NASCAR Fantasy Live 2026 preview: Track-type breakdown

Posted on February 2, 2026February 3, 2026 by Dustin Albino

The 2026 Cup Series season will put a heavy emphasis on points, which aligns with the ultimate prize in NASCAR Fantasy Live. Speedweeks is quickly approaching, so it’s time to reflect on which drivers excelled, surprised and disappointed at the primary style of race tracks in 2025: intermediates, short tracks, superspeedway-style drafting tracks and road courses.

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Intermediates

Must-start: With how many laps each driver led in 2025, this could be a tie between Hendrick Motorsports powerhouses Kyle Larson and William Byron. The tie, in this case, would favor Larson, who led the league in a plethora of categories last year: points (314), stage points (105), laps led (555), average start (5.7) and average finish (8.6). Of his 16 Next Gen triumphs, six have come at 1.5-mile venues.

Avoid: Up is about the only direction Ty Gibbs can move the needle at intermediates in 2026. Only Carson Hocevar and Cody Ware scored fewer points than Gibbs in seven 1.5-mile starts in 2025 (87). With a best finish of 22nd, the No. 54 team barely sniffed the front portion of the field, totaling nine stage points in those events.

Sleeper: RFK Racing was led by Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher on intermediates in 2025, earning 179 points each, tying for 11th-most in Cup. The slight advantage favors Preece, who earned five top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.1.

Short tracks

Must-start: With a seventh short-track race added to the 2026 schedule that will award points, Ryan Blaney should be ecstatic. It’s unbelievable to think the No. 12 car didn’t reach Victory Lane at a short track last year, despite earning the most points (256). He had an astounding 4.8 average finish in six starts; nearly double that of Byron in second (9.0).

Avoid: Putting more of an emphasis on points should aid Buescher overall, who finished 10th and 11th in each of the last two regular seasons, but failed to make the postseason. Just don’t gamble on those points coming at short tracks. Sure, he’s won at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway in the Next Gen car, but he ranked 27th in points scored last year at such venues, with an average finish of 23.5.

Sleeper: Gibbs’ bread and butter are short tracks, historically, and his 190 points earned slotted him in fifth last season. An average finish of 12.8 was tied with Larson for eighth best in Cup.

Drafting

Must-start: While the results don’t always show it, Team Penske has been the organization to beat at superspeedways in recent seasons. You could list any of the three — Blaney, Joey Logano or Austin Cindric, but let’s stick with the No. 2 car. Cindric ranked 17th in points earned at superspeedways in 2025 but was one of two drivers (Logano) to lead more than 100 laps (127). He did, however, have the fifth-most stage points (48) and won at Talladega Superspeedway.

Avoid: “Feast or famine” describes Logano’s history at superspeedways, as he can also be a driver to avoid. The No. 22 team collects stage points in bunches at drafting tracks — led the way with five top 10s in stages in 2025 and most laps led at 263 — but it tends to fall apart late, tallying a 27.5 average finish, tied with Noah Gragson for the worst in Cup last year.

Sleeper: You could list two dozen drivers here, but Todd Gilliland leaps off the page. Ford has always beefed up its emphasis on superspeedways, and Front Row Motorsports is among the beneficiaries. His lone top 10 was a career-best runner-up finish at Talladega in October, but banked the ninth-most points in the series (151).

Logan Riely | Getty Images

Road Courses

Must-start: There is no correct answer other than Shane van Gisbergen. The New Zealander nearly aced all six road courses in 2025 and enters the new season on a five-race heater when turning left and right, earning 73 more points than any other driver (293). His 1.8 average finish was nearly four-and-a-half positions better than Christopher Bell in second (6.2)

Avoid: While Brad Keselowski intends on being near 100% from his broken leg by the Daytona 500, Circuit of The Americas looms as the third race on the schedule and road courses aren’t his specialty. Keselowski has failed to crack the top 10 in 21 straight road course starts.

Sleeper: Blaney doesn’t consider himself a road-course expert, and the No. 12 team’s 16.7 average finish at road courses in 2025 is nothing to boast about. But he did score the most stage points of all drivers (64). He even outpaced van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen International to win the pole.

Posted on February 2, 2026February 2, 2026 by Nathan Solomon

Josh Berry’s offseason has felt prolonged yet revitalizing — both in very good ways.

Heading into his third full-time season at the NASCAR Cup Series level, Berry, who won his first race at the premier level and qualified for the playoffs a year ago, returns to the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford looking to develop into a bona fide contender. The 35-year-old Hendersonville, Tennessee, native banked eight top 10s in his first year with the organization, but feels he has plenty of room to grow into one of stock-car racing’s best.

