A lot of moving parts remain to be nailed down before the 2026 NASCAR schedule is released, but we know where the engines will first crank to life.
Bowman Gray Stadium — in Winston-Salem, N.C. — will again serve as host of the season-opening Clash over the weekend of Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Cook Out, a North Carolina-based chain of fast-food restaurants, will return as title sponsor.
“We wrote a new chapter in the storied history of motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash this year,” said Joey Dennewitz, NASCAR’s managing director of its regional efforts. “As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home to grassroots racing.”
After a 43-year run at Daytona International Speedway (1979-2021), the Clash has been a short-track race the past four years — from 2022-24 at the Los Angeles Coliseum before moving to the quarter-mile Bowman Gray track this year.
It has become part of NASCAR’s recent embrace of historic North Carolina venues — the All-Star Race moved to North Wilkesboro two years ago, and earlier this year, the Xfinity and Truck Series returned to Rockingham.
The 2026 Clash will be followed by an off-weekend for NASCAR (the weekend of the Super Bowl) before the regular season starts with the Feb. 15 Daytona 500.
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