WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — From the red lights during driver intros to the shirtless fans in the stands, NASCAR's return to Bowman Gray Stadium could only be described in one way.
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"This is awesome," a beaming Shane van Gisbergen told media members at the Trackhouse Racing hauler after finishing ninth in Sunday night's Cook Out Clash.
The start of van Gisbergen's full-time Cup Series career had a true, old-school NASCAR feel to it. He joined 22 other drivers for a 200-lap shootout at a historic stadium. The track was cramped, and there was no shortage of beating and banging.
Yet the three-time Supercars champion looked comfortable while behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet as he moved other drivers out of the way on a chilly night in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"It was so new to me," a chuckling van Gisbergen said in response to a question from FanBuzz. "Even at the last corner, I bumped and run (Chris Buescher), and I feel bad for stealing a spot off of him, but it's normal I guess.
"I don't know. It's pretty fun being able to hit people."
Van Gisbergen spent his night learning the art of NASCAR short-track racing and bonding with his team. He also took time to bask in the vibe at Bowman Gray Stadium, one that reminded him of Western Springs Speedway in New Zealand.
It took a bit for Shane van Gisbergen to get comfortable hitting other cars, but he was a natural.
His thoughts on the Bowman Gray experience. pic.twitter.com/UGQYTG7jg1— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) February 3, 2025
What was the biggest thing that stood out to van Gisbergen? A shirtless NASCAR fan.
"I was behind Christopher Bell, and there was some dude with no shirt on, with the 20 written on him," van Gisbergen said. "He must have been freezing. Every lap he was cheering Christopher on. That was pretty funny."
Bell didn't see the fan during driver intros, but he certainly paid attention during the several cautions laps.
"There's not very many places where the fans are so close that you can actually tell what's going on," Bell said after the race. "But yes, I could very vividly see a guy without a shirt with a big 20 on his chest and a Rheem hat on."
The comments about a shirtless driver were part of the overall theme of the night. Sure, the racing delivered close-quarters action, but it was the raucous crowd that kept sparking comments from the Cup Series drivers.
These fans showed up, they sold out Bowman Gray Stadium on consecutive nights, and they made it explicitly clear how they felt about each driver.
The vibes are immaculate pic.twitter.com/QxI2xX0X7A
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) February 3, 2025
For Ricky Stenhouse Jr., this meant a flurry of middle fingers after he sent local favorite Burt Myers into the outside wall. For Clash winner Chase Elliott, it was a chorus of cheers as he stood atop the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
"The fans being right there, it's what Bowman Gray is, right," Joey Logano said. "You have the fans heckling you, saying whatever they want, saying you're No. 1 in two different ways. That's what Bowman Gray was built off of."
These weren't just local fans either. According to NASCAR, the crowd featured attendees from 44 states and three different continents.
The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium certainly didn't matter in terms of points or the playoffs, but it proved that the avid — and sometimes shirtless — fans are more than willing to pack out a historic stadium in chilly temperatures to watch their favorite drivers take part in heated battles.
"I just think that probably the biggest lesson I've taken from the weekend is kind of just reaffirming my belief in less is more," Elliott said after winning the Clash.
"Like this crowd, it wasn't an 80,000-90,000-person crowd, but it was a smaller number, a more intimate number. And to your point, they were all very much into the show."
