What’s next for the Clash and Bowman Gray Stadium in NASCAR?

After a week of thinking things over, it’s time for a focus on what’s next for the Clash and for Bowman Gray Stadium.

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — To many, the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium was a success and a blast from the past.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers filled a total of 375 green-flag laps with beating and banging their Next Gen/Gen 7 cars, in contrast to the nearly three years of more rigid and orderly short-track racing with the cars. 

In the Clash itself, it was apparent how a soft tire compound helped created comers and goers, like Ryan Blaney who picked his way from last – 23rd – to the leader’s back bumper.

Fans also packed Bowman Gray Stadium and helped deliver an old-school-style short track race.

While the race’s TV audience of 3.08 million viewers was down compared to the two editions of the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2023 – 3.647 million, 2022 – 4.283M), it was a 6.6% increase compared to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (2.89M).

The race was for diehard and longtime followers of the motorsport who could’ve never imagined the Cup Series ever going to Bowman Gray Stadium. It helped maintain the Clash’s newfound identity of kicking off the season with what NASCAR does best — making big headlines:

In 1959, NASCAR dominated the headlines for three days after the first Daytona 500 until a photo revealed Lee Petty as the winner. 20 years later, “The Fight” catapulted NASCAR to a national stage and on the trajectory toward national and international fame.

Recently, the NFL made headlines for announcing the league’s first international regular-season game – set for later this year in Dublin, Ireland.

Rumors suggested NASCAR may make a similar move with the Clash — possibly to Brazil.

NASCAR is no stranger to the seas but time hasn’t been on their side. Overseas Cup Series racing lasted for just a year in Australia (1988) and for three years in Japan (1996-98). The exhibition races marked a step forward for the sport but logistics and starting the races in the middle of the night for U.S. audiences hurt its long-term viability.

Time is on Brazil’s side. The country is mostly just two hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, meaning a race in Brazil could take place in primetime there and air in primetime in the U.S., maximizing attendance and viewership.

Brazil is also home to two stock car series and a legion of loyal fans who have cheered on popular Brazilian racing greats Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan, who helped define a generation of racing in the time since NASCAR’s last foray overseas.

The Clash in Brazil would leave Bowman Gray Stadium without a place in the NASCAR national series — but its Clash weekend proved it could host big events, like the All-Star Race.

In 2023, the NASCAR All-Star Race landed at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Although the first two All-Star Races there were supercharged with gratitude and nostalgia, fans’ enthusiasm for the racing itself has been lacking.

As seen with Charlotte Motor Speedway, a track can lose its lustre over time if fans long view it as lackluster and stale, especially as the host of the All-Star Race.

Luckily for North Wilkesboro, NASCAR’s philosophy of change to keep things fresh in the sport favors North Wilkesboro and its valuable history. It’s likely the sport may be bring a softer tire compound to enhance the racing. If successful, the track could further boost itself as a sturdy stalwart for the sport. A points race could open the door for Bowman Gray Stadium to return as the All-Star Race host.

Still, there is plenty to work out, even just on where the Clash will be next year.

One thing NASCAR knows is they can always be welcomed back home.