But one of the advantages he has entering 2026, Berry explained, is continuity.

Save for a hauler driver, the family-owned organization retained its entire road crew — from the top down — for Berry’s third season driving a blue oval, and second with the Woods. That starts with crew chief Samuel “Miles” Stanley and spotter Jason Jarrett, and includes engineers and mechanics on the No. 21 team last year. While the pit crew hasn’t been finalized, the team said, Berry believes the cohesion is a confidence booster and something he’s yet to see since making the switch to national-series racing in 2021.

“The last couple of years in the Cup Series have been with two different organizations, and now going back to this and having the same group, the same crew chief, the same engineers, really the same everybody, so it just kind of builds more fluidity,” Berry said during a media teleconference. “It doesn’t feel like you’re starting over and learning each other as much. It’s made the offseason maybe go a little bit longer, maybe a little bit more refreshing because you’re not doing as much random things that you have to check off in the offseason.

“This is really the first year since I’ve been in Cup or (O’Reilly) that I’ve really had the same group two years in a row. That made the offseason feel different since I’ve already been working with these guys and knowing them, and not establishing that communication, so I think that should be a positive. I feel like me and Miles (Stanley) have had a really good relationship, and now Miles is going into his second year as a crew chief as well, so I know he’s only gonna keep getting better, so I feel like we’re poised to have a really strong year.”

Logan Riely | Getty Images

Berry punched his playoff ticket early in 2025, winning the fifth race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He treaded water for much of the five-plus months but entered the postseason with consecutive top 10s to positively push wind in the team’s sails. However, three consecutive last-place finishes in the Round of 16 quickly derailed Berry’s playoff train, and the team finished 16th in points.

Berry explained that the team needs to improve at limiting mistakes, himself included, to succeed in the first year of the revitalized Chase postseason format. Recognizing that Wood Brothers benefitted from the playoff format, earning an automatic berth for his Vegas win, Berry believes the No. 21 team can succeed in The Chase and improve on a winning 2025 campaign.

MORE: Josh Berry driver page | Wood Brothers season preview

“We sat down early in the offseason and kind of broke it down and looked at each race. It’s a number of things,” Berry said. “It’s issues on pit road. There were a couple of speeding penalties over the course of the year. Obviously, that stuff you have to clean up. The biggest thing is just looking at the decision-making towards getting to these races, maybe is the biggest thing. I think you’re better off to take a top 10 than maybe put yourself in a bad spot that could result in it, but honestly, the key to that is not something that I don’t think any of us really know.

“There were a lot of positives in our performance last year. There were plenty of races where the finish didn’t indicate the type of day we had, so that’s been our focus, is looking through some of that stuff and trying to figure out what we could do better and put ourselves in better positions to get the finishes we deserve.”

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s note: Today’s Team Penske preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2026 Cup Series season.

TEAM PENSKE

Manufacturer: Ford
Engine: Roush Yates Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: Austin Cindric-Brian Wilson (No. 2); Ryan Blaney-Jonathan Hassler (No. 12); Joey Logano-Paul Wolfe (No. 22)

Team outlook: For the first time since 2021, Team Penske was stifled from the Cup Series Championship as Kyle Larson went on to score his second Bill France Cup in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. None of the Penske Fords reached the Championship 4 as past champions Blaney and Logano were eliminated in the penultimate round, while Cindric bowed out in the Round of 12. With no more playoffs or eliminations thanks to the reintroduction of The Chase, the three-team stable will need to find consistency among all of their cars to get back to the top of the sport again. It should be no problem for Blaney, but both Cindric and Logano have had roller coaster stretches over the last few years that need to be curbed entering 2026.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, NO. 2 FORD

Experience: 4 full-time seasons in Cup Series; 151 starts
2025 stats: 14th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, two top fives, five top 10s, 0 poles, 325 laps led

Driver outlook: Year No. 5 will be a “move it or lose it” type of campaign for Cindric. Since his first full-time season in 2022, Penske has won three championships, while the No. 2 Ford driver has been a handful of steps behind his teammates. Cindric has cemented himself as one of the elite talents on superspeedways, winning at Talladega Superspeedway last spring and leading 127 laps combined at Daytona Superspeedway, Talladega and EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in 2025. This year, however, will be all about the full body of work as Cindric needs a top-16 regular season points finish to make the 10-race Chase. The young veteran has shown flashes of excellence, and if he can put it all together for a breakout year, he could be in the mix to make a title run.

