Winter’s icy grip has thrown a wrench into the opening act of the NASCAR Cup Series, as the much-anticipated Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has been pushed back to Monday, February 2, 2026. Originally slated for Sunday, the exhibition race now finds itself at the mercy of the elements, with NASCAR officials citing safety concerns for fans, competitors, and the local community after a fresh blanket of snow swept across the Piedmont region.
The decision to postpone was announced early Saturday, January 31, after snow covered the area and travel conditions became treacherous. The National Weather Service had predicted up to 9 inches of snow, and Winston-Salem was under a winter storm warning until 7 a.m. on Sunday, February 1. Temperatures barely nudged above the low 20s, with the forecast promising little relief until Monday, when highs are expected to reach a comparatively balmy 38 degrees. Even so, the mercury is likely to dip again as the green flag drops at 6 p.m. ET.
“The number one concern is always the safety of our competitors and our fans getting to and from the track,” explained Justin Swilling, NASCAR’s senior director of marketing services and the man overseeing The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. “And in consulting with the North Carolina Department of Transportation this morning and the City of Winston-Salem, we didn’t feel 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.”
It’s not the first time this winter has played spoiler. The schedule had already been shuffled earlier in the week, with Saturday’s on-track activities—including practice and qualifying—moved to Sunday in anticipation of rough weather. But as the snow kept falling, NASCAR and city officials had to make the call to delay the main event once more. “Nothing matters more than the safety of our fans, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate,” tweeted Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy. “We were ready to fight the weather, and appreciate the collaboration with Winston-Salem and NC officials to make the best decision. Our operations team is hard at work for a Monday race!”
Bowman Gray Stadium, affectionately nicknamed "The Madhouse," is a quarter-mile bullring with a reputation for action-packed racing and tight quarters. It’s hosting the Clash for the second consecutive year, and the anticipation for Monday’s showdown is palpable—even if fans will have to brave the cold to witness it. This marks the first NASCAR race postponement among the three national series since 2024, a testament to just how disruptive this storm has been.
Efforts to prepare the track began before noon on Saturday, with crews mobilizing snow-removal equipment to clear both the racing surface and the infield. “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.”
But it’s not just the track that’s a concern. Parking at Bowman Gray is notoriously tight, and with snow and ice piling up, officials have had to get creative. “When you have storms roll up like this, it actually makes it more difficult than maybe other venues that we may visit,” Swilling admitted. “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.”
For fans planning to attend, Monday’s schedule is packed. Parking lots open bright and early at 9 a.m. ET, with off-site shuttle services starting at 9:30 a.m. and gates swinging open at 10 a.m. The action begins at 11 a.m. with practice and qualifying, televised on FS2. The top 20 drivers from qualifying will lock into the 200-lap main event, while the remaining 18 will duke it out in the Last Chance Qualifier at 4:30 p.m. ET, broadcast on FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The top two finishers from that race will earn a spot in the feature, with a provisional reserved for the highest 2025 driver points finisher not otherwise qualified. That brings the field to 23 drivers set to battle for glory in Monday night’s Cook Out Clash, airing live on FOX at 6 p.m. ET.
The winter storm’s impact has gone beyond the racetrack. Fan events like FanFare on Fourth and Cars & Coffee were canceled, and the local community has felt the brunt of back-to-back storms. “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.”
This year’s event carries extra weight, as Chase Elliott returns as the defending race champion, hoping to repeat his success at this storied venue. The Clash remains a non-points race but is a crucial tune-up for the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, which officially gets underway with the Daytona 500 on February 15. For drivers, teams, and fans alike, the Cook Out Clash is a chance to shake off the winter rust and set the tone for 2026.
So, will the weather finally cooperate and let the engines roar at Bowman Gray? All eyes are on Monday, as NASCAR, its fans, and the city of Winston-Salem prepare for a frosty but unforgettable night at The Madhouse. The snow may have delayed the action, but anticipation for the season’s first green flag has only grown stronger.