Ryan Preece wins Clash postponed twice due to winter weather

NASCAR postponed the Cook Out Clash twice before running it on Wednesday, February 4th, at Bowman Gray Stadium. A winter storm blanketed Winston-Salem with 5 to 9 inches of snow on Saturday, January 31st, forcing the series to move the event from Sunday to Monday. On Monday, February 2nd, forecasts showed winds up to 32 miles per hour that would have complicated stadium operations, so NASCAR postponed again to Wednesday when models projected winds under 17 miles per hour.

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Ryan Preece won that twice-postponed race by capitalizing on a mid-race change in conditions better than anyone else. Kyle Larson had dominated the first 100 laps from the pole, leading 53 of the first 56 laps on a dry track. But when NASCAR paused for the mandatory break for adjustments and fuel on lap 100, rain and sleet began to fall on the quarter-mile oval's surface.

Teams mounted rain tires to resume on lap 101. Larson couldn't adapt to the wet compounds, lost positions quickly, ran out of fuel on lap 152, and finished 16th despite leading 67 laps in total.

Preece started 18th and worked his way forward before and during the break. He took the lead on lap 156 when he passed Shane van Gisbergen and from there controlled the final 45 laps to beat William Byron by 1.752 seconds.

"I don't even know what to say. It's been a really long road," said a tearful Preece after climbing out of the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing car. "Two years ago I thought I wasn't going to have a job. I thought I was going back to Connecticut."

17 Cautions and 11 Lead Changes

The race had 17 cautions, a new record for the Clash. There were 11 lead changes among seven different drivers: Larson, Preece, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Shane van Gisbergen, Carson Hocevar, and Ty Gibbs.

Briscoe led 35 laps across different segments and finished sixth. Hocevar commanded 18 laps but finished 15th. Van Gisbergen led 15 laps before losing the lead to Preece and finishing 20th. Byron led 14 laps and Gibbs five.

The average speed was 21.39 miles per hour. Preece is the first Clash winner from 18th or worse since Kevin Harvick in 2009, who won from 27th at Daytona. He is also the first driver to win from outside the first two rows since the event moved to the short-oval format at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022.

Saturday's storm canceled the qualifying races that night, which were to set 20 of the 23 starting positions, along with the entire program for the local Stadium Modifieds and Stadium Sportsman divisions. NASCAR modified the format to run practice and qualifying on Wednesday at 1:30 PM Eastern Time, followed by the Last Chance Qualifier at 4:30 PM and the Clash at 6 PM.

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Josh Berry Wins the Last Chance Qualifier for Second Straight Year

Josh Berry transferred into the Clash through the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier for the second consecutive year. Berry, in the No. 21 Wood Brothers car, took the lead from AJ Allmendinger on lap 18 and won by 7.419 seconds over Austin Cindric.

Cindric secured the second and final transfer spot in a battle with Corey LaJoie that began on lap 62. LaJoie substituted for the injured Brad Keselowski in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski car. In the final corner, Allmendinger gave Cindric a push from behind to help him pass LaJoie before the checkered flag.

"You wanted to be inside, but you didn't want to pass the guy because then he has a chance to come back on you," explained LaJoie.

Berry started 21st in the Clash and finished 12th. Cindric started 22nd but finished 21st with multiple mechanical issues. Alex Bowman occupied the 23rd and final grid spot as a provisional, being the highest driver in 2025 points among those who didn't qualify on time or advance from the LCQ.

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Results - Cook Out Clash 2026 NASCAR Cup Series - Bowman Gray Stadium