NASCAR is seeing light at the end of the tunnel in what’s been a difficult week of postponements. The Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium was pushed back to Wednesday, February 4 due to winter weather rolling through Winston Salem, North Carolina over the weekend.
After extensive snow removal from the racetrack and the grandstands, race project lead Justin Swilling said NASCAR is ready to roll for the 200-lap race on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
Although there’s more winter weather threatening the area on Wednesday, Swilling is confident NASCAR will be able to take charge and do everything they can to get the race in.
Swilling also added that NASCAR brought wet-weather tires to Bowman Gray this weekend, if necessary.
“We continue to stay close with our competition team. This is an event and a venue within our wet-weather tire policy, so we’ll be ready to race regardless of what Mother Nature holds for us. Based on the initial forecast, it’s very light to mild weather conditions when we race tomorrow,” Swilling said.
NASCAR Took ‘Abundance of Caution’ in Scheduling Clash for Wednesday
With the track being dry and the grandstands clear of snow, Swilling was asked if the Cook Out Clash could’ve gone on Tuesday, February 3. Swilling made it known that the decision to go from Sunday to Wednesday was precautionary.
“I just think it was out of an abundance of caution. We wanted to be prudent, responsible to the city. Winston-Salem very rarely gets a winter storm of this magnitude, much less two back-to-back like we’ve seen the past two weekends,” Swilling said.
Swilling went on to say NASCAR wanted to be mindful of the fans, some who would be making the trip through the winter weather to see Wednesday night’s race.
While they might have been able to run on Tuesday, Swilling didn’t want to put those in the community in harm’s way.
“I think we just wanted to make sure we gave the community time to hopefully get some ice and snow thawed, be able to get out of their neighborhoods and residential streets, and be able to safely come over here. … We could’ve potentially done [it] today, but we wanted to give ourselves the time and hopefully do it right, and we feel Wednesday was the best option for that,” Swilling said.
Cook Out Clash set for Wednesday Night, February 4
Pending another postponement due to weather, the NASCAR Cup Series circuit is set to take to Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday, February 4. The Cook Out Clash is set to begin at 6 p.m. Eastern time and can be watched on FOX or listened to on the Motor Racing Network.
The race is scheduled for 200 laps around the 0.25-mile North Carolina short track. Chase Elliott enters the race as the defending winner after leading 171 of 200 laps en route to victory last year.
Prior to The Clash, the Last Chance Qualifier race to get into the main event is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. That race can also be watched on FOX or listened to on MRN.
NASCAR Gives Promising Update on Cook Out Clash