The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway on Wednesday (February 4) with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The non-points exhibition race will be held at the historic 0.25-mile oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, marking the first on-track action of the new season.
38 Cup Series drivers have entered the event, with only 23 advancing to the 200-lap main race. The 2026 Clash be the second consecutive year that Next Gen cars race inside Bowman Gray Stadium. NASCAR has adjusted the format for 2026, placing added emphasis on qualifying speed and simplifying the path to the main event.
The exhibition weekend has already been impacted by the weather. The Cook Out Clash was originally scheduled for Sunday, February 1, but snow in the region forced NASCAR to move all on-track activity to Wednesday, February 4. As a result, practice, qualifying, the Last Chance Qualifier, and the main race will all take place on the same day.
Where to watch the 2026 Cook Out Clash
Below is the full on-track schedule for Wednesday’s Cup Series action at Bowman Gray Stadium. All times are Eastern.
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1:30 p.m. ET – Practice and qualifying (FOX Sports App / FS2)
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4:30 p.m. ET – Last Chance Qualifier (FOX)
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6:00 p.m. ET – Cook Out Clash (FOX)
Radio coverage for the Cook Out Clash will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. An alternate driver-cam feed will also be streamed on HBO Max.
Fans without cable can watch the Clash through streaming services that carry FOX, including DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, and Fox One. FOX’s digital platforms will also provide additional coverage throughout the day.
International coverage varies by region. Viewers in the UK can follow the event on Viaplay, while TSN carries coverage in Canada. SuperSport broadcasts the action across Sub-Saharan Africa, and Fox Sports Australia provides coverage for Australian audiences. Indian viewers can access the race through live-TV streaming services like Hulu TV using a VPN.
NASCAR adjusted the format following the postponements. Heat races were removed from the weekend schedule. The 20 fastest drivers in qualifying advance directly to the main event. The top two finishers in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier secure positions 21 and 22, while the final starting spot goes to the highest driver in the 2025 standings not already in.
2026 Cook Out Clash format and entry list
Below is the entry list for the NASCAR 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium:
#1 – Ross Chastain
#2 – Austin Cindric
#3 – Austin Dillon
#4 – Noah Gragson
#5 – Kyle Larson
#6 – Corey LaJoie
#7 – Daniel Suárez
#8 – Kyle Busch
#9 – Chase Elliott
#10 – Ty Dillon
#11 – Denny Hamlin
#12 – Ryan Blaney
#16 – A. J. Allmendinger
#17 – Chris Buescher
#19 – Chase Briscoe
#20 – Christopher Bell
#21 – Josh Berry
#22 – Joey Logano
#23 – Bubba Wallace
#24 – William Byron
#34 – Todd Gilliland
#35 – Riley Herbst
#38 – Zane Smith
#41 – Cole Custer
#42 – John Hunter Nemechek
#43 – Erik Jones
#45 – Tyler Reddick
#47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#48 – Alex Bowman
#50 – Burt Myers
#51 – Cody Ware
#54 – Ty Gibbs
#60 – Ryan Preece
#66 – Chad Finchum
#71 – Michael McDowell
#77 – Carson Hocevar
#88 – Connor Zilisch (R)
#97 – Shane van Gisbergen
