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!