WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — The NASCAR Clash is coming to Bowman Gray Stadium in 2025, Cup Series officials announced at the track Saturday night.
“Bowman Gray Stadium has a storied history in motorsports, so we look forward to bringing the Cup Series back to this revered racetrack for the first time since 1971,” said Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, NASCAR. “As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, Bowman Gray Stadium holds a special place as the original home to grassroots racing. With a history of intense competition, we are proud to host The Clash at the ‘The Madhouse.’”
NASCAR’s pre-season exhibition required for all 36 chartered teams shifts to the quarter-mile oval after a three-year stint at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Previously, the Clash kicked off Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, running on the oval through 2020 before a lone appearance on the road course in 2021.
NASCAR moved the Clash from Daytona to try racing in unique environments and generate excitement around the non-points race. Dubbed “The Madhouse,” Bowman Gray — home to NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing and Winston-Salem State University football games inside the infield — fits that objective.
After breaking ground on the stadium in 1937, Bowman Gray was completed in 1938 and hosted a variety of local football games before Winston-Salem State began using the venue in 1943. In 1947, a short track was built inside of the stadium and the NASCAR Cup Series — then known as the Grand National Series — began racing in 1958. The series ran 29 races there up until 1971 but hasn’t returned to Bowman Gray since. The track hosted the first-ever NASCAR-sanctioned weekly series action and has also played host to ARCA Menards Series East races.
Now instead of a trek to the West Coast, it’ll be a short drive up the road to kick off the 2025 season.
The NASCAR Clash is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 — two weeks before the Daytona 500. The race is on FOX. Denny Hamlin won the 2024 edition of the Clash.