Chase Elliott earns first Clash win in ninth appearance
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series’ 200-lap Cook Out Clash race at Bowman Gray Stadium in dominating fashion Sunday night.
Elliott won from the pole and led the first 96 laps Sunday after winning his heat race from the pole Saturday. Elliott conceded the lead to Denny Hamlin for 19 laps. Tyler Reddick took his turn in the lead during a restart on lap 116 before Hamlin took it back.
Hamlin spent nine laps in the lead until lap 126, five laps after another restart, when Elliott found his way back to the lead.
Quickly approaching Elliott was Ryan Blaney whose second-place points finish last season put him in the Clash on a provisional. Blaney used that provisional position well, driving from 23rd — last — to second in 148 laps. On a narrow quarter-mile track with little forgiveness, it was quite a feat and put Elliott on notice.
What made the difference, as it had all weekend, were tires. Elliott managed the grip in his tires and claimed his first Clash victory in his ninth appearance.
“Ryan kept me honest there at the end. Denny was really good at the second half of that break. I just felt like he was kind of riding, and I was afraid to lose control of the race and not be able to get it back. Fortunately, it worked out,” Elliott said.
At a short track close to home, like Bowman Gray Stadium, in a preseason exhibition race, like the Cook Out Clash, even Blaney had a fun time despite finishing second.
“That was a blast. The car was really good, especially the first half and the second half. Being able to get to second, then race hard with Chase there, who’s going to save more tire? I just didn’t quite have enough right rear at the end to make a move on him,” Blaney said.
Rumors suggest the Clash may move abroad, possibly to Brazil, in 2026. Wherever the race may be, the 2025 Clash will go down as a love letter to NASCAR’s core fanbase, signed with warm regards by none other than the NASCAR Cup Series’ most popular driver.
“Thanks, everybody, for coming out. Y’all made for a really fun environment for us. We don’t race in stadiums like this. So it’s just really cool. Appreciate y’all making that moment special for me and my team,” Elliott said. “Y’all deserved it. I hope it was a good show for you. This environment is special. This is a place that has had deep history in NASCAR. I think they deserve this event truthfully. I hope we didn’t disappoint. It was fun for me at least. We’ll hopefully come back here one day.”
NASCAR Cup Series’ Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium Results
- Chase Elliott
- Ryan Blaney
- Denny Hamlin
- Joey Logano
- Bubba Wallace
- Ross Chastain
- Austin Cindric
- Tyler Reddick
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Chris Buescher
- Ryan Preece
- Christopher Bell
- Josh Berry
- Todd Gilliland
- Kyle Busch
- Carson Hocevar
- Kyle Larson
- William Byron
- Alex Bowman
- Noah Gragson
- Brad Keselowski
- Daniel Suarez
- Chase Briscoe
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com