2026 NASCAR Cup Series entry list for Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray
By Staff Report
NASCAR.com
Published:
1 Minute Read
The NASCAR Cup Series is set to kick off the 2026 season in exhibition style, doing so at the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium in the Cook Out Clash on Wednesday (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This year’s Clash will see 23 cars out of 38 entrants do battle at the quarter-mile facility. Drivers will be split into practice groups, with the final session acting as qualifying. The top 20 in speed will lock into the 200-lap feature. Unlike 2025, due to Saturday’s and Sunday’s cancelations of on-track activities, there will be no qualifying heats.
Drivers qualifying outside the top 20 will be placed in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier, where the top two finishers advance to the main. The 23rd and final starting position will be awarded to the driver who finished highest in the 2025 driver points standings and did not already transfer into the main event.
In total, 38 cars will enter the weekend events. Corey LaJoie will substitute in the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford as Brad Keselowski recovers from a broken right femur. Bowman Gray legend Burt Myers is in the No. 50 Team AmeriVet Chevrolet for the second consecutive Clash, while Chad Finchum will drive the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford.