RELATED: Austin Cindric driver page

RYAN BLANEY, NO. 12 FORD

Experience: 10 full-time seasons in Cup Series; 378 starts
2025 stats: 6th in final Cup Series standings; 4 wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s, 2 poles, 852 laps led

Driver outlook: Blaney was the closest Penske driver to making last year’s Championship 4, but William Byron slammed the door shut late to send the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team to the final round instead. Even without a second title, you could make the case that 2025 was Blaney’s best Cup campaign with career bests in wins (four), top fives (15) and laps led (852). It was a year that was all over the place for the No. 12 team, though, with eight DNFs across the season. If Blaney can avoid those in 2026, mark him down as the championship favorite in his first run at The Chase format.

RELATED: Ryan Blaney driver page

JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 FORD

Experience: 17 full-time seasons in Cup Series; 615 starts
2025 stats: 7th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, seven top fives, 13 top 10s, 2 poles, 577 laps led

Driver outlook: All eyes will be on Logano as the notorious even-year superstar looks to make it three in a row and four of the last five in such years when it comes to hoisting the Bill France Cup. However, must do it with a much different championship format that includes just one points reset after the Daytona night race in August. All three of Logano’s championships came during the playoff era, and diving into the numbers, his last two seasons piloting the No. 22 Ford have been some of his worst since joining Penske in 2013. Logano’s average finish has been worse than 15th place each of the last two years, which wouldn’t put him in championship contention — and could risk missing the Chase — if a rebound season isn’t in the cards.

RELATED: Joey Logano driver page

Posted on February 1, 2026February 1, 2026 by Staff Report

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium has been postponed to Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX due to historic snowfall in North Carolina over the weekend.

The National Weather Service reported Winston-Salem, North Carolina, received 8-10 inches of snow Saturday, while the Charlotte area — roughly 80 miles south of Bowman Gray and home base for most NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams — received 11 inches of snow, according to local television affiliate WCNC.

Out of an abundance of caution due to hazardous road conditions, NASCAR and the City of Winston-Salem agreed to move all on-track sessions for The Clash to Wednesday, allowing for safer travel.

“This event is for the fans, and the fans at The Madhouse are some of the most passionate fans in all of sports,” Justin Swilling, Project Lead, Cook Out Clash, said in a press release. “Moving the Cook Out Clash to Wednesday, Feb. 4, gives us the best opportunity to hold this event with fans at Bowman Gray Stadium while allowing the City of Winston-Salem to dedicate all of their resources to respond to the needs created by this historic weather event.”

MORE: Clash entry list | Snowy scenes at Bowman Gray

NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on the FOX Sports App. The Last Chance Qualifier (75 laps) will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX before the Cook Out Clash at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Twenty drivers will qualify into The Clash, with the top two finishers from the LCQ advancing to the main event, as well as the driver who finished highest in 2025 driver points that did not otherwise advance to create a 23-car field.

In a Sunday teleconference shortly after the postponement was announced, Swilling said the decision was made after multiple meetings with NASCAR’s senior leadership as well as officials from the City of Winston-Salem and the state of North Carolina.

“At the end of the day, this decision is made again in an abundance of caution for the fans and the competitors that are traveling to the venue,” Swilling said. “It’s mission critical that we get everyone here safely. And all of those different stakeholders — the race car drivers, the teams and, most importantly, the fans — all of those are perfect ingredients for an incredible event. We don’t feel we can have one without the other, of course. So it made a ton of sense for us to make this move and also give ourselves some additional time early in the week to ensure that all of the wintry mix between snow and ice and sleet and everything in between was cleared off all areas of the property.”

The weekend snowfall followed a storm the previous weekend that left Winston-Salem with icy conditions. NASCAR remains in communication with city officials and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, working closely to evaluate the ongoing impacts of the historic winter weather in the city and surrounding region to ensure a safe event may take place.

At Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR crews have worked around the clock to stay ahead of lingering snow and ice, including the removal of over 40 dump trucks’ worth of snow from the facility Saturday.

The work to maintain the racing surface will continue in the lead-up to Wednesday’s event. The pavement was almost completely dry before 3 p.m. ET Sunday, while Swilling estimated the football field was “70-80% there.” Once the track is best situated, the focus will shift to the site’s Cup Series garage area, with efforts already underway to remove snow and ice.

Most weather-impacted NASCAR events are due to lingering rain or standing water from storms. The unprecedented snowfall dealt to Winston-Salem has provided a unique circumstance as track teams best prepare the facility.

“It’s just the amount of water you’re moving, right, and the weight behind it and the mass behind it,” Swilling said. “And we’re not talking about just an inch of snow. We’re talking about eight to 12 inches of snow, depending on where you are at in the region. […] That’s a lot of snow, and that’s something that most NASCAR events don’t have to deal with. And again, a huge thanks to our operations team. They quickly informed leadership that like, ‘Hey, this is not like a rain-impacted race. This is much different, and we need to plan accordingly for such.’ And they’ve done a great job at that.”

