Work continues to prepare Bowman Gray Stadium for racing on Wednesday (weather-permitting). The pre-season exhibition race known as the ‘Cook Out Clash’ has already been postponed several days due to historic snowfall throughout North Carolina.
The track itself has already been cleared of snow, but work continues in the grandstands and surrounding areas as temperatures finally punch above freezing — at least during the day.
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Among those helping with snow removal are two actual NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Former Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet) and second-generation racer Todd Gilliland (No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford) are among those who have travelled to Winston-Salem to assist with the cleanup.
Stenhouse had said a day ago that he wanted to help shovel snow from the grandstands surrounding the historic quarter-mile short track, and on Monday, he kept his word and was right there with shovel in hand.
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It’s possible NASCAR could have run the race before Wednesday, but that would have been at the expense of fan attendance. Justin Swilling, who is NASCAR’s project manager for The Clash, recently said in a video teleconference that officials didn’t want to run the event with empty stands.
“We explored all scenarios but at the end of the day, we’re here for the fans and we want to make sure they are a critical piece,” said Swilling. “Anytime that anyone comes to the Madhouse for an event, it’s the fans as much as the competitor’s that make it a show.
“So, we explored all scenarios, but at the end of the day, we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time and wanted to give the community plenty of time as well to get over the most recent storms we had.”
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Last year, Gilliland made the feature race after earning the fifth and final transfer spot in his heat race. After starting 20th, he went on to finish 14th in the 200-lap main event.
Stenhouse’s 2025 Bowman Gray experience was a bit rockier. He clashed with local favorite Burt Myers in their heat race, sending the modified legend careening into the wall during the last-chance qualifier. Stenhouse failed to make the main event, finishing seventh in the LCQ (top two advance), and was the villain of the night in the eyes of many fans. Since then, he and Myers have played up the light-hearted rivalry ahead of the 2026 race, collaborating for a promotional video.
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