NASCAR's Bowman Gray Stadium Experiment Made The Clash Exciting Again

Today at 10:42 PM

By Jerry Jordan, Editor

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The latest installment of The Clash by NASCAR was a bigger success than the previous iterations involving racing stock cars around a football field and those sentiments were loudly shared by the 17,000-plus in attendance at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The historic site, not graced with the presence of a NASCAR Cup Series car since 1971 when Bobby Allison won the race, just felt right for some reason. As for the racing action, was it spectacular? It was close but even that came as a surprise. Considering the heat races and last chance race saw a lot of torn-up racecars, it was a safe bet the 200-lap feature event would turn into its own version of The Madhouse. However, the drivers had other ideas and the cars, well, they gave fans the best short-track performance in several years.

Passing wasn't an issue. Rubbing wasn't an issue. Bumping wasn't an issue. And excitement? It definitely wasn't an issue.

"Yeah, no, it was super fun. I’m sure they would have been excited regardless. I’m a little biased in the situation just for myself. It was an extremely special moment. I think the people in the crowd here made it that. I’m thankful for that," race winner Chase Elliott told members of the media. "It was a moment I’ll never forget, for sure. It’s not every day you not only race in an environment like that but to have the opportunity to win and kind of share that moment with the crowd, it was really cool.

"I hope we put on a good show. I hope they (fans) enjoyed it. Seemed like they were into it throughout the night. Yeah, seemed like a success. I know it’s always tough from a winner’s perspective when everything goes your way but it seemed like the track was racy. Just thought the whole deal was much improved compared to the last few years."

Elliott needn't worry because the fans were part of what made the show. These weren't college kids gifted free tickets in hopes of giving them a taste of something they'd never experienced before. And even though NASCAR stated 60 percent of the fans in attendance were from outside the Triad area of North Carolina, these were the fans who know the history of stock car racing, who have a No. 3 wrapped in angel wings tattooed on their bicep or the outline of Richard Petty's signature on their shoulder.

These were diehard NASCAR fans and they reveled in the gift NASCAR gave them – bringing big-time auto racing back to one of the most iconic tracks in the history of North Carolina racing. They were glued to every lap and didn’t hold back expressing displeasure when they felt their favorite driver had been wronged somehow on the track. And let’s be clear: the intensity at Bowman Gray Stadium always pegs out the meter but having the Cup Series back for the first time in 53 years was next-level fandom, bordering on insanity.

Veteran motorsports radio broadcaster Mark Garrow, who's called races for decades alongside Doug Rice for the Performance Racing Network, asked Elliott for his thoughts on racing in front of such a "hardcore" fanbase. He said it was almost like they were vetted on just how fanatic they were for NASCAR before being allowed to buy tickets to the race.

"Coming from you, that is quite the compliment for the event. We always get the questions. You’ve been watching a lot of racing, too. For you to say that, in all seriousness, is a pretty big compliment for the event," Elliott explained. "It was a great environment before the race. I just think probably the biggest lesson I’ve taken from the weekend is kind of reaffirming my belief in less is more. Like this crowd, it wasn’t an 80,000 to 90,000-person crowd, but it was a smaller number, a more intimate number. To your point, they were all very much into the show. I think it makes for good TV. It looks good. They were into it. I think all those things are positives for us as an industry.

"Absolutely. Yeah, no, absolutely it is. I alluded to it earlier. I think the people and the environment make those moments special. Without the environment being what it was, it wouldn’t have felt the way it did. I think all those things contribute to what will always be a memorable night for myself and our team."

Elliott won the race, so, of course, he would say things were great, but he was being sincere. But Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano didn't win. They were contenders or even leaders at some point and despite not taking home the hardware, they shared Elliott's passion for the event.

"The fans being right there, it’s what Bowman Gray is, right? You have the fans heckling you, saying whatever they want, saying you’re No. 1 in two different ways. That’s what Bowman Gray was built off of. I don’t know if you guys got the boos I got," Logano said as he began to laugh. "Overall I would say it was successful, right? When fans are cheering and screaming, the drivers’ brands are being exposed to everybody, which is great, right? Everyone has a favorite or not. You’re passionate about it. When you get everyone this close, you look at yesterday, people hung out for the modified race all the way until the practice through the heat races. It was packed yesterday. Tonight was standing-room only. From that standpoint, the atmosphere was successful."

Sitting next to Logano, Blaney expressed his desire to return to Bowman Gray in the future, saying the crowd helped make the event better.

"A lot of energy on the frontstretch before we got going there. That’s what it’s all about," Blaney said. "Really, really cool to be here. I’m happy that it was a good show for everybody. Looking forward to hopefully coming back next year. I don’t see why you wouldn’t come back."

Wallace joked that it was a big night for him because he didn't get wrecked out and was actually still a contender when the checkered flag fell. It's something that didn't happen when The Clash was at The Los Angeles Coliseum.

"I think this is good. Hell, I finished my first Clash ever, so that’s awesome. Usually, I’m wrecked on the last lap," Wallace joked. "No, it’s nice to just carry this into Daytona."

Hamlin, his car owner and fellow racer, explained that NASCAR's production team did a great job building the excitement of the event with its pre-race festivities, LED light show, and a sparkling flyover.

"I thought the atmosphere was fantastic," Hamlin said. "Overall, I thought everyone did a great job with it."

In summary:

The Clash was a success for the NASCAR and an adrenaline boost needed by everyone heading into the 2025 season. Should The Clash continue to be held at Bowman Gray Stadium? Only if it can keep the vibe it had Sunday night and perhaps the only way to ensure that is to make it an occasional occurrence.

With talks of NASCAR moving The Clash to Brazil in 2026 or possibly into the Asian market at some point, why not make Bowman Gray a place where the sport visits every other year for a while? Too much of a good thing isn't always good. Keep that euphoric feeling from this past weekend special so fans will want it to return even more when the action is happening somewhere else. The improvements to the facility have been made and will be waiting for NASCAR's return, even if that happens after the journey crosses continents and oceans.