Bowman Gray Stadium. For fans of stock car racing both young and old, the 88-year old venue nestled into a tree-covered hillside in Winston-Salem, North Carolina so affectionately (and accurately) nicknamed “The Madhouse”, is more than just beloved. It is more like holy ground.
The stadium was among the first tracks the NASCAR Grand National series (now the Cup Series) ran, and it has seen everything from the legends that built the sport to the stars of today as they were up and coming. Past winners here include the likes of David Pearson, Richard Petty, Glenn Wood, Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson, etc. In short, Bowman Gray is as much hallowed ground in NASCAR as Daytona, Darlington, Bristol, and North Wilkesboro.
So, naturally, when NASCAR announced that they would be taking over the racing operations of the facility and moving the annual “Clash” preseason exhibition from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum there, it was met with cheers galore.
For as much praise as the decision drew, there were also a fair share of fans that were hesitant – and understandably so.
Bowman Gray Stadium is a narrow quarter-mile flat track with extremely tight corners. Not unlike the temporary track that has been being built inside the LA Coliseum over the last three years. The two tracks are the same length, but differ wildly in shape and banking. Passing was virtually impossible in Los Angeles and the on-track product never really was interesting until the 3rd and final year. That had a lot to do with the fact it was a brand new racing surface every year and it took the drivers a while to figure out how to run it. For anyone not familiar with Bowman Gray, after seeing the snoozers in LA run their course the last three seasons, you can’t help but fear the worst for the Clash being held in Winston-Salem.
But, here is the big difference. Seven of the 23 drivers that made the field for the main event in the Clash at Bowman Gray had raced on it before, and those that haven’t could tell you stories of coming here as a kid every Summer Saturday night. They all know this track – and its reputation – almost as well as they know their own backyard. That all makes for a recipe for an amazing weekend of racing that can – and did – put all the above concerns to rest.
Bowman Gray Stadium is the Madhouse for a reason – it is the dictionary perfect definition of old-school short track racing. Passing requires methodically moving the guy in front of you out of the way, bumpers get smashed, fenders get bent, stack ups happen, dirty moves get made, and tempers flare. While that may not be the cup of tea for fans of racing series such as Formula 1 and Indy, it is everything most NASCAR fans want to see, and that is why the return to the roots of the sport with coming back to BGS for the Clash truly was a slam dunk/grand slam/epic win/whatever sports reference you want to use for “great success” for the sport.
The weekend, which was set up the same way a typical local “short track Saturday night” is – Breaking the drivers attempting to qualify down into three groups of 10. Each group was made to run two 8-minute practice sessions followed by a third run where the three groups were once again split in half to run one last 4 minute session – the best lap in which each individual ran would determine the starting lineup for the 4 heat races. While the practice sessions were nothing glamorous to watch, one thing did stand out. There WAS some passing and some speed to the track.
The Heat races had something more on the line, which made for more aggressive racing and a good taste of why Bowman Gray is called “The Madhouse.” Only the top five finishers in each heat would lock up a guaranteed spot in the main event Sunday night. Those that fail to place there would have just one more shot to earn one of three more spots in the starting lineup for the Clash. So, with all that pressure, chaos ensues.
Chase Elliott, who is among the drivers that have experience with this track, proved to be the fastest in practice, winning the first heat en route to claiming the pole for the main event. But, before he won that qualifier, he (and the rest of the drivers running in it) had to run their fair share of laps under yellow. There were only three cautions, but all of them were the result of hard-nosed racing while quickly running out of room in the tight corners, and the carnage was insane. So much so that it seems NASCAR told the drivers to tone it down or there won’t be any cars left for the main event. Many may have watched all the ‘rubbin’ and thought “this is not racing. It is talentless guys just wrecking anyone in their way.” Maybe they are right. But, those that say that just simply do not know Bowman Gray or short track racing.
Anyway, the remainder of the heats went off with little to no incident, but the bottom line is that this race was going to be far from 23 cars following one another in a single-file line there was fear of.
After the eventful Saturday night, the racing action picked back up on Sunday evening with the last chance qualifiers. In a shocking development that created more drama, the 20 drivers competing in it were all battling for one of just 2 remaining spots in the main. Ryan Blaney was forced to make repairs to his car after failing to finish in the top 5 of his heat when it was discovered his oil coolant and radiator needed replacement. Blaney had the option of trying to race his way in or take the provisional he was already determined to have based on being the 2nd place finisher in the points standings last season – aka the highest finisher in the points that did not receive an automatic qualifier.
Kyle Larson also failed to place within the top 5 of his heat race, forcing him to race from the back of the pack in the LCQ to try and either win or finish 2nd. In the end, he was able to do so in typical Bowman Gray fashion – taking advantage of chaos and opportunities to assert himself and move cars out of his way. Josh Berry, who is now driving the iconic #21 Ford for the Wood Brothers, managed to hang on for the 2nd spot after being involved in an incident about halfway through.
With the field of 23 set, it was time for the Main Event – 200 laps broken into two 100 lap segments with an 8-minute break in between to make adjustments and work on the cars. While the fervor and atmosphere was electric in the pre-race buildup, there was still one valid fan concern based on the LA Coliseum races that would need to be settled.
In LA, if you got the pole, there was almost a 100% chance you could get out in front and lead the whole race for an easy win. In the heats on Saturday, the 4 winners were all the polesitters and were never challenged. Could the Clash end up being a 1-man show at the front of the field?
In short, yes – and no. Chase Elliott did dominate his way to a win in the inaugural Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, leading over 90% of the laps. But, he WAS challenged. With 2 laps to go in the first segment, Denny Hamlin got under him as Chase’s tires were beginning to wear and drop off, eventually taking the lead heading into the break while Elliott fell to third behind Tyler Reddick.
“I felt like at the end of the first hundred that Denny and Tyler were better and that I was going to have to improve a lot to track them down”, said Elliott of how the first segment ended. “But Alan {Gustafson} made good adjustments at the break and we were able to get back up to 2nd.”
After 26 laps, three restarts, and an eventual pass of Reddick for 2nd, Chase was able to clear Hamlin after a lengthy side-by-side battle using the bumper to move Denny up and driving by him on corner entry.
“I felt like I needed to take my shot and try to get the lead back. If it worked out, great. If Denny managed to get me back, so be it. But I felt I needed to try and take control of the race at that moment. I took the opportunity and was fortunate to have the rest of the race play out in our favor”, said Elliott.
He would be challenged once more over the remaining 74 laps from an unlikely source – provisional (aka last place) starter Ryan Blaney. Still, Elliott managed to put the race away thanks to some masterful maneuvering through lapped traffic and the eventual tire drop-off from Blaney driving hard to try and get a look around him.
“It seemed like the track was ‘racy’”, said Elliott following the win. “It was much-improved from the last couple of years. It seemed like we put on a good show. The tire wear came into play. The track seemed bigger {than the Coliseum} to me. The straightaways seemed longer and the corners didn’t have such a sharp apex. All that combined with the track surface having some age to it had a large impact on the race being better and I don’t have any issue with it coming back here next year.”
All in all, the unofficial start to the 2025 NASCAR season was a smashing success. A popular win from the sport’s most popular driver in a race that did not disappoint. A sellout crowd that consisted of spectators from 44 states, 5 different countries, and 3 different continents. Sixty percent of the fans were from outside of the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina. Say what you want about the size of the venue, but having witnessed it in person, two things are evident – NASCAR is alive and well and Bowman Gray Stadium truly does live up to its nickname.
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