15 NASCAR Cup drivers miss the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

After practice and six groups of qualifying on Wednesday afternoon, 20 drivers locked themselves into the 23-car lineup for Wednesday night's Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Full qualifying results can be found here.

The other 18 drivers were relegated to the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier at the four-turn, 0.25-mile (0.402-kilometer) Winston-Salem, North Carolina oval. The top two drivers from this race advanced to the 200-lap main event, leaving 16 on the outside looking in.

Of the 16 drivers who failed to lock themselves into the race via qualifying or the Last Chance Qualifier, the top finisher from the 2025 point standings was awarded the 23rd spot in the Clash starting lineup.

That driver ended up being Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman, who locked in thanks to his 13th place finish in the standings a year ago after the top 12 drivers from the 2025 standings managed to lock themselves in on qualifying speed.

15 drivers miss the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray

Bowman qualified fifth for the Last Chance Qualifier but quickly dropped to the back to avoid any risks, knowing he could simply fall back on the points provisional.

The top two drivers in the Last Chance Qualifier were Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry and Team Penske's Austin Cindric, so they are set to start the main event in 21st and 22nd place, respectively, while leaving the remainder of the Last Chance Qualifier competitors on the outside looking in.

NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray DNQs

Fox's live coverage from Bowman Gray Stadium is set to continue this evening at 6:00 p.m. ET with the Cook Out Clash itself. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and be sure to catch all of the action from the Madhouse!