The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series is off to a frigid start after being delayed three days for a snowstorm in North Carolina. The Cook Out Clash – the first non-points race of the season – took place at Bowman Gray Stadium Wednesday night with the temperature in the 30s at the start of the race.
The lineup was to be set with a three-group qualifying, each group with 12-13 drivers. The top-20 in speed were guaranteed a spot in the main event alongside the top two finishers in the last chance qualifier, and the highest-finishing driver in 2025 points from those remaining. The top-five in qualifying were Kyle Larson, his teammate William Byron, and three Joe Gibbs Racing Drivers in Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell. After 75 laps of the last chance qualifier, Josh Berry and Austin Cindric were also locked in. Alex Bowman received the final spot.
With drivers warm in their cars and fans cold in their seats, the green flag was flown. Kyle Larson led lap one from the outside with Chase Briscoe and William Byron battling for second behind him. Larson continued to lead, only receiving a challenge from Byron on lap 35. On lap 40, the first caution came out for debris on the track. Larson and Byron restarted from the front, and Briscoe stole second place by lap 48.
Five laps later, another caution was flown for a chain reaction between Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, and Bubba Wallace that caused Wallace to spin from 11th place. Larson and Briscoe continued their tight battle after the restart, but Byron eventually took second place back on lap 60. 12 laps later, Byron found himself ahead of Larson and in the lead.
On lap 77, it was Austin Cindric who went for a spin in turn 4 which brought out another caution. Larson began to struggle over the next dozen laps, falling all the way to seventh. On lap 85, Briscoe cleared Byron for the lead. There was a tight battle at the front between Briscoe and Ty Gibbs with Gibbs leading at the halfway-point break at lap 102.
During the break, it began to rain and drivers were forced to switch to wet weather tires while the track was dried. After about a 40 minute break, drivers were back on track with Briscoe and Gibbs leading the charge. On lap 120, another caution was flown for the 21 of Josh Berry who was stopped on the track. After a short restart, it was once again Austin Cindric who took a spin to bring out another caution two laps later.
Carson Hocevar was the leader at the restart with Briscoe inside, but another caution was flown on lap 139 for contact between Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin. The field made it just one lap before Austin Dillon took a spin, bringing out another yellow. At the restart, it was Shane Van Gisbergen and Ryan Preece at the front. That was until Chase Elliott took a spin on lap 143, and the race was yellow once again.
Preece took the lead on the restart, but wasn’t able to celebrate for more than a lap when Joey Logano and Larson made contact one lap later. The pattern of green lap-caution lap continued when Gibbs got tied up with Connor Zilisch on lap 145, bringing out yet another caution. Van Gisbergen and Preece held steady at the front for the next eight laps before Larson stalled on the track.
At the lap 156 restart, Preece was able to take the lead from Van Gisbergen who was then passed by Briscoe for second. Elliott slowed on the track on lap 165, bringing out another yellow in which the field was able to get fuel. During this caution, Carson Hocevar was penalized for changing to dry tires without NASCAR’s permission.
Preece was able to hold on to his lead at the restart and put some space between himself and the field. That was until lap 181 when Hocevar took a spin in turn 3. One lap after the restart, Larson and Van Gisbergen made contact to bring out another yellow. After the restart on lap 183, second place William Byron began to close in on Preece before going wide in turn 1. That slip was all Preece needed to secure the victory, his first – albeit non-points-paying – Cup Series victory.
While you enjoy buffalo wings and a beer or two during this weekend’s Super Bowl, NASCAR will take a quick break. The Duels at Daytona will take place on Thursday, February 12th to set the lineup for the Daytona 500. Then, it’s The Great American Race on Sunday, February 15th at Daytona International Speedway. We’ve made it through another grueling offseason.
Featured photo from the Toledo Blade
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