Latest news with #JoeyDennewitz
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Clash will return to Bowman Gray Stadium to start 2026 season
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. Advertisement '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.' VOTE: Where should NASCAR host next street race after Chicago? Bowman Gray Stadium includes a quarter-mile track around a football field, but that's where the similarities end with the L.A. Coliseum. 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. Advertisement 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. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR Clash returning to Bowman Gray to start 2026 Cup Series season
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
NASCAR Clash Will Return To Bowman Gray In 2026
NASCAR will return to Bowman Gray Stadium for the preseason exhibition Clash in 2026. The municipally-owned stadium, the home field for Winston-Salem State University, has a quarter-mile track that circles the football field. It was built in 1937 and had Cup races from 1958-71 and has continued to play host to weekly racing throughout the summers. NASCAR took over operations of the track, signing a contract with the City of Winston-Salem in 2024. NASCAR brought Cup back to the facility in February for the 2025 Clash and returns again Feb. 1 for the event that traditionally begins the season and will kick off the FOX Sports portion of the Cup schedule. Local restaurant chain Cook Out will sponsor the event, which sold out last year and was won by Chase Elliott. "We wrote a new chapter in the storied history of motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash this year," said NASCAR Regional managing director Joey Dennewitz. "As NASCAR's first weekly race track, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home to grassroots racing." NASCAR has not announced its 2026 schedule yet, but the news release indicated the Clash would open the season. The 2026 Daytona 500 will open the regular season and is scheduled for Feb. 15, two weeks following the Clash. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Fox Sports
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
NASCAR Clash Will Return To Bowman Gray In 2026
NASCAR will return to Bowman Gray Stadium for the preseason exhibition Clash in 2026. The municipally-owned stadium, the home field for Winston-Salem State University, has a quarter-mile track that circles the football field. It was built in 1937 and had Cup races from 1958-71 and has continued to play host to weekly racing throughout the summers. NASCAR took over operations of the track, signing a contract with the City of Winston-Salem in 2024. NASCAR brought Cup back to the facility in February for the 2025 Clash and returns again Feb. 1 for the event that traditionally begins the season and will kick off the FOX Sports portion of the Cup schedule. Local restaurant chain Cook Out will sponsor the event, which sold out last year and was won by Chase Elliott. "We wrote a new chapter in the storied history of motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash this year," said NASCAR Regional managing director Joey Dennewitz. "As NASCAR's first weekly race track, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home to grassroots racing." NASCAR has not announced its 2026 schedule yet, but the news release indicated the Clash would open the season. The 2026 Daytona 500 will open the regular season and is scheduled for Feb. 15, two weeks following the Clash. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Item 1 of 2 Get more from the NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
NASCAR's Return To Bowman Gray Proves 2025 Clash Was No Fluke
WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: A general view of racing during qualifying heat #1 for ... More the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 01, 2025 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by) After a wildly successful return to its grassroots earlier this year, NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will return to Bowman Gray Stadium in 2026 for the second consecutive year to open the NASCAR Cup Series season with the Cook Out Clash. The exhibition race weekend is scheduled for Saturday, January 31 and Sunday, February 1, 2026. The event will once again be televised by FOX Sports. This marks a return to the Winston-Salem, North Carolina historic quarter-mile bullring built into a football stadium following the success of the 2025 Clash, which sold out the historic venue and delivered the first Cup Series event at Bowman Gray since 1971. That race, won by 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, was widely viewed as a successful blend of NASCAR's history with its modern era. It was a spectacle on a track with more character in 440 yards than some superspeedways have in 2.66 miles. '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 Regional Managing Director. 'As NASCAR's first weekly racetrack, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home of grassroots racing.' Bowman Gray Stadium, known as 'The Madhouse,' opened in 1937 and became the site of the first-ever weekly NASCAR-sanctioned races in 1949. NASCAR assumed long-term management of racing operations at the stadium in 2024, a move that signaled the league's long-term interest in using the venue beyond its historic value. 'The 2025 race was an immensely successful event for all parties involved,' said Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. 'We will work hard to ensure that the 2026 Cook Out Clash is even more successful.' The 2025 event brought national attention to the quarter-mile bullring inside a football stadium and received praise from fans, drivers, and broadcasters for its energy and intensity. Bowman Gray is one of the few remaining NASCAR venues where fans are as close to the action as they are to the players on a football field. The tight confines led to close-quarters racing and multiple on-track incidents in the 2025 event — a format that resonated with many longtime NASCAR fans. Cook Out will return as the event's entitlement partner. Based in North Carolina, the restaurant chain has a growing presence in the sport with additional title sponsorships at Martinsville, Richmond, and Darlington, as well as support for NASCAR's youth and grassroots efforts. Bowman Gray Stadium has hosted a number of NASCAR legends over the decades, including Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, and Glen Wood. The track last hosted a Cup Series points race in 1971 but continued to run as a weekly short track and hosted East Series events into the mid-2010s. Among recent winners at the venue are Ben Kennedy, Ben Rhodes, Ryan Preece, and Corey LaJoie. With its return in 2025, the Clash at Bowman Gray offered a glimpse of how NASCAR might continue blending its modern direction with the heritage that built the sport. As NASCAR continues to look for ways to expand its audience while staying connected to its roots, the return to Bowman Gray is another indication that future exhibition events could follow a similar model — focused on shorter tracks, unique venues, and a deeper connection to racing's foundation.
