The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is in the books. From all accounts it looked to be a success. Called a Home Run weekend by many.
Hard to argue with those assessments. I know it was much different than I anticipated.
I went into Sunday’s Clash with tempered expectations. To me this was going to be the LA Coliseum with the glitz, glamor, and concerts replaced by a demolition derby in front of a fraction of rabid fans packing the place with a dash of NASCAR history thrown in to give it a hint of validity.
Let’s say from my perspective, it delivered far more than my tempered expectations imagined and produced at multitude of observations and opinions contained in these snippets below. Some, other, more talented Cup wordsmiths have covered some of them. A few thoughts may be a little different. Like my Daddy used to say, “That boy ain’t right”, so hang on.
Setup – FOX SPORTS FILMS’ January 27th, “The Madhouse: NASCAR’s Return to Bowman Gray Stadium” was a nice intro to the weekend and helped get the motors running. An interesting blend of past and present used to preview the future.
Alvin Hawkins. The Myers Brothers. Glen Wood. Pulliam’s. Seeing all the backstory on NASCAR finally giving Bobby Allison his 85th win there and hearing brother Donnie explain what it meant to Bobby to finally get it was very fitting. Overall, a well-done effort that set the Stage nicely. Hoping for more projects like this in the future.
Surprising Season Sendoff – The 2025 Season is here. It’s hard to believe. Leaving the LA Coliseum and vacating the all-important Southern California market to return to a track, a nearly forgotten and often overlooked pioneer short track located in the midst of the saturated epicenter of the sport seemed a bit of a stretch… but Bowman Gray delivered. The energy of the Madhouse challenged that of the first year at the Coliseum, yet they were as polar opposite as their locations. Where LA felt like an event that just so happened to have a race as a part, the Cook Out Clash the race was the event. What happened from flag to flag between the SAFER Barriers is why everyone was there. It was as real as LA was glitz and glam. It felt the way it used to be. It felt the way it’s supposed to be.
Hopefully, it’s just the right sendoff for the 2025 and a precursor to things to come.
Short Track Hope? –They used the Fall Martinsville tires here. These tires had falloff, even in the cool temperatures. It was good to see a bit of true tire wear, not the unanticipated Spring Bristol anomaly be a factor into the outcome. Ryan Blaney, who made an amazing drive from the rear to P-2 used up just a bit more tire than winner, Chase Elliott and that kept him from making that final pass (that and fear of pitchforks). Encouraging.
Now imagine if they didn’t get new tires at half-way and had to manage them for the entire race? Imagine if there was even more wear how would the race have been better?
Maybe, just maybe, Goodyear is finally getting in the ballpark with a short track tire for this car. Hopefully, they will continue to move in this direction and develop a compound, so they won’t have to be dependent on option tires. All said, for the first time in years, I’m looking forward to the fall Martinsville race. There is now a sliver of hope and hope is always good.
Second Groove-I went into the weekend expecting only a bottom groove. Anyone running in the second groove (or above) would be (stupid and) sunk. Lane choice would be everyone giving up track position for the bottom and those unfortunate souls who eventually took the top would wind up being the losers as they wouldn’t be able to get down before being freight trained by the lower groove. The battle wouldn’t be to pass the cars on the inside but make a hole at the bottom where none existed and get in line. When no “give and take” occurred the spin cycle would engage, tempers would flare up and the “Madness” was on.
Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and others proved the “non-existent” Bowman Gray second groove did exist and provided side-by-side multi-lap racing. Noah Gragson showed supporters and skeptics alike that the little track even had a third groove, and it didn’t need PJ1 or other gimmicks to make it race. Who would have thought? Did the Cup drivers once again demonstrate why they are the best drivers?
Spectacular Drives – To further reinforce the snippet above, the fans saw several impressive drives that I would have never guessed would happen. Josh Berry started the Last Chance Qualifier in P13 and through some signature BGS beating and banging clawed his way to the front by Lap 66. Kyle Larson, who started in P10, got around him 6 Laps later to take the Last Chance win but his P2 got him into the 200 Lap Clash.
Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric, each passed 9 cars to finish P5 and P7 respectively, while Ross Chastain quietly passed 11 cars to take the P6 position.
The driver of the night though was Ryan Blaney. Taking a provisional and starting shotgun on the field in P23, CRB (Champion Ryan Blaney) passed all but Chase Elliott for a P2 finish. Surprisingly, he accomplished the impressive driving feat with minimal contact. Was his drive “spotless” with nary a scratch on his #12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Dark Horse Mustang? Hardly. But it was a sight better than almost everyone there but Elliott.
