NASCAR

Team Penske Drivers, Chase Elliott Offer Slightly Different Takes On Whether The Clash Should Stay at Bowman Gray

Disclosure
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
rsz_3clashfieldshot (1)

No matter how you slice it, Sunday night’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium was a major success for NASCAR.

Not only did fans pack the stands and the sport’s most popular driver score a popular win, but the participants got to sleep in their own beds — which rarely happens over the lengthy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Plus, the surroundings of the fabled Winston-Salem, North Carolina short track carried a certain degree of nostalgia since NASCAR’s premier series had previously competed at Bowman Gray from 1958-1971.

Given all of this, were all the good vibes reason enough for NASCAR to leave its annual preseason exhibition race at the quarter-mile oval for at least one more year? Or should NASCAR move the Clash for the fourth time since 2021?

Three of the top four finishers from Sunday’s main event — winner Chase Elliott, runner-up Ryan Blaney and fourth-place Joey Logano — each offered a unique take on this timely subject.

Chase Elliott Is Open To The Clash Remaining At Bowman Gray, Even If He’s Not Sold On It

If anyone should be excited about the prospects of NASCAR keeping The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium for another year, it should be Chase Elliott.

After all, the Hendrick Motorsports driver won Sunday night’s 200-lapper in dominant fashion, leading 171 laps. Elliott also captured his heat race on Saturday, which allowed him to start from the pole for the main event.

So, how does the second-generation driver and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion feel about a return to Bowman Gray in 2026?

“I don’t have any issue with coming back. Overall, it seemed like a good show,” Elliott said after the race. “The tire wear came into play. The environment from not only tonight but last night, the place was packed out. Just seemed like a good all-around event.”

While that might not be a full-fledged endorsement for the facility that also hosts high school football games holding its place on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, it’s fair to say Elliott is far from opposed to it happening.

“Yeah, I just feel like if we’re going to race on a football field, this is probably as good of a place as any to do it,” he said.

Ryan Blaney Is Firmly In The Camp Of NASCAR Not Moving Away From Bowman Gray

Ryan Blaney didn’t enjoy quite the blockbuster weekend that Chase Elliott did at Bowman Gray Stadium, but the Team Penske driver can’t imagine why NASCAR would choose a different venue for its annual preseason Clash.

In Blaney’s mind, the atmosphere that drivers and fans enjoyed — and created — at the North Carolina quarter-mile was hard to top.

“For the crowd on Saturday to hang out for three hours from the Modified race until we first got on track, that’s a lot of commitment,” the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion said. “There was a lot of energy on the frontstretch before we got going there. That’s what it’s all about.

“Really, really cool to be here. I’m happy that it was a good show for everybody. Looking forward to hopefully coming back next year. I don’t see why you wouldn’t come back.”

Blaney later doubled down on that assertion when a reporter asked him after the race whether he believes sticking with Bowman Gray in 2026 is better than maybe waiting a few years and then returning.

“You’re going to pack it out,” Blaney said of the track, which accommodates roughly 17,000 fans and sold all of its tickets for Sunday’s feature event. “There’s going to be just as many people here next year as there was tonight. I don’t think it would lose any of its luster.”

Joey Logano Sees Two Sides Of The Coin For Keeping The Clash At Bowman Gray

From an optics standpoint, three-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano is all about NASCAR leaving well enough alone with Bowman Gray Stadium hosting the preseason Clash.

“It’s not a huge stadium, right?” Logano asked rhetorically. “You pack it out, it looks good, the energy is real. It’s not like you have this ginormous stadium and you get half or three quarters of it full. Standing room only, it’s a special feel.”

However, Logano also acknowledges the potential benefits of NASCAR taking The Clash to a different venue each year.

“I would say it’s very important for us to move things around,” the Team Penske driver said. “We’ve seen the success of our sport moving to new race tracks. I’m a big fan of going to new race tracks, bringing the race track to the fans that don’t typically get to see us, because it’s so hard for a lot of people to travel a long ways to see our races. Going to new races is huge for our sport.”

Even so, Logano won’t shed any tears if Bowman Gray is the site of the 2026 Clash.

“Doing the same thing eventually gets stale, but I don’t think that’s going to happen here anytime soon,” he said.