Depending on the winter weather in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the NASCAR Cup Series is expected to kick off its 2026 season with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The 0.25-mile oval nicknamed “The Madhouse” is set to host the season-opening event for the second year in a row with practice and qualifying races on Saturday and a main race on Sunday.
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A storm blanketed the Piedmont region of North Carolina with snow and ice last weekend, and track officials worked to clear the venue and grandstands. But the WeatherUnderground forecast calls for a “likely” chance of snow Saturday with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.
Ben Kennedy, head of NASCAR, said “Our goal is to welcome the Clash to Bowman Gray” while adding that NASCAR will relay schedule changes if necessary.
The Clash also caused concern last year about freezing temperaturesbut the first Cup Series race at Bowman Gray in more than 50 years went off without a hitch.
Here are the daily schedules and weekend weather forecast for the NASCAR Cook Out Clash:
Shock weekend weather
SATURDAY: High temperature 22 degrees and north to northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Snow likely with chances ranging from 70 to 80 percent throughout the day and possible accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. It is expected to be 19 degrees with a 58% chance of light snow at the start of the heat races.
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Sunday: Sunny to partly cloudy with a high of 29 degrees, northwest winds 6 to 15 mph and precipitation chances falling to less than 5% after 8 a.m. It’s expected to be 23 degrees when the main event begins.
Calendar of clashes
Thursday January 29
(All times Eastern)
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9 a.m.-11 a.m.: Carriers enter the Winston Salem Fairgrounds Event Center
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11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Inspection at the Winston Salem Fairgrounds Event Center
Friday January 30
(All times Eastern)
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3:00 p.m.: Carriers enter Bowman Gray Stadium
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5 p.m.: Team Leaders Meeting (Virtual)
Saturday January 31
(All times Eastern)
Open garage
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8 a.m.-3:45 p.m.: NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Changes
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3:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series
Track activity
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10:15-11:15 a.m.: Modified practice
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11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Modified qualifications
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1:15 p.m.: Modified racing (100 laps or 60 minutes), Tubi and Flo Racing
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6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.: Cup practice and qualifying (three groups), FS1; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio
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8:30 p.m.: Heat Race 1 (25 laps), FS1; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio
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8:45 p.m.: Heat Race 2 (25 laps), FS1; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio
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9:00 p.m.: Heat Race 3 (25 laps), FS1; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio
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9:15 p.m.: Heat Race 4 (25 laps), FS1; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio
Sunday February 1
(All times Eastern)
Open garage
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2 p.m.-11:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series
Track activity
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6 p.m.: Last chance qualifying (75 laps), Fox; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio
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8 p.m.: Main Event (200 laps, green flag only, Fox; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
