On Saturday night 37 Cup Series drivers and two local champions were divided into three groups for practice and six groups for a four minute group qualifying session before being divided into four groups for heat racing.
Heats one and four saw some action with a few cautions; but heats two and three were clean. The pole sitter from each heat won their heats uncontested – leading every lap. Chase Elliott won heat one and will sit on the pole for the 200 lap Clash feature race with Chris Buescher alongside. Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick will fill out row number two after winning their heat races.
The drivers who did not qualify for the feature race will have one final chance to race their way in with the 75 lap Last Chance Qualifier prior to the main event. The top two finishers will move on to The Clash with the final spot filled by the driver with the highest points from 2024 not already in the race.
LCQ Race Lineup:
Ty Dillon
Zane Smith
Ty Gibbs
Michael McDowell
Austin Dillon
Erik Jones
Riley Herbst
AJ Allmendinger
Justin Haley
Kyle Larson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
John Hunter Nemechek
Josh Berry
Cody Ware
Burt Myers
Cole Custer
Ryan Blaney
Garrett Smithley
Tim Brown
Ty Dillon brings the field down for the green flag start of the race on the same track where his grandfather Richard Childress got his start with a car he bought for $50. Ty Dillon battles with Zane Smith for the lead.
Lapa five, Zane Smith and Ty Dillon continue their battle for the lead. Dillon gets out in front and Zane Smith battles with Ty Gibbs for second.
Lap 10, Riley Herbst is slowed on the track but gets it moving again; he is the first car to go a lap down.
Lap 12, it’s a battle of the Ty’s with Gibbs and Dillon; ty Gibbs takes the lead.
The brothers Dillon battle for position and Zane smith gets out in front of them.
Lap 16 drivers are getting three wide.
Lap 17, Ty Dillon and Erik Jones make contact to bring out the first caution flag of the race.
Lap 17, the top five are Ty Gibbs, Zane Smith, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, and Justin Haley.
Back in 18th, Ryan Blaney looks to be the driver to make it into The Clash on the champions provisional.
Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 17 – caution flags do not count – with Kyle Larson alongside. Gibbs jumps out in front for the lead. Kyle Larson and Zane smith battle for second.
Riley Herbst is on pit road with steering issues.
Michael McDowell is off the pace and falls to the back of the field.
Lap 22, Ty Gibbs holds a near half second lead with Kyle Larson taking second.
Austin Dillon and Zane Smith battle it out and Erik Jones comes up to make it a three way battle.
Zane Smith brings out the second caution flag after some contact with Austin Dillon and Erik Jones.
Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 25 with Austin Dillon alongside. Gibbs gets out in front but Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon are on his bumper.
Ryan Blaney has taken his car to the garage will be the provisional starter in The Clash.
Lap 27, Ty Gibbs leads the race with Kyle Larson in second; Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Lap 30 Kyle Larson comes up on the inside to pass Ty Gibbs for the lead.
Austin Dillon takes second with Erik Jones in third. Ty Gibbs drops to fourth place.
Riley Herbst has returned to the track and is 15 laps down. Ryan Blaney is the only driver out of the race.
Lap 36, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a lead of over two seconds on Austin Dillon.
Only the top two drivers from the race will move on to The Clash.
Local legends Burt Myers and Time Brown are in 14th and 15th.
The caution flag comes out on lap 44 when Garrett Smithley spins out after contact from Cody Ware.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 44 with Erik Jones alongside. Larson edges out for the lead with Erik Jones taking second; Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.
AJ Allmendinger passes Ty Gibbs for fifth.
With 25 laps to go, Kle Larson has a one second lead on Erik Jones.
Lap 54, Kyle Larson has increased his lead of a second and a half on Erik Jones; Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five.
Ty Gibbs spins out after contact with Josh Berry to bring out the caution flag.
Lap 57, Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with Austin Dillon alongside. Larson edges out in front with Austin Dillon in second.
Justin Haley and Michael McDowell spin out to bring out the caution flag.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with Austin Dillon alongside on lap 59 and jumps out in front for the lead as the ddrivers get three wide behind him.
Just 15 laps to go, the top five are Kyle Larson, Erik Jones, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, and John Hunter Nemechek.
Burt Myers gets into the wall to bring out the caution flag after some contact from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The 49 year old driver has been racing at Bowman Gray for over 25 years and is a local legend. Myers hit one of the new safer barriers that NASCAR installed for the race.
Rival Tim Brown is in the pits with the crew working on the car at the time of rival Burt Myers wreck.
Out of the infield care center, Burt Myers said it was an awesome experience being a part of the race.
Time Brown is off of pit road and back on the track..
Just 14 laps remain in the race, Kyle Larson brings the field down for one more green flag start with Erik Jones alongside. Larson and Jones battle for the lead with Josh Berry on their bumper.
Ty Gibbs spins out to bring out the caution flag on lap 65. Gibbs made contact with Justin Haley. Gibbs hit Justin Haley on his way to pit road and got his car airborne.
