“So are you going to tell us how many Racing Lead Changes we had a Bowman Gray for the Clash?” asked my friend’s text.
Truth is, I hadn’t planned on it. Never entered my mind. Went into this race figuring between the anticipated carnage, the massive number of restarts and single groove, follow the leader product the 38-foot-wide quarter miler would surely give us, there wouldn’t be much of anything to report.
The request unveiled some surprising revelations.
The 200 Lap Clash had a total of four Lead Changes – two while the field was bunched during restarts and two Racing Lead Changes. Fans saw Denny Hamlin pass Chase Elliott for the lead on Lap 97 coming down to the end of the Halftime break. 29 laps later Chase returned the favor and made the winning pass on Lap 126.
Two Racing Lead Changes.
For comparison, if this no points-paying, no “Win and You’reIn”, no multiple artificial cautions to bunch the field and no Stage Points Paying “to get the drivers up on the wheel” affair had been on the 2024 36 race schedule it would have produced as many or more RLCs than over one third of the Points-Paying races last season.
Think about that.
The little bull ring was tied for 23rd in RLCs with as many RLC’s as COTA, Martinsville-1, Texas-1, Darlington-1, Sonoma and Iowa and more than Richmond-1, Loudon, Pocono, the Brickyard, Darlington-2, Bristol-2, the ROVAL and the Championship Race at Phoenix as shown below.
Not too shabby.
That’s even more than the last Points-Paying race run here in 1971. Bobby Allison’s pass of Richard Petty on Lap 113 of that 250 Lap race was all there was that day.
Now if you throw in a Ty Dillion, Ty Gibbs and two Kyle Larson RLCs from the Last Chance Qualifiers that set the final lineup for the Clash, fans Sunday night saw a total of 6 RLCs. This jumped the Bowman Gray experience up to 11th, behind the six Pack Track races (Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega), two Kansas races, the Spring Bristol Tire Freakfest and the much longer Fall Richmond Pinball Finish as shown below.
If you drop out the Pack Tracks and the Spring Bristol Unreproducible Anomaly, the Madhouse came in at a very surprising and respectable 4th when compared to the remaining 2024 Points-Paying Races.
Is that a surprise? Is that what you expected when you tuned in Sunday night?
Me either.
As I look at these numbers and think back on the race, I wonder what might have been had there not been a halftime break to bunch the field up, take the slower cars out of the mix and put everyone on a fresh set of Goodyears. Would the resultantlapped traffic and the additional tire wear been enough to allow Ryan Blaney to make that final pass to get by Chase Elliott for a Last to First win… or at least give us one more battle to produce another RLC or two?
7 or 8 RLCs would have put the Madhouse in rare air for a non-Pack Tracks. Even without it, the bull ring definitely held it’sown.
I think any way you slice it, the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium Sunday night was a success. Racing Lead Changes is just a different slice that supports that.
Congratulations to NASCAR, NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy and Joey Dennewitz, Gray Garrison and the whole Bowman Gray Stadium crew, FOX Sports, Winston-Salem State University, the City of Winston-Salem, and North Carolina Tourism for making it happen. Thanks to the fans for coming out and showing the viewers what a passion for racing looks like, to the teams for preparing the cars to race on yet another extreme venue and the drivers for once again showing they can rise to the occasion to put on a show.
Also, thanks to Ma Nature for smiling down more favorably on this event than she did on several last season. Fans can take a little cool weather for a race. Who knows, it may have chilled the Madness just a bit.
I’m glad they did it… I’m glad I saw it… and glad I was asked to take a closer look.
All were a pleasant surprise to kick off the 2025 season.
Thunder on… and Stay Safe!
David Nance
Photo Credit (cover): Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Great analysis, David, as always. Thanks especially for noting the positive impact of skipping the stage breaks. Add a little more lapped traffic, and we might really have seen a brief rebirth of the good old days. I would desperately love to see next year’s edition at South Boston.
Thanks Frank!
Today’s “experts” seem to forget the impact lapped traffic has on racing and sells the lack of it (cars on lead lap) to fans as a favorable metric to show just how “good” the racing is.
Betcha if we had more lap downs for leaders to negotiate the racing would be more interesting to say the least.
I’m with you for South Boston. I need to add some bologna burgers to my Bucket List!
Thanks again. Have a great weekend!
That graph reminds once again that the Indy oval, for all the past hype, is not suited for stock cars. I’ll second Frank’s call for an All-Star event.
At South Boston.
Thanks Dave!
Statistically, I’ve yet to find a way to make Indy look good for stock cars and please believe me it’s not for the lack of trying. Got to give me something to work with though. As they say, can’t make chicken salad out of… well you know.
I remember going in to work knowing they were having the first round of tire tests there, finally saying forget this. With the time zone difference if I leave now I can make it in time, drive three hours to watch maybe thirty laps tops and drive three hours back home… and was ecstatic!
As bad as Indy shows, I look at Phoenix-2 a lot. It may be an amazing venue and all, but do we really want crown our champion based on venue? Or should it be at a track that best decides the most deserving Champion?
Add me yours and Frank’s South Boston push! I’m in!
Thanks again!
Once again, I so enjoyed your article, David. Amazing job!! You have a God given gift!!
Thank you for the kind words Kristi!
Glad you and Jarrod got to be there to see the action behind the stats!
Hopefully, there will be another one there and we can join you. Your pictures of those Pulliam Hot Dogs are calling!
Take care and thanks again!