The Cup Series is back in action this weekend for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. This event does not count in the points, but it provides an early opportunity for teams to celebrate in victory lane.
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The race weekend will feature two days of action. The first day will include practice, qualifying, and heat races. The second day will be all about the Last Chance Qualifying race and then the main event at a historic track.
Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium information
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for cloudy skies early and then partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. A high of 48 degrees and a 6% chance of rain at the start of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Start time: The Last Chance Qualifying race will start at 6 p.m. ET (Fox). The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will start at 8 p.m. ET (Fox).
Starting lineup: The drivers will set the starting lineup through the heat races on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1). The winner of Heat Race 1 will win the pole for the Clash. The winner of Heat Race 2 will also start on the front row.
The top five finishers from the four heat races will advance to Sunday's main event. Two drivers will advance from Sunday's Last Chance Qualifying spot. The 23rd — and final — driver in the lineup will be the one who finished highest in points last season but did not advance to the main event through other means.
Pre-race: The garage opens at 2 p.m. ET. Driver introductions will take place at 7:50 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "NASCAR RaceDay" on Fox at 7:30 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues on Fox at 8 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will have two, 100-lap sections separated by a halftime break. Only green flag laps will count in each section.
Past winners: Multiple Cup Series drivers have celebrated wins in the annual preseason exhibition event. Joey Logano is the most recent driver to win the Clash and the Cup Series championship in the same year (2022).
Denny Hamlin leads active, full-time drivers with Clash wins. He has three at Daytona International Speedway and one at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Logano and Kyle Busch each have two Clash wins. Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones each have one Clash win.
