Ryan Preece overcame sleet, rain, freezing temperatures, a wet track and a record number of caution flags to win his first NASCAR Cup Series race in the 2026 Clash at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Wednesday evening 200-lap exhibition race was dramatically disrupted when NASCAR called a break just after halfway when sleet began to fall on the narrow short track. NASCAR officials deemed the track to be too wet, ordered all cars to the pits for Goodyear wet-weather tires.
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NASCAR waved the green flag on lap 102 and from that point on it was spin after spin as drivers struggled to find traction on the small racetrack built around the outside of a college football field. There were so many cautions and additional laps ran under the yellow flag that drivers began to run out of fuel necessitating NASCAR to let all cars return to the pits to take on extra fuel to finish to lengthy race.
Preece, who fought his way to NASCAR Cup racing from a background of modified racing in the Northeast, steadily clawed his way through the battered field.
With less than 20 laps remaining the hard-driving Preece slipped by leader Shane Van Gizbergen for his first lead of the evening. Preece, in his fast No. 60 RFK racing Ford Mustang, held off late-race challenges from William Byron and Ryan Blaney to earn first NASCAR Cup Series victory.
After a series of wild celebration burnouts, an emotional Preece emerged from his winning car in tears. The overwhelmed Connecticut native commented on his first NASCAR Cup win, “It’s been a (expletive) long road, and it’s The Clash, but man, it’s just been years and years of grinding. Two years ago, I didn’t think I had a job! I thought I was going back to Connecticut. I’m super, super, super emotional!”
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Byron finished second, followed by Blaney in third, with Daniel Suarez and Denny Hamlin rounding out the top five.
The NASCAR Cup Series officially kicks off the 2026 season as the teams leave the cold and snow of North Carolina for the warmth of the Daytona International Speedway to prepare for the annual Daytona 500 Feb. 15.
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