By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Ryan Blaney already has a history at Bowman Gray Stadium
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Ryan Blaney’s memory isn’t crystal clear when it comes to his exploits at the historic venue that will host Sunday’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (8 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Blaney was “9 or 10 years old” when he won at the quarter-mile Bowman Gray track in a Bandolero. As a small child in a small race car, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion was impressed by the magnitude of the experience.
“I ran here 20 years ago or so in a Bandolero, so it’s nice to be back,” Blaney said Saturday before practice and heat races at the quarter-mile. “Obviously, the reputation of this place, a lot of passionate people around the area love Bowman Gray, and the track is really historic.
“I think it’s a good (place) for this Clash, to have the ability to move this race around to different parts of the country, so that’s nice.”
To Blaney’s point, last year’s Clash completed a three-year tenure at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a temporary quarter-mile track. At Bowman Gray, the Clash comes to NASCAR’s oldest weekly racing facility, one that is steeped in the history and lore of stock car racing.
Blaney grew up in nearby High Point, N.C., and had a ready-made fan base of sorts when he raced at Bowman Gray.
“I had a lot of friends and family that came here a lot on the weekends,” he said. “I had some buddies that were at that race, and they it was pretty cool that, ‘Hey, you ran Bowman Gray… I watched you At Bowman Gray.’
“Back then, in a Bandolero, this place was massive, right? It’s just funny putting it into perspective of what you don’t know. (Now) it’s the smallest place we go to with what we do.”
Chase Elliott thinks the Clash has a future overseas
From its inception in 1979 through 2021, the NASCAR Clash, which ran under a variety of appellations, was part of early-season activities at Daytona International Speedway.
In 2022, however, the Clash moved to the L.A. Coliseum, where Cup drivers raced on a temporary purpose-built track.
That move—and this year’s visit to Bowman Gray Stadium—have opened a world of new possibilities for the exhibition event, and 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott has the vision to go with it.
“I kind of like (the) thought of potentially getting outside of the United States,” Elliott said. “I know we’re kind of testing the waters a little bit with the Mexico City race this year, but I think the real test would be going overseas, and I think this race would be a good opportunity to do something like that, where it wouldn’t be committing to a points race, you know—somewhere that’s a long ways away…
“I think for me, I’m not saying one way or another, I’m just saying that everything is on the table. I’d be good either way, whether it’s here or Daytona. If they want to do it in Europe, if they want to not do it at all, I’d be fine with any of the above.”
Tim Brown is fighting to prove he belongs in the Clash
Flaring tempers and fisticuffs between drivers are expected parts of the Bowman Gray Stadium experience.
It’s that type of race track. Narrow and typically bottom-dominant, Bowman Gray is more likely to see passes made with bumpers, rather than with raw speed.
Tim Brown says he has been involved in about 10 fights during his 30-year driving career and claims to have won them all. But his racing resume is far more impressive, with 101 feature wins and 12 modified championships at the Winston-Salem track.
For Brown, competing against the NASCAR Cup Series regulars in the Clash represents the fulfillment of a dream, but the 53-year-old from Cana, Va., isn’t interested in running the race in the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford just to say he appeared in it.
“As far as being special, it’s very special just to be here, but I’m a racer and I want to win this thing,” said Brown, who has spent time in Ford’s Cup simulator to prepare for the Clash. “That’s why we’re here, and we’ve worked really hard to build the best car at RWR that we could build to put on a good show…
“I want to run well, and I want to show that we deserve to be here, that it’s just not a ‘Hey, let’s give this old guy an opportunity to go ride around in a Cup car.’ I feel like I deserve to be here. I’ve dedicated my whole life to racing, and I’ve worked my butt off and here we are and make the best of it.”
Interviews:
Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford) and Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) –
Kyle Busch (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) and Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)-
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) –
Tim Brown (No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford) –
Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) –
Chris Buescher (No. 17 RFK Racing Ford) and Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) –