Sanity… Sorta-Going into the weekend the expectations were it to be the typical Madness that made BGS famous. The Cook Out Crash fest at Bowman Gray Stadium. No passing without dozing someone out of the way and then holding your breath awaiting the obligatory payback. Turns out, it wasn’t… or at least not to the level that I, and I think nearly all fans thought it would be. Saturday’s Modified Race was what I expected. A couple of Heat races and the Last Chance Qualifier had its moments. Yeah, and in the Clash, there was plenty of beating and banging and a spin or two or more, along with a few that probably could have been avoided… but it was nowhere near the carnage I expected.
And yeah, Race Control had to step in and chill Rowdy’s extracurriculars during the Caution Flag, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. probably isn’t on any Burt Myers fans’ Christmas Card List and NASCAR plans to chat with Ty Gibbs before Daytona for something they didn’t like, probably some violation on his landing pattern, but in the overall scheme of things, the carnage of this Clash was barely a blip of what I anticipated.
Was it sanity? Survival? A lack of understanding of just what level of Madness is needed at BGS? Maybe. Or maybe, just maybe, the fans saw an additional level of skill this weekend that produced a race and not a devolution into the anticipated demolition derby.
Shane Suprises – Road course ace and Cup rookie, Shane Van Gisbergen had little trouble adapting to the rough and tumble racing on the Carolina quarter mile. His road course expertise served him well as he set fast time among his Trackhouse teammates on an open track against the clock. His racing efforts on a full track resulted in a respectable 9th place finish overall.
Considering he came up in a motorsports world that severely frowns upon contact and then to start his rookie Cup season being thrown headfirst into “The Madhouse” where contact is not only expected, but is a requirement for survival, I’d say he adapted quite nicely.
Shiftlessness -Finally, a short-track race without shifting. Unlike the LA Coliseum that had longer straights and sharper turns where shifting was a possibility, BGS’ configuration took shifting totally out of the racing equation… and it showed. Driver makes a mistake, there was no “GEN-7 just grab a gear and continue with no consequence”. No, it was racing like it used to be – Make a mistake, you paid a price. A five-speed transaxle wasn’t there to save you. Next to increasing the horsepower, drivers point to eliminating shifting as the next change necessary to improve GEN-7 short track racing. If you look at the evidence, Bowman Gray is EXHIBIT A to make that case.
Subtleties – One thing that didn’t get enough attention but made the racing product at Bowman Gray unlike other short tracks is its subtleties. Unlike the LAC which was a symmetrical layout to maximize the Coliseum footprint, the entrance and exit to each of Bowman Gray’s turns have subtle differences and require each to be raced differently. The least subtle, most notable and most mentioned is the “pinch” of the SAFER Barrier on Turn 4 exit to “fit” into the Stadium footprint. It got its share of attention throughout the evening for sure, but Elliott and Blaney’s dominance at opposite ends of the track emphasized BGS’ uniqueness and reinforced why just putting a track around a football field will probably not produce the same racing product that we saw here Sunday night.
Sellout – The Clash was a sellout. The crowd, electric. Thanks to all who came out and supported the event.
Yet, Monday opened with Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone on the SiriusXM “The Morning Drive” somewhat dissing the attendance, saying Bowman Gray sells out every weekend, implying that this was nothing unexpected nor special. It was just the “The Madhouse” crowd doing their “Madhouse” thing. FOX, Jeff Gluck, Jordan Bianchi and Kelly Crandall reported the rest of the story though-60% of the ticket sales were outside the Triad (Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point) and came from 44 states, five countries, three continents. Hardly, your typical local Saturday night short track crowd. But it sure set up the “Let’s take it elsewhere next year” narrative nicely didn’t it, as that became the next breath topic.
Sold Out? -Before the green flag even dropped on this year’s Clash, sadly wisps of “the Clash would be elsewhere next year” smoke appeared. Before the afterglow from one of the best Clash races in recent memory and one of the best short track races of the GEN-7 era started to fade, multiple sources were hinting that the Clash needed to move. By Monday’s “The Morning Drive” time, the hosts and callers were saying that although the Clash was great it needs to get it into the new markets, to keep it fresh. As the old saying goes… where there is smoke there is fire, so don’t be surprised if Ben Kennedy and company don’t ride this Clash wave straight into South America.
“Clash” is “Choque” in Portuguese, the official language of Brazil. You can start practicing now and thank me later. Sadly.
Sentimentality – Josh Berry’s Wood Brother’s “Woodchopper Red” #21 was the ideal throwback to Glen Wood and recognized the Stuart, Virginian’s success at Bowman Gray Stadium perfectly (since they weren’t allowed to move the engine back and have Berry drive from the back seat). Berry’s run from P-13 to P-2 in the Last Chance Qualifier to get the #21 into the Main did this heart good. A LCQ late race restart with the iconic #43 and #21 on the front row was almost too good to believe. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough NASCAR Karma present that night to take it to the finish as Erik Jones and Kyle Larson tangled, taking out the Legacy Motor Club ride. But I’m still glad I got to see it there. Hope to see it more.
