CONCORD, N.C. - On Wednesday morning, NASCAR announced that The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will return for the 2026 season.
The race is scheduled for February 1, 2026 and will be broadcast by FOX Sports.
After a three-year tenure at the LA Coliseum, the Cup Series returned to its roots with its 2025 preseason opener, holding the exhibition race on the quarter-mile oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The event sold out.
Hendrick Motorsports shone in front of the full grandstands that night as all four teams made their way into the event. After some short track beating and banging, it was Chase Elliott who came out on top, leading 171 of 200 laps en route to victory.
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"We don't race in stadiums like this so it's just really cool and I appreciate y'all (the fans) for making that moment special for me and my team," Elliott said in a postrace interview. "This environment is special and this is a place that has a deep history in NASCAR and I think they deserved this event truthfully. I hope we didn't disappoint. It was fun for me at least. Hopefully we will come back here one day."
Elliott guessed correctly that night, as he will defend his Bowman Gray victory next February.
"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," said Joey Dennewitz, NASCAR Regional’s managing director." Thanks to the City of Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem State University for their continued partnership at ‘The Madhouse.’"
Details of next year's race will be announced at a later date.