NASCAR
‘I Don’t Care’: Points or No Points, Chase Elliott Thankful To Kick Off 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Season With Win

Sunday night’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium might not have produced the best racing in the world, but many people watching in the stands and from home couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome.
That’s because the night — and, really, the entire weekend — belonged to NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott, who not only won the main event but captured his heat race on Saturday and started Sunday’s 200-lapper from the pole.
Although the annual preseason Clash, which Bowman Gray hosted for the first time, awarded no points, it could offer some clues for how drivers will perform in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
If that’s the case, it certainly bodes well for Elliott.
How well?
The Hendrick Motorsports driver, his veteran crew chief, Alan Gustafson, and Hendrick Motorsports team president/general manager Jeff Andrews addressed this during their post-race media availability at Bowman Gray.
Let’s see what they had to say.
Burn it down! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9lVXNZuS61
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 3, 2025
Chase Elliott Didn’t Just Win The Clash At Bowman Gray Stadium — He Completely Dominated
Elliott didn’t lead the entire feature event at Bowman Gray, but he won in convincing fashion by leading 171 of the 200 laps at the Winston-Salem, North Carolina short track.
His only real challengers throughout the race were Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, but neither had the horses to hang with Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet when it really counted.
Wheeling a car that was so dominant left Elliott feeling understandably bullish about his chances of enjoying a standout 2025 season, after going to Victory Lane only once over the course of 2023 and 2024.
“Look, I know it’s not a points race, but I don’t care,” said Elliott, who led the first 96 laps around the quarter-mile Bowman Gray bullring. “These things, man, they are so hard to win. Whether it’s a points race, not a points race, before the season, or the All-Star Race, this garage has become so competitive and these guys are so good at what they do.
“It’s very rewarding to cross the finish line first in whatever type of event it is, when you’re racing against those types of drivers and teams. That, to me, is very enjoyable from our perspective. We’ll take the positives from the weekend. For sure, we recognize there’s 37 more races to go. There’s a lot of racing left. Just hope we can build on this.”
Chase Elliott talks with Jamie Little after winning the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. pic.twitter.com/wMOZDo4t0r
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 3, 2025
Elliott’s Crew Chief, Team President Feeling Confident About 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Season
Gustafson, who led Elliott to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship, sees their win on Sunday night as a good sign for the weeks and months to come. Even if the race was just an exhibition that has no actual bearing on Elliott’s championship chances.
“It doesn’t pay any points, doesn’t pay any bonus points — we certainly understand that,” Gustafson said. “I think it’s just some validation to we all tried to come here and win, we all tried to come here and be successful, and we were able to.
“It gives you validation in your process, validation in how your team is operating and working. Certainly, I think it’s going to give Chase some confidence and validation, seeing he did an amazing job to win the race. He basically did everything right.”
It was a solid night for not just Elliott but the Hendrick Motorsports organization as a whole, as Hendrick driver Kyle Larson prevailed in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier leading up to the main event.
“As a team, this is a culmination of an off-season,” Andrews said. “Mr. (Rick) Hendrick started us off this past Wednesday at our season kickoff luncheon with ‘Thrive in 2025.’ That is our motto. That’s a great way to start 2025 off, thriving in ’25, with the win.”
Kyle Larson and Josh Berry advance to the main event! pic.twitter.com/Wf22jd84q9
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 3, 2025