The Mecca of Madhouse in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will host the unofficial kickoff of the 2025 NASCAR season on Sunday night.
The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will start at 8 p.m. on Sunday. You can watch it on Fox and Fox Deportes and watch it live on DirecTV Stream (FREE trial and discount), Sling TV (discount), or Fubo TV (FREE trial).
With the non-points exhibition race, the Winston-Salem quarter-mile, known for its rough-and-tumble racing style and many bouts, will host its first Cup Series event since 1971.
The fact that the place is changing is fantastic, and I believe it ought to happen annually. Alex Bowmantold, a driver for Hendrick Motorsports Associated Press.We are capable of accomplishing it. NASCAR has essentially become all about continuing to develop it and try new things. I’m excited to see what the future brings.
From 1979 until 2021, Daytona International Speedway hosted the unofficial start of the new season as a prelude to the Daytona 500, which is scheduled for two weeks from now.
It was relocated across the nation by NASCAR to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a temporary short track that was used for three seasons after being converted from a football stadium. However, because of the rain-related Clash last year, which turned into a financial catastrophe for the sanctioning body, and the mediocre racing, NASCAR decided to go back to its more basic beginnings and remain closer to home in 2025.
Historic Bowman Gray is a favorite among racing connoisseurs, and two months ago, the Clash sold out its 17,000 seats.
Originally constructed in 1937 as a public works project to provide jobs during the Great Depression, the facility is owned by the city and is home to Winston-Salem State University’s football team. According to the AP report, Wake Forest vs. Duke football was the first event held at the new stadium in 1938.
In 1958, Bob Welborn won the inaugural Cup event. Rex White holds the Cup Series record with six victories. The kids of Hall of Famer Glen Wood recall the excitement they had watching their father race at one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable courses. Wood won four times and recorded 29 victories overall across all categories.
FILE: At Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, flagmen Matt Garrison, left, and Randy Smith get ready for their upcoming race on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Winston-Salem Journal/Walt Unks via AP, File)AP
This weekend, Wood Brothers Racing returns to Bowman Gray to appropriately begin its 75th season of NASCAR competition.
Every Saturday night, you sat in the same spot with perhaps a dozen other people. You would get vinegar on your french fries. We were not allowed peanuts. Team co-owner Eddie Wood told the AP, “I wanted some, but they wouldn’t let you because of the [superstitious] peanut thing.”Bowman Gray holds a particular place in my heart. I thought, “Man, that’s the coolest thing ever,” when I first heard that they were even considering racing the Clash in the stadium.
He went on to say that Bowman Gray has a way of bringing out the best or worst in people. You can say whatever you want, but I believe that everyone is really motivated to succeed there.
Eight of the 39 vehicles that were entered this weekend have prior stock car history at Bowman Gray. Bowman, William Byron, the current Daytona 500 champion, Cole Custer, making his Cup Series comeback, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, and Bubba Wallace are among them.
In addition to Bowman Gray weekly regulars Tim Brown and Burt Myers, who both obtained Cup rides for the event, Ryan Preece and Cody Ware have previously competed in modified races at the track. Brown, who holds the record for Bowman Gray with 101 wins and 12 titles, will be a mechanic for Rick Ware Racing and work on the No. 15 Ford that he will drive.
FILE – On Saturday, August 20, 2022, during the season finale auto race, an aerial picture of Bowman Gray Stadium and the Winston-Salem, North Carolina cityscape. (The Winston-Salem Journal/Walt Unks via AP, File)AP
On Saturday night, there were four heats: three with ten cars and one with nine cars, totaling twenty-five laps.
William Byron (11th) and Alex Bowman (19th) secured their places in the starting line during Saturday night’s heat races, while Chase Elliott will start the main event on the pole. On Sunday night, Kyle Larson will attempt to join them through a last-chance qualification.
Only green-flag laps count in the main event, which will consist of 200 laps with a halfway break at 100 laps.
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