NASCAR is reviving its roots as it kicks off the 2025 season with a return to “Mecca of Madhouse” during Sunday night’s preseason Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
This quarter-mile track in Winston-Salem, known for its rough racing and frequent altercations, will host a Cup Series event for the first time since 1971 with this exhibition race that carries no championship points.
“It’s fantastic that the venue is changing, and I believe it should vary every year,” expressed Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman. “We have the resources to do it. Continually evolving and exploring new opportunities is what NASCAR is all about. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Previously, the Clash served as a warm-up for the Daytona 500, taking place at Daytona International Speedway from 1979 until 2021. In 2022, NASCAR took a unconventional approach by moving the event to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where they temporarily transformed the stadium from its original football design into a short track for three years.
Last year’s Clash was marred by rain, which forced NASCAR into a tight schedule to fit all activities into a single day, resulting in significant financial losses for the organization.
The Coliseum racing was criticized, with drivers struggling to complete multiple green-flag laps, leading to races filled with cautions and crashes that failed to engage fans. This prompted NASCAR to revert to its traditional roots and stay local in 2025.
Bowman Gray’s historic reputation has attracted racing enthusiasts, leading to an immediate sellout of its 17,000 seats for the Clash two months ago. The venue, owned by the city, serves as the home field for Winston-Salem State University’s football team and was built back in 1937 as a public works initiative to combat unemployment during the Great Depression. The stadium’s inaugural event featured a football game between Wake Forest and Duke in 1938.
The Cup Series held its first race there in 1958, where Bob Welborn claimed victory. Rex White holds the record with six wins, and Hall of Famer Glen Wood achieved four during his career, overall logging an impressive 29 wins across all divisions. His sons fondly recall watching their father race at one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable tracks.
This weekend marks the beginning of Wood Brothers Racing’s 75th season in NASCAR, coinciding with their return to Bowman Gray.
“There were probably a dozen regulars every Saturday night, and we always sat in the same spots. We’d grab french fries with vinegar on them. I wanted peanuts, but they wouldn’t let us have them because of some superstitious beliefs,” recalled team co-owner Eddie Wood. “Bowman Gray holds a special place in my heart. When I first heard they were considering racing there, I thought it was the coolest idea ever.”
He added, “Bowman Gray has a unique way of bringing out the best or the worst in people, and I think there’s a lot of excitement surrounding this event.”
Local racing events have continued at Bowman Gray since NASCAR last participated, with undercard divisions notorious for the post-race brawls that often follow on-track conflicts. When asked this week about the fighting tradition, a NASCAR official jokingly remarked that they hope drivers keep it “on the frontstretch,” for the spectators to see.
A total of 39 vehicles are signed up for this weekend, with eight showcasing prior experience at Bowman Gray. These drivers include Bowman, Daytona 500 champion William Byron, Cole Custer returning to the Cup Series, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, and Bubba Wallace.
Ryan Preece and Cody Ware also share past experience racing modifieds at the venue, alongside Bowman Gray regulars Tim Brown and Burt Myers, both of whom secured Cup rides for this event. Brown, the track’s all-time victor with 101 wins and 12 championships, will be driving for Rick Ware Racing while also serving as a mechanic.
“As it becomes more real, it’s truly astounding. Those who know me rarely see me at a loss for words, but this has left me speechless,” Brown said. “Some of the Cup drivers I know were asking me to coach them, but now I just want to do my best against them.”
Due to the compact nature of the track, the 39 cars will be divided into three groups, each getting two practice sessions lasting eight minutes on Saturday. They will then split into two groups for a final four-minute practice session that will determine the lineups for the heat races.
Four heat races will be conducted — three featuring ten cars and one with nine over a span of 25 laps. Only green-flag laps will be counted, with no overtime, and the top five from each heat moving on to the main event on Sunday.
The remaining 19 cars will compete in a 75-lap contest, where the top two will qualify for the main race. From the final 17 cars, the driver with the highest previous points total will fill the 23rd and last position in the main event.
The primary race will cover 200 laps with a halftime break after 100 laps, counting only green-flag laps.
To ensure the venue is up to safety standards for the Cup Series, NASCAR enhanced the catch fence and installed SAFER barriers. Permanent LED lighting has been added, with additional temporary lighting slated for the two nights of racing.
