NASCAR Postpones Cook Out Clash Saturday Events Due to Winter Storm

NASCAR has postponed all Saturday on-track activities for its preseason exhibition race, the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, due to an approaching winter storm. The event, marking the second consecutive year at the historic quarter-mile oval, will now unfold as a one-day program on Sunday, February 1, 2026, weather permitting.

The decision comes as forecasts predict heavy snowfall of four to eight inches, possibly up to 12 inches in some areas, along with below-freezing temperatures and winds gusting to 22 miles per hour. Officials cited lingering effects from a prior ice storm and a winter storm watch through Sunday afternoon as reasons for the change. Roads around the venue remain hazardous, prompting NASCAR to prioritize safety by condensing the schedule.

Under the revised plan, gates at Bowman Gray Stadium open at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. Practice and qualifying sessions, split into three driver groups for three runs each, begin at 2 p.m. and run until 4 p.m. on FS2. The times from the final practice session will set the starting lineup for the main event and the Last Chance Qualifier. That qualifier, a 75-lap race at 6 p.m. on...