Swilling emphasized the importance of having fans in attendance, especially at the historic quarter-mile at Bowman Gray known as “The Madhouse.”

“We explored all scenarios, but at the end of the day, we’re here for the fans,” Swilling said. “And we want to make sure that they’re a critical piece. Any time anybody’s come to ‘The Madhouse’ for an event, it’s just as much the fans as it is the competitors that makes it a show. So we explored all scenarios, but at the end of the day, we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time, wanted to give the community plenty of time as well to get over the most recent storms that we’ve had, and we felt that Wednesday was the safest time to have everybody ascend on Bowman Gray Stadium.”

Swilling also encouraged fans to dress warmly and appropriately for cold weather during Wednesday’s on-track action.

“Folks certainly need to come bundled up and warmed and dressed for the elements,” Swilling said. “We’ll certainly have some elements within our control that we can try to offer up to them if they seem to be struggling with cold weather. But I have a feeling that they’ll be quickly distracted when cars get on track and coldness won’t be a factor whatsoever. But if you are coming out, take a few layers with you.”

Parking lots will open on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. ET with off-site shuttle services beginning at noon. Gates will open at 12:30 p.m.

Race fans unable to attend a winter-weather-impacted event day may choose to receive either a 120% credit equal to the value of their order or a 100% refund. More details and information are available for ticketholders at http://www.nascarclash.com/weather or by calling 855-525-7223.

Posted on February 1, 2026February 1, 2026 by Zack Albert

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The return of NASCAR Cup Series cars to the track from an extended offseason slumber will have to wait, this after winter weather that blanketed Bowman Gray Stadium forced a delay to the Cook Out Clash exhibition.

When the preseason event does get going, expect another wintry mix: anticipation and the unknown.

“I’m ready,” said Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell, who joined other Cup Series aces making the rounds at Friday’s Clash Preview fan fest. “Every time you get to this time of year, everybody’s anxious to get going. Certainly, we have a short break, but it feels really long whenever you get to the end of January and everybody’s anxious to get in the cars.”

With the NASCAR industry bracing to dig out from Saturday’s accumulated snow, the second running of The Clash on the historic quarter-mile track has been pushed back until Wednesday. The single-day show is set to culminate with a 6 p.m. ET main event on FOX, moved up two hours from its originally scheduled go time, and the preliminary on-track activity has been streamlined to accommodate the earlier start.

Practice and qualifying is still a go, set for a 1:30 p.m. ET Wednesday kickoff (FOX Sports App), but the four 25-lap heats that were scheduled to determine the 23-car field have been scrapped. Instead, qualifying will determine the top 20 starters, with two additional spots going to the first finishers in a 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier race (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX) and a final provisional berth to the top driver in 2025 Cup Series points who hasn’t otherwise locked into the field.

The revisions to the Clash procedures should only increase the importance of already crucial pre-race track time.

“Yeah, certainly it changes the format a little bit,” Bell said Friday, on the eve of the winter storm. “I read that we will not have heat races now, so probably makes qualifying a little bit more important, and it goes really fast. So we get two practice sessions and then you go right out for qualifying. You have to be really sharp on your changes that you make to your car, what you’re asking for, and the crew chief has to do their job to hit the qualifying balance right. So yeah, whenever you have that heat race, it adds essentially another practice session and if you qualify bad, you’re able to improve your starting position through those heat races. So it changes the format a little bit, but it’s the same for everybody, and everybody knows what the challenges will be.”

The other demand that teams will face is a new Goodyear tire combination, with left-side rubber that’s designed to promote wear making its debut. The new setup should bring tire management into greater focus, but there’s also uncertainty — not only about the tire, but in how it might react to racing in frigid weather conditions.

MORE: Paint Scheme Preview | Race Rewind: 2025 Clash

In theory, cooler track temperatures often equal more grip, but an extreme level of cold may alter that conventional wisdom.

“I mean, with the temperatures potentially below freezing, right, it’s definitely an unknown for us,” said Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Joey Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford. “I think we’d be kind of guessing a little bit if we really felt like we understood. It’s interesting, because we’ve seen these tires, this aggressive tire we’ve gotten to here over the last couple years with this car doesn’t always react like we’re expecting, so I think that’s what makes it even a bit more of an unknown. Typically, we’ve seen here lately, the acceleration of the wear go up with the colder temps, so I think that’s something to be mindful of. From the conversations I’ve had, I guess Goodyear feels from a durability standpoint, they feel fine with the cold temps, but like I said, it’s still an unknown because we’ve gone to different tracks, and it doesn’t turn out like what we’re expecting. So I think you know, just being fluid with it and being prepared to adapt is — from a racing standpoint, from my side — is all we can do.