Erik Jones is listed as the leader of the race.
Riley Herbst is the only driver not on the lead lap and has gotten a number of his laps back and is now 10 laps down.
Erik Jones brings the field down for the green flag restart with Josh Berry alongside. As it was many years ago when NASCAR ran at Bowman Gray, the front row is the 43 and the 21.
Erik Jones jumps out in front but a three way battle sends Jones around to bring out the caution flag. Erik Jones has a flat tire.
Josh Berry is the new leader and brings the field down for the green flag restart with Cole Custer alongside. Josh Berry edges out for the lead leaving Cole Custer and Kyle Larson in a battle for second.
AJ Allmendinger gets into the wall and heads for pit road but the track stays green.
Five to go, Josh Berry leads the race with Kyle Larson on his bumper. Larson passes Berry for the lead and pulls away.
The top five are Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Austin Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, and Michael McDowell.
Kyle Larson takes the white flag.
Ty Gibbs spins out to bring out the caution flag. There is no overtime and the race ends under caution.
The finishing order for the LCQ race:
Kyle Larson
Josh Berry
Austin Dillon
John Hunter Nemechek
Michael McDowell
Zane Smith
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ty Dillon
Justin Haley
Tim Brown
Cody Ware
Cole Custer
Garrett Smithley
Ty Gibbs
AJ Allmendinger
Erik Jones
Riley Herbst
Burth Myers
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson and Josh Berry fill the final two spots in The Clash with Ryan Blaney taking the provisional spot to fill out the 23 car field.
Bowman Gray Stadium was built in 1937 as one of Roosevelt’s WPA projects to put people to work during the Depression. The government paid $70,000 of the $100,000 price. The widow of Bowman Gray – head of RJ Reynolds – donated the remaining $30,000 in return for the naming rights of the stadium which was originally built for football. Racing came to Bowman Gray in 1939. The Modifieds occupy the track from Arpil to August and then football takes over.
The Cook Out Clash main event is a 200 lap race with a break in the action at 100 laps.
Cook Out Clash Lineup:
Chase Elliott
Chris Buescher
Denny Hamlin
Tyler Reddick
Brad Keselowski
Chase Briscoe
Joey Logano
Christopher Bell
Noah Gragson
Shane van Gisbergen
William Byron
Ryan Preece
Kyle Busch
Bubba Wallace
Carson Hocevar
Austin Cindric
Ross Chastain
Daniel Suarez
Alex Bowman
Todd Gilliland
Kyle Larson
Josh Berry
Ryan Blaney
There are no points on the line tonight, it’s checkers or wreckers for the 23 drivers on the quarter-mile track.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Chris Buescher starting alongside. The drivers will have to run 100 laps on a single set of tires before the break for tires and adjustments.
Drivers starting at the back of the field are already very close to being lapped by the leaders.
Chase Elliott gets out in front for the lead as the green flag waves with Christ Buescher in second; Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski wound out the top five.
The drivers aren’t waiting to make their moves, several in the middle of the pack have made some passes already.
Lap 10, Chase Elliott has a one second lead on Chris Buescher. Shane van Gisbergen has entered the top 10 and is up to eighth place.
Lap 15, the top five remains Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski.
In 14th place, Noah Gragson has some handling issues with his car.
Kyle Busch spins out on lap 21 after contact from Noah Gragson to bring out the first caution flag of the race. Caution flags do not count. Busch has taken his car to the pits for adjustments.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag restart with Chris Buescher alongside. Elliott gets out in front to hold on to the lead.
The top five are Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski.
Ryan Preece hits the wall but the track stays green.
Lap 30, Chase Elliott has led every lap so far and has a lead of nearly a second on Chris Buescher.
Lap 34, Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski battle for fifth.
Lap 41, Shane van Gisbergen and Chase Briscoe battle for seventh.
Lap 42, Chase Elliott has increased his lead to over a second on Chris Buescher; Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Kyle Busch returns to the track one lap down but leader Chase Elliott is quickly approaching the back of the field to lap slower cars.
Lap 50, halfway to the break, Chase Elliott has led every lap so far – the most laps he has led in a Clash his entire career.
Todd Gilliland gets into the wall but the track stays green.
Lap 55, Chase Elliott is on Kyle Busch’s bumper.
Lap 60, Chase Elliott holds a one second plus lead on Chris Buescher as Elliott rides Kyle Busch’s bumper.
Lap 64, tires have fallen off nearly a second since the race start and they must run to lap 100 before changing tires.
Lap 67, the top five are Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell.
Lap 70, after starting the race at the back of the field, Ryan Blaney has moved up to 13th place.
Lap 74, Denny Hamlin battles with Tyler Reddick for third. Hamlin passes Reddick on lap 76.
The second caution flag of the race comes out on lap 78 when William Byron and Todd Gilliland made contact right in front of the leader. Byron goes spinning after hitting the wall. Byron reports some very stiff steering.
William Byron and Todd Gilliland are one lap down with Kyle Busch two laps down.
