After an onslaught of wintry weather in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to kick off its 2026 season Wednesday with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The forecast has already impacted the schedule three times for the season-opening exhibition event at the 0.25-mile oval nicknamed “The Madhouse.”
A winter weather forecast for the weekend initially led NASCAR to move practice and qualifying from Saturday to Sunday and cancel heat races for the event. On Saturday morning, the decision was made to push all racing activity from Sunday to Monday.
Sessions moved to Sunday ahead of main event at Bowman Gray Stadium
After a Saturday storm dumped nearly a foot of snow across much of central North Carolina, NASCAR announced Sunday afternoon that the Clash had been moved to Wednesday night.
Though a move to Daytona International Speedway (a longtime host of the Clash) was considered, the option was ruled out becuase the infield road course was unavailable, and the engine supply was insufficient for racing on the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
The Clash also drew concern last year about frigid temperatures, but the first Cup Series race at Bowman Gray in more than 50 years went off without a hitch. Chase Elliott is the defending winner of the race.
Here are the daily schedules and weekend weather outlook for the NASCAR Cook Out Clash:
Clash weather forecast
Wednesday: Cloudy with a high of 41 degrees and winds from the northeast at 5-10 mph. It’s expected to be 38degrees with a 52% chance of rain at the start of the main event.
Clash scheduleThursday, Jan. 29
(All times Eastern)
9-11 a.m.: Haulers enter Winston Salem Fairgrounds Event Center11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Inspection at Winston Salem Fairgrounds Event CenterSaturday, Jan. 31
(All times Eastern)
All track activity postponed
Sunday, Feb. 1
(All times Eastern)
All track activity postponed
Monday, Feb. 2
(All times Eastern)
All track activity postponed
Wednesday Feb. 4
Garage open
10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series
Track activity
1:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: Practice, qualifying, Fox Sports App; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio4:30 p.m.: Last chance qualifier (75 laps), Fox; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio6 p.m.: Main event (200 laps, green flag laps only, Fox; MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
The overhaul is the most significant update of its postseason in 12 years.