“We know we push the limits from a durability standpoint with these cars, and I think being mindful of that with the colder temps, does that look different, and where we’re at on air pressures and those types of things is really what we’ll be thinking about when we see exactly when we’re going to get on track. Once everything kind of comes up to temperature, I’m sure the grip level may be down some amount, but I don’t really know. It’s hard to say.”

Wolfe said there’s some allure to facing the unknown, bringing that search for speed to a relatively new Cup Series venue under challenging conditions. Defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson noted that drivers may not have to adjust quite so radically to the weather, once engines finally fire and the in-car temps rise.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever competed when it’s that cold, but thankfully for us, we’re inside of a stock car, which is basically like a oven, so that’ll help,” Larson said Saturday, before the schedule pushed back to midweek. “I think, honestly, I think it’ll feel fine for us inside the car. I wouldn’t be surprised if you still break somewhat of a sweat in there, just because all the temps from internally and it’s not windy in there because we’re going so slow. But yeah, I just feel for the crews and mechanics and fans and NASCAR officials, everybody who’s there outside in the cold. We love the sport, and we’ll compete in any conditions, I think. I honestly just look forward to the challenge, and seeing kind of how the race plays out and seeing what teams can step up.”

Posted on January 31, 2026January 31, 2026 by Staff Report

The Cook Out Clash has been postponed to Monday at 6 p.m. ET (FOX) due to the lingering effects of winter weather in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, NASCAR announced Saturday.

Snow covered the Piedmont region of the state Saturday, creating difficult travel conditions throughout the area. The postponement comes out of an abundance of caution for race fans scheduled to visit Bowman Gray Stadium, the Winston-Salem community and the North Carolina region.

MORE: Clash format

NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying are set for Monday at 11 a.m. ET with live coverage on FS2. The 20 fastest drivers in qualifying will advance to the main event. The remaining 18 drivers will fight for two transfer spots in the Last Chance Qualifier, which will run at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The top two finishers will advance to the main event, with a provisional spot reserved for the driver who finished highest in 2025 driver points that did not otherwise advance. Twenty-three drivers will take the starting grid for the Cook Out Clash, the 200-lap feature set for 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

The weekend schedule had already been altered by Thursday, when officials deemed the forecast too stark to permit any on-track activity on Saturday. Officials remain in close contact with the City of Winston-Salem as well as North Carolina officials to determine the impacts of the weather and ensure conditions permit hosting a safe event.

Justin Swilling, NASCAR’s senior director of marketing services and overseer of The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, met with media members Saturday via teleconference from the track’s fieldhouse, explaining what led to Saturday’s postponement of Sunday’s events.

“The number one concern is always the safety of our competitors and our fans getting to and from the track,” Swilling said. “And in consulting with the North Carolina Department of Transportation this morning and the City of Winston-Salem, we didn’t feel that that a Sunday schedule was best suited anymore, just given what the storm had developed thus far this morning, which is the reason for our decision. And we wanted to do our best to try to keep people off the road and let them know sooner rather than later.”

Work had already begun to clear snow from the surface of both the track and the infield grass before noon on Saturday as snow continued to fall at Bowman Gray — all with a goal of expediting the process of creating a safe racing surface for what is now scheduled for Monday.

“We have a tremendous amount of equipment here,” Swilling said, “and we have already started to mobilize that to see how we can best clear the property as soon as the winter weather dissipates, hopefully later this afternoon or into the evening. And as soon as that happens, we are going to go to work. And we have an incredible staff here that’s helping to manage all the equipment and helping to prioritize what needs to be taken care of first versus second versus third. And I feel very confident in our game plan.”

NASCAR has been meeting daily with leaders from the 0.25-mile track, competition officials, and city officials since Jan. 26, following another winter storm that left Winston-Salem with icy conditions.

“I feel very confident telling you if you spoke with any city official, they would feel very good about how we’ve continued to communicate and align and collaborate as best we can,” Swilling said. “And I feel really good about the decisions we’ve made. And they’re supportive of us getting this event in in the best way, shape or form possible. I think one thing we always have to keep in mind too is we’ve just got a venue to look after, right? They’ve got an entire community, and a community that’s reeling still in some ways from this past weekend’s storm and the current storm that we’re facing here. So we always want to be very responsible and prudent.”

