NASCAR 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium: Odds, format, times and more info
The NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off with the Cook Out Clash exhibition race on Sunday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m. ET).
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
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
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
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Dominic Aragon View All
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.