Though the snowstorm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is over, and NASCAR made the wise decision on Saturday morning, after having moved all of Saturday's activity at Bowman Gray Stadium (minus the heat races, which were completely canceled) to Sunday, to move all of Sunday's activity to Monday, the Cook Out Clash taking place on Monday is still no guarantee.
Given the fact that this part of the country is not accustomed to such a heavy snowfall, there are other factors at play, such as clearing the roads, that will ultimately go into making the decision as to whether (no pun intended) or not Monday's race date is feasible.
As of now, Monday is set to feature practice, a modified qualifying session, the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier, and the 200-lap main event around the four-turn, 0.25-mile (0.402-kilometer) Madhouse.
Bowman Gray Stadium hosted its first Clash a year ago, ending a three-year run by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and that race was dominated by Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott, who led 171 of 200 laps.
Who are the favorites to beat Elliott, who is listed at +550 to repeat at DraftKings Sportsbook, this year if the race ever actually happens?
Top 5 favorites to beat Chase Elliott at Bowman Gray
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
Odds: +550
Ryan Blaney qualified 23rd (last) for the Clash a year ago, as he had to fall back on the 2024 point standings provisional after things did not go his way in qualifying, the heat races, or the Last Chance Qualifier. He still drove from 23rd all the way up to second.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
Odds: +600
Of the 29 laps of the 200-lap race that weren't led by Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin led 28 en route to a third place finish. There is perhaps no driver more ready to get back into the car than Hamlin, and after winning a weather-affected 2024 Clash at a similar quarter-mile track in Los Angeles, don't be surprised if he makes an early statement.
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
Odds: +800
We'll spare you the "Kyle Larson is one of the favorites wherever NASCAR goes" line. A year ago, Larson struggled just to get into the race. He had to drive from 10th to the top two in the Last Chance Qualifier, a race he won, just to start on the 11th of 12 rows. He only finished 17th, but he is already locked into this year's Clash due to the 2025 points provisional, so he can truly focus on the main event.
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
Odds: +850
In four Clash races at quarter-mile tracks (2022 to 2025), Christopher Bell has never placed higher than eighth, so this listing is more based on what we know Bell is capable of at short tracks in general. And after winning three races in a row early on in the 2025 season, we all know how hard he can be to stop when he gets hot.
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
Odds: +1000
William Byron's Clash was undone a year ago after he was involved in an incident, and like Bell, he too has never finished inside the top five in a Clash on a quarter-mile oval. Still, he's one of the sport's top drivers on short tracks and he's with arguably the best team, so listing him with odds any longer than this could prove costly for any sportsbook.
Honorable mentions: Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe (+1100), Team Penske's Joey Logano (+1200), Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain (+2000), 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick (+2200)
Full Cook Out Clash odds can be found here and are always subject to change.
As of now, Fox Sports 2 is set to provide live coverage of practice and qualifying beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Monday, February 2, and Fox is set to take over at 4:30 p.m. ET with live coverage of the Last Chance Qualifier. The main event is also set to be shown live on Fox beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and catch all of the action!