MORE: Insight on track preparations on new ‘Hauler Talk’

Because Bowman Gray Stadium sits in a more suburban area within Winston-Salem than most other tracks in their locales, the track team is more tightly confined to find appropriate lots of land to accommodate any necessary changes in cases of piled snow, ice or standing water.

“When you have storms roll up like this, it actually makes it more difficult than maybe other venues that we may visit,” Swilling said. “Primarily because if a parking lot here is snowed out or iced out or flooded or anything like that, at any other venue, we may just be able to shift efforts from one side of the property the other. Here, we don’t have that luxury, and we’ve got to get very, very creative, and we’ve really got to prioritize the real estate that we have in terms of the essential elements of the property. We always try to do that with the fan in mind. We always try to do that with the competitor and our broadcast partners in mind. But it certainly does make it more challenging, probably more challenging than any other other venue that I can think of.”

Parking lots for the Cook Out Clash will open Monday at 9 a.m. ET with off-site shuttle services beginning at 9:30 a.m. Gates will open at 10 a.m.

Race fans with tickets can get more information at www.nascarclash.com/weather or by calling 855-525-7223.

Posted on January 30, 2026February 4, 2026 by Staff Report

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).

ENTRY LIST: Cup Series

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.

CLASH: 2026 format explained

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.

HOW TO WATCH: NASCAR on FOX, FS1, FS2

View the full entry list for the exhibition:

Posted on January 30, 2026February 1, 2026 by Zack Albert

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Winter weather forecasts in the South. Christopher Bell has seen both sides of them.

The potential for a cold, accumulating snow has already disrupted the weekend schedule for the preseason Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, but Bell has personal experience with how each side of the weather spectrum can turn in the offseason months.

“I think it’s just something that we all know is a possibility,” said Bell, driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota. “I got married on February 2 in North Carolina, and I think it was like a 60-degree day. So you can have 60-degree days or you can have snowstorms. Last year, it worked out really well. It was a little cold last year, but obviously it was clean and we didn’t have any precipitation, so it worked out really well. Unfortunately, this year looks like we’re gonna battle the elements a little bit, but yeah, I know that whenever we get on track, it’s going to be a great show, and everyone’s going to be treated to a great race.”

Fans and drivers alike got a taste of what to expect Friday during The Clash Preview fan fest event at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds events center, where the cars that will run in the exhibition event were staged after Thursday’s pre-race inspection. The first fans lined up outside in chilly conditions an hour before the doors opened, awaiting a glimpse of NASCAR Cup Series drivers, who participated in Q&A sessions and signed autographs for the early bird diehards.

A good share of the buzz, though, centered on the weather and how it will impact The Clash’s second running at the quarter-mile track. After all of Saturday’s planned at-track activity was wiped away by a forecast of 3 to 6 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service, over the weekend it was revealed that all of Sunday’s planned at-track activity was postponed as well with the new target of a Wednesday evening main event at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

For whenever race day comes, competition officials will still need to load up cars onto the waiting haulers, transport them from the fairgrounds to the nearby stadium, then unload and set up for on-track activity. Parking and seating areas will also need to be cleared for fan and industry access, so while officials remain optimistic for an as-scheduled running, it’s tempered by a dose of preparation and caution.

“It’s part of it,” said defending Clash winner Chase Elliott. “Obviously, you can’t control that stuff. It’s, I guess, a little bit of a struggle logistically for a lot of people, but hopefully everybody stays safe throughout the weekend, and we can just make a good decision collectively as the industry to decide whenever the right time is to run it.”

However the timing shakes, fans were eager to emerge from the cold and carve out time for some early participation before the stadium gates open for racing. The Thursday flurry of pre-race inspection on the events center’s floor was replaced by Friday’s fan-friendly activities, booths and racing simulators.

Michael Deisbeck | NASCAR Digital Media

Drivers took the opportunity to sign memorabilia and shake the rust off their Sharpies, all while fans got some face time with their favorites.

“You know, this is something new for us,” said Legacy Motor Club’s No. 43 driver Erik Jones. “We’ve never really done a kind of kickoff leading into race weekend, and I wasn’t sure what the turnout would be like at all. So definitely surprised, I would say, by all the people, and impressed and just happy to see it. I think it’s great that the community is excited, and I think this is something NASCAR’s maybe interested in trying in more spots.”

The preview might be something new for this generation of Cup Series drivers, but it’s also a matter of history coming back to a current light. The event took a bit of a page from the former Winston Cup Preview in the city’s coliseum area, where fans had similar interactions and often got their first sight of the current season’s cars back in the pre-Internet era.

Bowman Gray’s longtime regulars remember it fondly.