Some More Sentimentality – It was also neat to see local stars Tim Brown and Burt Myers get their chance to trade in their Modified rides to race GEN-7’s on their home track. With a combined 198 wins, a double handful of BGS championships, careers that go back decades and a lot of hard feeling between the two, it was refreshing and “encouraging” to hear the two had agreed to temporarily put aside their differences in their Cup debuts. Seeing teams take chances on these local standouts, harkens back to an earlier time when the weekly hot shoes would either build their own Cup ride or be given a seat and the chance to show the racing world what they could do against the “Big Boys”. Back in the day (BITD) the path to Cup most often was through these local tracks, like BGS that Cup would visit a couple of times a season. To see Rick Ware Racing and Team AmeriVet give Brown and Myers get their shot was pure Vintage NASCAR. I wished this had happened sooner and the outcome Sunday night would have been a bit more favorable for each. I’m still glad I got to see it and hope they get another chance at it.
Stenhouse Jr. #1 – Ricky may be Olive Branch Mississippi’s favorite son but based on the crowd reaction after contact with local legend, Burt Myers, he’s now #1 among the local’s fans as well. Although fault may be disputed, the two got together sending Myers hard into the Turn 1 wall, ending his race and any chance of running in the Clash. For it, Stenhouse Jr. brought out a massive flock of boo birds with their single finger saluting, letting him know that tonight, at BGS, he’s #1. It’s guess it’s always good to know just where you rank.
Sponsorship – It was good to see Cook Out step up to be the race sponsor. Was surprised and pleased to see DUDE wipes take a more visible role in the sport, expanding their role beyond car sponsorship. I still think with the Daytona Duels losing their race sponsorship they have the perfect marketing opportunity with the “DUDE wipes Daytona Duels”. Race #2 would most definitely take on a new meaning.
Speaking of sponsorship, Chris Buescher running the outside groove gave his new sponsor, Kroger a lot of clear TV visibility. They didn’t get the hoped for results, but it was still a nice showing. Local Pulliam Hot Dogs on Tim Brown’s ride was another nice sponsorship touch.
Sustainability –MUSCO Lights, SAFER Barriers with throwback Winston Red and White paint schemes, catch fences and other enhancements were a huge step in securing Bowman Gray’s future sustainability. Unlike LAC and any future stadium “creations” it’s now ready-built and available for any level of racing NASCAR chooses to throw at it. Another Cup Clash? Xfinity? Trucks? You name it, BGS is good to go… and can do so without another massive overhaul or financial outlay. Few tracks in the country, especially weekly short tracks can say that. And that’s a good thing. Hopefully, we’ll see more investments like this in other tracks soon. Can anyone say South Boston?
Serious Elevation… Serious Strength… Serious Stiffness – In a Last Change Qualifier Caution Flag payback that went bad, Ty Gibbs attempt to door Justin Haley but instead launched over Haley’s right front, taking on some serious air. Gibbs scary hard landing sent him to the pits, but he returned to finish the race-a testament to the GEN-7’s strength and Gibbs resilience. When asked by media about the landing, Gibbs replied, “Stiff. But they’re all pretty stiff in this thing.”
In car shots of Kyle Larson taking a hard hit in an accordion stack up showed just how violent the impacts are in this car, even on slow speed tracks. Sure, it’s an area that is still a work in progress, but it’s concerning all the same.
Struggling TV Coverage – I went into FOX’s 25th Season of NASCAR coverage with high hopes, untampered expectations. I felt like NBC had raised the bar some to close out the 2024 season. Between that and upcoming competition from two new 2025 Broadcast Partners I really had hopes that FOX would up their game to take on that challenge.
I was wrong.
FOX v25 showed little difference from v1, much less v24. Agonizingly long pre-race guaranteed to drive off any new eyes tuning in. Signature excessive zooming. Inappropriate angles (some viewers would rather see a pass attempt instead of the underside of the leading car). Inexcusable missed action (it’s a quarter-mile track for goodness’ sake). Who decided ignoring BGS’ unique driver intros was a good idea? I won’t get into the crowd shots or booth work.
As disappointed as I was with the fraction, we viewers got to see, I still enjoyed it. From that portion, I could only imagine what the fans who were there were experiencing. It’s been said that “Good coverage can’t make a bad race good, but bad coverage can make a good race bad.” Sunday, the event was good enough that not even a FOX broadcast could make it unenjoyable. That’s how I knew that it must have been awesome!
