Depending on the wintry weather in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to kick off its 2026 season with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The 0.25-mile oval nicknamed “The Madhouse” is slated as the host for the season-opening exhibition event for the second consecutive year with practice and heat races Saturday and a feature race Sunday.
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A storm blanketed the Piedmont region of North Carolina with snow and ice last weekend, and track officials have worked to clear the venue and grandstands. But the WeatherUnderground forecast is anticipating a “likely” chance of snow Saturday with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.
NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy has said “our goal is to host the Clash at Bowman Gray” while adding that NASCAR will relay schedule changes if necessary.
The Clash also drew concern last year about frigid temperatures, but 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 outlook for the NASCAR Cook Out Clash:
Clash weekend weather
Saturday: A high of 22 degrees and winds from the north to northeast at 10 to 15 mph. Snow likely with chances ranging from 70-80% throughout the day and a possible accumulation of 1-3 inches. It’s 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, winds from the northwest at 10 to 15 mph and the chances of precipitation droping to under 5% after 8 a.m. It’s expected to be 23 degrees at the start of the main event.
Clash schedule
Thursday, Jan. 29
(All times Eastern)
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9-11 a.m.: Haulers enter Winston Salem Fairgrounds Event Center
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11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Inspection at Winston Salem Fairgrounds Event Center
Friday, Jan. 30
(All times Eastern)
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3 p.m.: Haulers enter Bowman Gray Stadium
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5 p.m.: Driver-crew chief meeting (virtual)
Saturday, Jan. 31
(All times Eastern)
Garage open
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8 a.m.-3:45 p.m.: NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Modifieds
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3:30-10:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series
Track activity
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10:15-11:15 a.m.: Modifieds practice
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11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Modifieds qualifying
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1:15 p.m.: Modifieds race (100 laps or 60 minutes), Tubi and Flo Racing
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6:10-8 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 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, Feb. 1
(All times Eastern)
Garage open
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2-11:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series
Track activity
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6 p.m.: Last chance qualifier (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
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