Who is competing in the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray and what is the format?

Weather permitting, NASCAR will host the Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 1. For those who don’t know the purpose of this event on the schedule, “The Clash” is a pre-season exhibition race that has been part of the NASCAR calendar since 1979.

Originally developed as a 20-lap sprint race at Daytona International Speedway and featuring only the previous year’s pole-sitters, the event has evolved significantly over the years, particularly recently.

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Since then, he’s left the high banks and been everywhere, from the Daytona Road Course in Los Angeles to a temporary track built within the LA Memorial Coliseum, and now on the historic Bowman Gray quarter-mile in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

What is the format?

Bowman Gray

The event has since expanded and is no longer an exclusive shootout for pole winners. You can expect to see all 36 licensed NASCAR Cup teams participating in this weekend’s activities, as well as a few open teams, but that doesn’t guarantee them a spot in the main event.

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Even with its abbreviated schedule and the elimination of qualifying races due to snowstorms expected on Saturdaythese drivers and teams will have to work at it if they want to compete in the big show. Each driver will have four minutes to complete a fast lap, and the 20 fastest drivers will enter the final 200-lap race.

The remaining cars will be shuffled into a last chance qualifier, where they will compete against each other, with the top two advancing to the main event. The 23rd and last place on the grid is reserved for the top scorer of the 2025 season who failed to lock in.

Who is racing this weekend?

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Now, who is actually going to snowy Bowman Gray this weekend? The entry list includes 38 cars. Alongside the expected 36 entries, the No. 66 “Garage 66” Ford will compete with Chad Finchum at the wheel. The Amerivet team also brings its No. 50 Chevrolet with Bowman Gray legend Burt Myers driving the car for the second year in a row.

As for the other 36 entries, most of the drivers remain in the same organizations as last year, but there are some changes and this will be the first opportunity to see him on track.

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The biggest change is that Daniel Suarez now drives the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports while Connor Zilisch takes his place at Trackhouse Racing.all while adopting No. 88 as a teammate Shane van Gisbergen takes on a new (but familiar) number with #97. You will also notice Corey LaJoie driving the No. 6 for RFK Racing as team co-owner Brad Keselowski recovers from an off-season leg injury.

Bowman Gray will also be a huge opportunity for key new driver/crew chief pairs to get to know each other in a race weekend environment before the first points-paying race at Daytona. Here’s a look at the drivers and teams officially entered for the 2026 edition of The Clash at the iconic Madhouse…

List of entrants for Cookout Clash 2026 at Bowman Gray

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