The NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off with the Cook Out Clash exhibition race on Sunday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m. ET).

Chase Elliott drives his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet at Bowman Gray Stadium in the Cook Out Clash. Photo credit: James Jackson (used with permission)

For the second year in a row, the event will take place at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Format for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The format for the Clash stays the same like 2025.

The field gets split into three practice groups Saturday (Jan. 31), with each group getting three sessions. Each driver’s fastest lap time from their final practice session determines the starting lineup for the heat races:

The fastest qualifier will be on the pole for the first heat race

Second-fastest gets the pole for the second heat race

Third-fastest gets the pole for the third heat race

Fourth-fastest gets the pole for the fourth heat race

From there, the Top-5 finishers from each 25-lap heat race will advance to the 200-lap Cook Out Clash.

The other drivers will have 75 laps to make The Clash through the last chance qualifier Sunday.

The Top-2 finishers in the LCQ will advance to the Clash. The driver highest in the 2024 Cup points standings, not locked in through the heat races and the LCQ, will get the final spot in the Clash.

Only green flag laps count in the heat races and the last chance qualifier so there is no overtime in play.

In total, there will be 23 drivers in the Clash. The Clash is scheduled for 200 laps with a halfway break. Only green flag laps count and the race (no overtime).

Twenty-three drivers will make the Clash (200 laps).

Odds for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

Photo by Dominic Aragon/TRE

2025 Clash winner Chase Elliott is the early odds-on co-favorite to win again, according to the Caesar’s Sportsbook as of Jan. 27, 2026. Runner-up Ryan Blaney shares the co-favorite spot.

Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott +650

Denny Hamlin +700

Kyle Larson +800

Christopher Bell, William Byron +850

Chase Briscoe +1100

Joey Logano +1200

Ross Chastain +1800

Tyler Reddick +2200

Chris Buescher +2500

Ty Gibbs +2800

Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace +3000

Ryan Preece +3500

Kyle Busch +4000

Austin DIllon, Carson Hocevar +5000

Austin Cindric, Connor Zilisch +5500

Corey LaJoie +7500

Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Shane Van Gisbergen +10000

Todd Gilliland +12500

A.J. Allmendinger, Cole Custer, Noah Gragson +15000

Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, Zane Smith +20000

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +30000

Ty Dillon, Riley Herbst +40000

Chad Finchum +75000

Burt Myers, Cody Ware +100000

Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.

From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book “All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story” with racer Geoff Bodine.

Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.

You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.