Wouldn't it truly epitomize NASCAR if, one year after there wasn't a single weather postponement, the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race ends up being snowed out?
By the way, does the famous "Vortex Theory" include snow?
The weather forecast does not look promising ahead of the weekend festivities at Bowman Gray Stadium, which hosted its first Clash a year ago.
But as of now, the race is on.
The format for this weekend is effectively the same as it was a year ago, with three groups of drivers set to have three practice sessions each, and the third session effectively set to serve as the qualifying session to determine the starting lineups for the four 25-lap heat races around the four-turn, 0.25-mile (0.402-kilometer) Winston-Salem, North Carolina oval.
Five drivers from each heat race are set to lock into the 200-lap main event, while everybody else is set to be relegated to the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier. The top two drivers from that race are set to advance to the main event.
Among the drivers not yet locked into the main event, the top finisher from the 2025 point standings is to be awarded the 23rd and final spot in the starting lineup.
At least, that's how it's supposed to work, provided Winston-Salem isn't the site of a weekend blizzard like many expect it to be.
At any rate, with 38 drivers expected to compete, 15 will ultimately fail to qualify (again, should the weekend festivities actually take place as planned).
Only Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson is already locked into the event, since he is the reigning Cup Series champion.
Here's a look at the 38 drivers set to compete.
Cook Out Clash NASCAR Cup Series entry list
Team | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|
Trackhouse Racing | No. 1 Chevrolet | Ross Chastain |
Team Penske | No. 2 Ford | Austin Cindric |
Richard Childress Racing | No. 3 Chevrolet | Austin Dillon |
Front Row Motorsports | No. 4 Ford | Noah Gragson |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 5 Chevrolet | Kyle Larson |
RFK Racing | No. 6 Ford | Corey LaJoie |
Spire Motorsports | No. 7 Chevrolet | Daniel Suarez |
Richard Childress Racing | No. 8 Chevrolet | Kyle Busch |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 9 Chevrolet | Chase Elliott |
Kaulig Racing | No. 10 Chevrolet | Ty Dillon |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 11 Toyota | Denny Hamlin |
Team Penske | No. 12 Ford | Ryan Blaney |
Kaulig Racing | No. 16 Chevrolet | A.J. Allmendinger |
RFK Racing | No. 17 Ford | Chris Buescher |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 19 Toyota | Chase Briscoe |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 20 Toyota | Christopher Bell |
Wood Brothers Racing | No. 21 Ford | Josh Berry |
Team Penske | No. 22 Ford | Joey Logano |
23XI Racing | No. 23 Toyota | Bubba Wallace |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 24 Chevrolet | William Byron |
Front Row Motorsports | No. 34 Ford | Todd Gilliland |
23XI Racing | No. 35 Toyota | Riley Herbst |
Front Row Motorsports | No. 38 Ford | Zane Smith |
Haas Factory Team | No. 41 Ford | Cole Custer |
Legacy Motor Club | No. 42 Toyota | John Hunter Nemechek |
Legacy Motor Club | No. 43 Toyota | Erik Jones |
23XI Racing | No. 45 Toyota | Tyler Reddick |
Hyak Motorsports | No. 47 Chevrolet | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 48 Chevrolet | Alex Bowman |
Team AmeriVet | No. 50 Chevrolet | Burt Myers |
Rick Ware Racing | No. 51 Chevrolet | Cody Ware |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 54 Toyota | Ty Gibbs |
RFK Racing | No. 60 Ford | Ryan Preece |
Garage 66 | No. 66 Ford | Chad Finchum |
Spire Motorsports | No. 71 Chevrolet | Michael McDowell |
Spire Motorsports | No. 77 Chevrolet | Carson Hocevar |
Trackhouse Racing | No. 88 Chevrolet | Connor Zilisch |
Trackhouse Racing | No. 97 Chevrolet | Shane van Gisbergen |
Among the 36 full-time entries, the only abnormality worth noting is the fact that Corey LaJoie, not Brad Keselowski, is set to drive the No. 6 Ford, as Keselowski continues to recover from the surgery he underwent after suffering a broken leg in mid-December.
The two non-chartered (open) teams set to compete are Garage 66 and Team AmeriVet. A year ago, Rick Ware Racing fielded an open car as well, but they have not indicated any plans to do so this time around.
Fox Sports 1 is set to carry all Saturday coverage (practice, qualifying, and heat races) beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET, while Fox is set to carry all Sunday coverage (Last Chance Qualifier and main event) beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET, though this remains subject to change depending on the weather. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action!