For 42 consecutive years from 1979 to 2020, the NASCAR Cup Series preseason Clash exhibition race was contested at the Daytona International Speedway oval. Now all of a sudden, the Clash is set for its fourth different track in six years this Sunday night.
In 2021, the race was moved to the Daytona interior road course. In 2022, it was moved to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where it remained for three years. This year, it is set to be contested at Bowman Gray Stadium, which hasn't hosted a Cup Series race of any kind since 1971.
The return to the four-turn, 0.25-mile (0.402-kilometer) Winston-Salem, North Carolina oval, even for an exhibition race, has created a sense of hype that NASCAR hasn't seen in the preseason for many years. Even two weeks before the official season-opening Daytona 500, there is an abundance of excitement in the air.
"That word right there: excitement," Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain told Beyond the Flag. "It's the first race; there's just so much to look forward to. There's going to be so much disappointment for so many people throughout the year, but right now, that's not here.
"There's not a single race shop that isn't excited to go the track, from the highest-funded to the lowest-funded from the champion last year to the last place car on points. Everybody's excited, and that's what racers do. They look forward. We don't look back. We try to learn from our mistakes, but it's all about forward. We lose a lot more than we win, and the Clash is the first opportunity to get on track."
That excitement also extends to the fans.
Many of those fans have long been clamoring for NASCAR's return to "the Madhouse". Unfortunately for some fans, seating at the track is very limited, and not everyone will be able to get in.
NASCAR announced a sellout for the race shortly after the 2024 season ended more than two months ago. Bowman Gray Stadium only seats 17,000 people.
NASCAR announces that all seats are sold for the Clash at Bowman Gray.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 25, 2024
"To do it at a historic place like Bowman Gray, I've only been up there to watch one time, but it was awesome," Chastain said. "It's going to be a packed house. There is no room. It is so under-seated, I guess you'd call it."
But while a lot of fans may end up missing out, Chastain believes that this problem is a good one for NASCAR to have over the long haul.
"There are just not enough seats for a Cup race, and that's going to create demand, and that's going to make it where some people aren't going to be able to get in on race day, and I think that, long-term, that's a good thing for the sport," he explained. "You got to pay attention and be on the button when it's time to buy seats. People who are there, they're going to be glad they are. It's going to be a good show."
Past Clash races were not sellouts. But by comparison, Daytona seats 101,500 people and the Coliseum seats 77,500. Races there (under normal weather conditions) still generally drew well over 17,000 fans.
NASCAR experienced a similar situation when they returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race in 2023, and that track seats roughly 30,000.
When NASCAR returns to its roots, good things have been known to happen. Packed grandstands would certainly qualify, even if that means some fans are left on the outside looking in.
The Cook Out Clash is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Bowman Gray Stadium beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 2. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action!