main event will go to the driver with the most points who did not compete in the race. That means Kyle Larson is the only driver guaranteed a spot in the race.
— The main event will last 200 laps with a midway break at lap 100. Only green flag laps count. The race must end under caution.
Chase Elliott won the event last year.
