Milkshake-shaped confetti covers NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott’s (9) car as he celebrates in victory lane after winning the Cook Out Clash on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., kicks off the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The much-hyped NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray exhibition is at the sport’s shortest and oldest track. Bowman Gray is a quarter-mile bullring that’s been hosting races for 86 years. The race replaces the Clash at the Coliseum that was held in Los Angeles.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Bumping, beating and banging were the headliners Saturday night, along with Chase Elliott, in the return of the NASCAR Cup Series to Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time since 1971. Elliott won the first of four heat races on the quarter-mile track and will start Sunday night’s Cook Out Clash from the pole.