Chase Elliott wins Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

Chase Elliott kicked off the season with a victory in the Cook Out Clash, held at Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter-mile oval that NASCAR used for the first time in over five decades. The driver of the Chevrolet #9 controlled most of the race, leading 171 of the 200 scheduled laps. Ryan Blaney, who started from the last position, tried to close the gap in the final stage but crossed the finish line 1.333 seconds behind Elliott.

A Return to History

The Cook Out Clash, which had been held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the past three years, moved to Bowman Gray Stadium, a venue with deep ties to NASCAR. The track, which hosted Cup Series races until 1971, welcomed a packed crowd on Sunday.

From the start, Elliott set the pace. He led the first 96 laps until Denny Hamlin briefly took the lead. However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver regained the top spot on lap 126 and never relinquished it. Blaney, who climbed from the back of the field, attempted to close in during the final laps, but his car lost pace towards the end.

“This place has a lot of history in NASCAR, and it was special to race here,” said Elliott. “I hope we can come back in the future.”

Blaney and Hamlin Round Out the Top Three

Denny Hamlin, who led 28 laps in total, finished third after losing second place to Blaney on lap 147. Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace completed the top five.

The event saw seven caution flags, including one caused by Brad Keselowski spinning after contact with Wallace on lap 121. This incident allowed Elliott to regain control of the race on the restart.

Hamlin acknowledged that his team needed to improve to contend for the win. “I lost the inside line on the final restart, and that cost us. Once someone gets out front on a track like this, it's tough to pass,” said the Toyota driver.

Larson Advances from the Last Chance Qualifier

Kyle Larson secured his spot in the Clash after winning the Last Chance Qualifier, a 75-lap race that awarded two spots in the main event. He started 10th and navigated multiple incidents to take the lead on lap 72, overtaking Josh Berry. Both advanced to the main race, finishing in 13th and 17th place, respectively.

Berry, making his debut with Wood Brothers Racing, mentioned that the event was challenging. “On a track this tight, contact is inevitable,” he said.

Posición	Piloto	Equipo	Fabricante
1	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
2	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford
3	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
4	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Ford
5	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Toyota
6	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
7	Austin Cindric	Team Penske	Ford
8	Tyler Reddick	23XI Racing	Toyota
9	Shane van Gisbergen (R)	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
10	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Ford
11	Ryan Preece	RFK Racing	Ford
12	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
13	Josh Berry	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
14	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
15	Kyle Busch	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
16	Carson Hocevar	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
17	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
18	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
19	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
20	Noah Gragson	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
21	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Ford
22	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
23	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota