The NASCAR Cup Series is set to kick off the 2026 season in exhibition style, doing so at the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium in the Cook Out Clash on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
ENTRY LIST: Cup Series
This year’s Clash will see 23 cars out of 38 entrants do battle at the quarter-mile facility. Drivers will be split into practice groups, with the final session acting as qualifying. The top 20 in speed will lock into the 200-lap feature. Unlike 2025, due to Saturday’s cancelation of on-track activities, there will be no heat races.
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CLASH: 2026 format explained
Drivers qualifying outside the top 20 will be placed in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier, where the top two finishers advance to the main. The 23rd and final starting position will be awarded to the driver who finished highest in the 2025 driver points standings and did not already transfer into the main event.
In total, 38 cars will enter the weekend events. Corey LaJoie will substitute in the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford as Brad Keselowski recovers from a broken right femur. Bowman Gray legend Burt Myers is in the No. 50 Team AmeriVet Chevrolet for the second consecutive Clash, while Chad Finchum will drive the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford.
HOW TO WATCH: NASCAR on FOX, FS2
View the full entry list for the exhibition:
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