Chase Elliott continues to lead the race and brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 79. Elliot gets out in front to hold on to the lead but Denny Hamlin comes up on the outside to battle for the lead. Elliott holds on to the lead and Denny Hamlin takes second with Tyler Reddick in third; Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Lap 85, Bubba Wallace and Shane van Gisbergen battle for ninth.
Lap 90, Chase Elliott holds on to the lead with Denny Hamlin on his bumper.
Lap 93, Ryan Blaney is just outside the top 10 in eleventh after starting the race in last place.
Denny Hamlin continues to “pester” leader Chase Elliott for the lead. Coming up on the inside Denny Hamlin passes Chase Elliott for the lead on lap 98.
Tyler Reddic passes Chase Elliott for second.
Ryan Blaney is now in tenth place.
Lap 100, the caution comes out for the “half-time” break.
The crews are working on the cars but the “over the wall” gang are not at the track. The crews can make the normal pit stop adjustments but will not be fueling the cars.
After a break of about 10 minutes, the drivers are back on the track and ready to race again. Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Tyler Reddick alongside on lap 101.
Josh Berry ran over the “choose cone” and will have to move to the back of the field.
Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick go side by side before Hamlin edges out for the lead.
The caution flag comes out on lap 102after Kyle Larson gets hit by Austin Cindric and spins out. Chase Briscoe also spun out.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Tyler Reddick alongside and once again go side by side in a battle for the lead with Hamlin taking the spot.
The top five are Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, and Brad Keselowski.
Kyle Busch is now just one lap down after getting a lap back on the caution.
The caution flag comes out on lap 109 when Carson Hocevar hits the wall after contact with Christopher Bell. Joey Logano hit the rear of Christopher Bell’s car just before Bell hit Hocevar.
Kyle Busch is back on the lead lap.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Tyler Reddick alongside on lap 109. The two go side by side for over a lap before Hamlin takes the lead and pulls away.
The top five are Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, and Brad Keselowski.
Teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron spin out in a synchronized move to bring out the caution flag on lap 116.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Tyler Reddick alongside on 116. Hamlin and Reddick race together for over a lap before Hamlin manages to pull away.
Chase Elliott passes Tyler Reddick for second.
Ryan Blaney is just outside the top five in sixth place.
The caution flag comes out for multiple spins from Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and Carson Hocevar.
Back on the lead lap, Kyle Busch is now in 20th place.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Chris Buescher alongside. Hamlin edges out Buescher for the lead.
Lap 123, Chase Elliott comes up on the inside to battle with Denny Hamlin for the lead. Chris Buescher and Ryan Blaney battle for position right behind the leaders.
Chase Briscoe is out of the race with steering issues.
Chase Elliott finally gets around Dennny Hamlin on lap 128 to retake the lead.
The top five are Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, and Bubba Wallace.
Lap 136, Joey Logano passes Tyler Reddick for sixth.
Bubba Wallace passes Chris Buescher for fourth.
Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick battle for seventh.
After getting back on the lead lap, Kyle Busch has moved up to 16th.
Lap 147, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin battle for second with Blaney taking the spot from the inside lane.
Lap 150, Ryan Blaney has caught leader Chase Elliott and is on Elliott’s bumper.
With 46 laps to go, leaders approach slower traffic.
With 44 to go, Joey Logano passes Chris Buescher for fifth.
With 41 laps remaining in the race, leader Chase Elliott has begun lapping slower cars.
With 36 lap remaining, leader Chase Elliott puts Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski a lap down.
Just 25 laps to go, Chase Elliott holds on to the lead with Ryan Blaney right behind; Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
With 22 to go, Joey Logano is on Bubba Wallace’s bumper and looking to take fourth place.
Twenty to go! Joey Logano passes Bubba Wallace for fourth. Leader Chase Elliott passes Kyle Larson in 17th to put Larson a lap down.
Just 14 laps remain in the race, there are 15 cars on the lead lap with Kyle Busch the last car on the lead lap.
Twelve to go, Chase Elliott puts Kyle Busch a lap down.
Ten to go, Ryan Blaney misses the corner after getting loose but saves the car and the track stays green.
Eight to go and leader Chase Elliott continues to put drivers a lap down; there are now just 13 cars on the lead lap.
Four to go, Chase Elliot continues to pass cars and there are just eleven cars on the lead lap.
Chase Elliott takes the white flag.
Chase Elliott wins The Clash and joins dad Bill as a winner of The Clash race. Elliott did a burnout around the track as he drove backwards, stopping on the football field.
The results of The Cook Out Clash:
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
Bubba Wallace
Ross Chastain
Austin Cindric
Tyler Reddick
Chris Buescher
Shane van Gisbergen
Ryan Preece
Christopher Bell
Josh Berry
Todd Gilliland
Kyle Busch
Carson Hocevar
Kyle Larson
William Byron
Alex Bowman
Noah Gragson
Daniel Suarez
Brad Keselowski
Chase Briscoe