“I think this is headed in the right direction, for sure,” said Burt Myers, an 11-time Modified track champion who will attempt to make the Cup Series field of 23 drivers this weekend for Team AmeriVet. “I think that for a long time that the fans have felt distance between themselves and the Cup drivers. This is an opportunity for people to get autographs and hear them speak and see the cars and understand that it is still a the best sport in the world for fans to be able to be a part of. So it’s definitely cool, because I remember the old days growing up around Winston-Salem and growing up at Bowman Gray, it does remind you of the old preview days, so I’m glad to see it’s coming back.”

Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on January 30, 2026January 31, 2026 by Nate Ryan

Editor’s note: This story and podcast were published Friday before it was known that Sunday’s on-track activity would be postponed as well.

NASCAR will hold the Cook Out Clash at the first available opportunity and will renew track preparations early Saturday morning in hopes of racing Sunday at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Senior Director of Marketing Services Justin Swilling, who is spearheading operations for The Clash, explained on the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast that NASCAR essentially will treat the weekend’s winter forecast the same as a rain-delayed event — meaning that the green flag will drop as soon as the track is ready.

“Come hell or high snow, we’re going to be racing,” Swilling said. “We’re going to race as soon as that place is ready to roll.”

NASCAR already adjusted the Clash schedule once but had to do so again when winter weather persisted. Now, on-track activity will begin Monday at 11 a.m. ET with practice and qualifying ahead of the Last Chance Qualifier at 4:30 p.m. and the Cook Out Clash main event at 6 p.m.

“We felt the timing we came out with on Sunday was a best-case scenario and what we’re certainly hoping for that,” Swilling said. “And then if Mother Nature’s meaner to us, we’ll adjust accordingly. And as soon as we can drop the hammer, we’re going to do it.”

The original forecast called for 1 to 3 inches of snow Saturday in the Winston-Salem area with precipitation starting overnight and tapering off by early evening.

“The beautiful thing about this forecast, if there is such a thing, is that this is going to be fluffy snow that’s probably going to be fairly easy to move,” Swilling said. “We feel more confident that we can work in this than in last week’s storm. So we’re actually not going to wait for this storm to leave. We’re going to be working during the storm on the track surface, the football field, the garage area and the surrounding parking lots that we’ve already cleared off from last week’s storm.

“The plan right now is literally at 5 a.m. Saturday morning, we’re going to get started on moving what’s been left in the four or five hours that snow may have been falling from midnight, Friday, into Saturday morning, and we’re going to keep working all the way through Sunday. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll stay at it until we got the place clear and we can host an event.”

NASCAR also will be collaborating with city officials from Winston-Salem, which owns Bowman Gray Stadium, to monitor how conditions have impacted the region and its roads.

“In terms of allowing fans, they’re mission critical in that because they have to make sure their resources aren’t tapped or oversaturated to have this event,” Swilling said. “So every step of the way to this point, they’ve been in lockstep with us, and they’ll have to continue to be. We want to make sure that whatever scenario we come up with, the city’s on board, too.”

During the podcast, NASCAR Managing Director of Communications Mike Forde also explained how practice and qualifying will work in setting the starting lineup after Saturday’s heat races were canceled.

Over a two-hour period, there will be two eight-minute practice sessions followed by a qualifying session that will be split into groups. Each car will have four minutes to record a qualifying time over as many laps as desired within the time window.

“We want to have fewer cars on the race track so that they can have a clean lap for qualifying,” Forde said.

The top 20 cars from qualifying will lock into the main event. The top two cars will advance from the Last Chance Qualifier, and the 23rd position will be claimed by the highest-ranked driver in the 2025 points standings who has yet to qualify.

There are 38 cars expected to participate, and all passed on the first or second inspection attempt Thursday.

There will be no change to the tire allotment for the event. The tires that had been tagged for the heat races will be put into the allotment for practice and qualifying.

Other topics covered during the 41st episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:

— How moving The Clash to Daytona International Speedway was ruled out as an option;

— The logistical difficulties if The Clash were delayed to next weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium;

— The help that NASCAR got from Charlotte Motor Speedway and elsewhere with securing equipment to help clear the snow and ice from last weekend’s storm.

Click on the embed below to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.

Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.

Posted on January 30, 2026January 31, 2026 by Staff Report

Editor’s note: This story was published before it was known that Sunday’s on-track activity would also be postponed.

As winter weather continues to disrupt plans for the 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR officials are working around the clock to prepare the facility while balancing safety, logistics and competitive integrity.

NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst said the organization has monitored forecasts closely throughout the week, consulting multiple weather services and delaying decisions as long as possible in hopes that conditions would improve.

