NASCAR will finally wave the green flag for some fresh stock car racing on Monday.
The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray was originally scheduled to take place this weekend. However, NASCAR announced Saturday that it had postponed the event due to Winter Storm Gianna affecting much of North Carolina, including dumping snow on the Winston-Salem area.
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While the state’s eastern half is expected to get the brunt of the storm, the Charlotte metro area is also experiencing multiple inches of snowfall as the calendar turns to February.
That made for an epic scene on Saturday at the iconic Charlotte Motor Speedway, approximately 65 miles southwest of Bowman Gray Stadium.
More Updates at Bowman Gray Stadium
Throughout Saturday, Winston-Salem is slated to get 3-7 inches of snow. This is on top of the snowfall last night, and continuing into Saturday night. In total, they could end up with close to a foot of powder.
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As it does look, Bowman Gray is ready to plow this track with a crew assembled for the job.
Last year, NASCAR made its debut at Bowman Gray. This was after past years spent at the Los Angeles Coliseum, in an effort to market the product to a new demographic. Now, they try to award their true fans in the heart of racing — North Carolina.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliot (9) celebrates after winning the Clash at Bowman Gray.©Peter Casey-Imagn Images
(©Peter Casey-Imagn Images)
Chase Elliott is the current defending champion of the Cook Out Clash. He hopes to race, and NASCAR has that scheduled to go down. However, right now, it is looking like something out of an AI-generated photograph.
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Chase Briscoe even joined in on the fun.
Here is an updated schedule for viewing Monday’s Cook Out Clash:
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11:00 a.m. ET — Practice and Qualifying (FS2)
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4:30 p.m. ET — Last Chance Qualifier (Fox, HBO Max)
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6:00 p.m. ET — Cook Out Clash Main Race (Fox)
For more information about attending the event and extra-curriculars, stay informed on the Cook Out Clash website.
NASCAR Still Undecided on Potentially Racing Without Fans
Justin Swilling, NASCAR’s senior director of marketing services, hosted a Zoom call Saturday to discuss the status of the event. Per The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck, he stated that, “No decision has been made not to host fans at this point” and, “We’ll do everything we can to host fans.”
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Swilling added that NASCAR “hit the jackpot” in year one, but they are not so lucky this time around. Snow is not too common in North Carolina, but it does happen.
Winston-Salem has yearly average highs in the low-50s and average lows in the low-30s. By no means was this ever safe from the weather.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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