The future of the Clash, a surprisingly good run at Bowman Gray Stadium and more chatter from Sunday's exhibition race.

NASCAR experimented by moving The Clash to Bowman Gray this year and by all accounts it was a smashing success. The race itself was excellent and the reaction from everyone around the event was exceptionally positive.

Chase Elliott exited his race-winning car to a delighted standing-room only crowd cheering wildly in Bowman Gray Stadium."I hope we didn't disappoint," Elliott said. "It was fun for me at least. We'll hopefully come back here one day.

The Clash got a jolt of energy at the North Carolina short track. Will it return in 2026, or will NASCAR look elsewhere?

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro, took home the win in the first Cup event at Bowman Gray in the modern era. This marks the fourth season the Clash has been held outside Daytona International Speedway, where it was traditionally raced on the famed high banks through the 2020 season.

C hase Elliott claimed NASCAR's first checkered flag of 2025 on Sunday night in Winston-Salem, winning the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium for his first victory in the Cup S

Chase Elliott started Sunday's race out front, and that's where he stayed for much of the night. Elliott finished in first place, taking home his first ever Clash win. He led 171 of 200 laps, while last year's winner, Denny Hamlin, led for 28 laps.

Known for bold and often-controversial hot takes, Moody made sure his opinion on the future of the exhibition event was heard loud and clear on X, expressing his approval for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in response to a question on the future of the event.

Elliott started on the pole and led 171 of the race’s 200 laps Sunday night in the first Cup race at the historic Winston-Salem venue since 1971.

Ryan Blaney was a little kid the first time he raced at Bowman Gray Stadium and remembers it being the coolest thing he’d ever done in motorsports.