“We’ve been following the weather forecast all week,” Probst told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Friday morning. “… We waited as long as we could to make the call on Saturday, but unfortunately, we had to pull the plug on Saturday activities and then see the approach to see what actually does hit us so they can make the call for Sunday.”

MORE: Updated Clash schedule

With snowfall and ice affecting Winston-Salem and surrounding areas, track preparation has become only one part of a much larger challenge. Probst emphasized that clearing the racing surface is often manageable in short order, but ensuring safety across the entire facility and in-and-out logistics are far more complex.

“It’s actually pretty quick for us to clean the track off and get the surface of the track ready to go,” he said. “But you’ve got the whole facility. You’ve got to park cars, places for the fans to see it. We’ve got to be able to get emergency services in and out of there. Not just for us, but for the city. The city of Winston-Salem’s a great host to us, and we’ve got to make sure that that city continues to operate. So there’s all kinds of things that go into that decision.”

Local officials, track personnel and NASCAR staff have been working together to clear snow and ice, using specialized equipment normally reserved for race cleanup, deployed in parking lots and pedestrian areas. Probst praised the collaborative effort, noting that Speedway Motorsports and Charlotte Motor Speedway have provided equipment and manpower to assist.

“Just the amount of work going on up in that area right now to get that facility ready to race is just incredible.  I couldn’t be more proud of them, the crew that’s out there. I mean, they’re using the jet dryers and the downdrafts to clear the parking lots. Probably a good story just in that alone; the work going on there to get that track ready.”

The sanctioning body did weigh, and continues to evaluate, a multitude of options for this year’s Clash, including even perhaps running the exhibition event at its former home — Daytona International Speedway. Probst explained, however, the unfeasibility of that scenario, from several angles.

“We went through the full alphabet of options to make sure we put on a good show for our fans. You look at, you know, next Saturday and you look at going to Daytona, you look at the engines, the transaxles that are in the cars, what are all your options?  … You look at the cars themselves. Right now the cars are configured for a short track within the 750 horsepower engines. And obviously you’re geared for that.  So if you say, let’s just pivot to Daytona, you have two options. You can say, let’s run the oval, let’s run the road course. The Rolex 24 just put on a fantastic show down there … the most attended Rolex 24 in history.

“… Well, we could run the 750 down there. The other thing is the ‘Great American Race,’ the Daytona 500’s coming up here real soon, and (track president) Frank Kelleher and crew down there, they’re getting ready for campers in the infield down there and stuff. So that kind of rules out the road course. … So then you’re left with the oval. Once you go to the oval, now you’re on the super-speedway engines. … We race Daytona, we race (EchoPark Speedway) the week after. So there’s a pool of probably 100 or more engines that are put aside right now in the engine shops for the 500 and the EchoPark Speedway race, that follows it up right the week after. So you run into really a supply issue of engines to swap them out and like basically no time’s notice.  So that’s not really all that appealing.

“And then if we look at the weather forecast in Orlando, Daytona area, that’s not spectacular either. They could be 20 degrees in Orlando this weekend.  So, there certainly is no just shining oasis in the desert, ‘let’s just go here and all will be well.’ So, yeah, just a lot goes into it.”

NASCAR has also adjusted its competition format to preserve practice and qualifying sessions while eliminating heat races, a decision made in consultation with teams and competition leaders.

“A lot of times they will circle up with a lot of the competition directors and crew chiefs on the race teams and they will go through and prioritize, ‘OK, guys, is it more important for you to practice and qualify? Or do you want to just line up and do the heats and main? We work hand-in-hand with our teams to figure out, one, what is the most fair way to do it from a competition standpoint? … It’s a mix of what’s good for competition and what’s good for the fans. So, we felt like abandoning the heats and getting some practice and qualifying will give our competition some laps perspective to the best they do to put on a good show.”

Fan experience also remains central to NASCAR’s decision-making. Despite Saturday’s postponement, inspection and fan events at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds have continued, allowing fans to see Cup Series cars up close.

“Our fans are our number one concern,” Probst said. “We know we have fans coming in from all over to see this or that, and we just have got to be careful that we make the right decision for them.”

Looking ahead, NASCAR remains flexible, working closely with broadcast partners, teams and city officials to determine when racing can safely begin. For now, NASCAR officials continue to monitor conditions and prepare the facility, with a focus on delivering a safe, competitive and entertaining event once circumstances allow.

“(FOX has) been great partners and been flexible with us, and if we do get a lot of snow, working with them, we want to be ready to go Monday. We’ll be ready to go Tuesday, be ready to go on Wednesday.  So we will fight this,” said Probst.

“It’s like the good old American spirit. We’ll deal with whatever’s thrown at us, and we’ll make this happen.”