Surprising Number of Racing Lead Changes – I can’t write about a race without at least mentioning my favorite stat-Racing Lead Changes. You know those green flag lead changes where P2 passes P1 to take the lead without benefit of having the leader giving up the lead to pit or having the field bunched up as part of a start or restart. The race had four Lead Changes – 2 while the field was bunched during restarts and 2 Racing Lead Changes. Fans there saw Denny Hamlin pass Chase Elliott for the lead on Lap 97 and then Chase return the favor and make the winning pass on Lap 126.
Skeptics said there would be no racing for the lead here, yet fans saw the 2025 Clash produced more Racing Lead Changes than eight 2024 races – Richmond 1, Loudon, Pocono, the Brickyard, Darlington 2, Bristol 2, the Roval and Phoenix 2 and as many Racing Lead Changes as six more races – COTA, Martinsville 1, Texas 1, Darlington 1, Sonoma and Iowa.
Not too bad.
For a deeper dive into the numbers, check this article out.
Simplified Strategy – Too many times in 2024, Strategy was the buzz word. It was the racing subtlety that was supposed to excite existing fans and attract new ones. Fans were supposed to get more excited about the decisions from atop the Pit Box than the on-track ones behind the wheel. All that was out the window here as the Strategy became outdrive and survive. Simple. Straightforward. You don’t have to be an engineer, rocket scientist or have the America’s Crew Chief’ explanation to understand. There was a visceral and universal appeal in its simplicity. You reckon that’s why the sport grew “back in the day”? Is that one of the things lacking today?
SIM-less Race Prep – Heard the teams didn’t have any Madhouse computer models. Not even any video games to practice on. GEN-7 made even Leonard Wood’s notes worthless. The result was show up, make your best guess and go with it. It was your granddad’s Cup Racing-the way it used to be.
Surprising Absences – 1961 Cup Champion, Rex White was the winningest Cup driver at BGS. Seven-time Cup Champion, Richard Petty got his 100th win here. BGS was where Bobby Allison won the previous Cup race held there in 1971. It was his most recent, his 85th win… albeit 54 years later. The trophy awarded for Sunday’s night win, was even named in his honor. I know Rex’s health isn’t what it needs to be, and Petty watched the race from home on TV. If any of the Allison family were there, I may have missed it or any reference to it. Not fussing or being critical but pioneer presence would have been a nice touch for this special occasion.
Singular Focus, Singular Purpose – Bowman Gray… was about racing. No concerts. No glitz. No glamor. No big-name artists singing the National Anthem or putting on a Half-time spectaculars, or multi-genre concerts to entertain the masses.
No, this weekend, the entertainment was racing.
There were no Pickleball courts, Paddleboards, Suspended Restaurants or Ferris Wheels to be found. Fans watched racing from crowded bleachers not individual stadium seats. The row in front of them had other fans in them and hadn’t been removed to make a place for a table to conveniently set their stuff on. Any of those would have been nice, but this weekend, Cup was here to race, and fans were there to watch it and they didn’t need any of it to do it… Period.
There were no signs of removed seating, and the purpose of the two tarps present was to advertise, not hide unsold seats. This sellout was real, very real and not tarp covered or removed seat assisted one.
The Winston Salem State University’s “Red Sea of Sound” Marching Band did the National Anthem like they may have done BITD. Yeah, there was a flyover of sorts. I guess the driver intros were neat under the new lights but that’s only a guess since FOX chose to focus on something else.
But the night, no the entire weekend was about racing, and nothing but racing.
In that simplicity was purity.
Bowman Gray this weekend is probably the closest thing we have seen in an incredibly long time to the vision Big Bill France cast to the group assembled at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach who would become NASCAR –
“Stock car racing has got the distinct possibilities for Sunday shows and we do not know hoe big it can be if it’s handled properly.… It can go the same way as big car racing (Indianapolis), I believe stock car racing can become a nationally recognized sport by having a National Point Standing. Stock car racing as we’ve been running it is not, in my opinion, the answer…. We must try to get track owners and promoters interested in building stock car racing up. We are all interested in one thing – that is, improving the present conditions. The answer lies in our group right here today to do it.”
Bill France Sr. December 14, 1947.
Could all of this work every week in today’s world? Probably not. Times have changed. Desires and needs have changed. Expectations have changed. But for one weekend, watching “get up on the wheel” racing was enough to satisfy the desires, needs and expectations of a lot of race fans.
Is there a chance that’s what’s missing?
Satisfaction? – I don’t know the man, nor would I ever speak for him, but I’d like to think that in the big scheme of today’s NASCAR racing, I have to believe that Big Bill would have been satisfied in the return of Cup to Bowman Gray Stadium.
I know I was.
As I turned off the TV Sunday night, for the first time in a very long time I felt a faint twinge, I think it was regret, regret that I wasn’t there to experience it.
I hope I get a chance.
Thunder On… and Stay Safe!
David Nance
Photo Credit (cover): Sean Gardner/Getty Images