The 2026 Cook Out Clash was an non-championship exhibition NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 4, 2026, postponed three days from February 1, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Contested over 200 laps, it was the first exhibition race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Ryan Preece won the race, joining Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as a driver to win the Clash before winning their first points race. William Byron finished 2nd, and Ryan Blaney finished 3rd. Daniel Suárez and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five, and Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top ten.
Due to snowfall around the area, the race was postponed multiple times to Wednesday, February 4. This was the first Cup Series race on a Wednesday since the 2020 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500.
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track". Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team. It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team from 1956 until Groves Stadium (later BB&T Field) opened in 1968.
On August 17, 2024, NASCAR announced that the Clash would be moved to Bowman Gray Stadium, becoming the first NASCAR-sanctioned race at the track since 1971.
Scrutineering will take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Post-race inspection will take place in both Winston-Salem and also at NASCAR facilities in Charlotte.
On January 29, 2026, NASCAR announced that practice and qualifying, and the Last Chance Qualifier, would be held on February 1 due to weather and extreme coldness. The four heat races would be canceled. On January 31, it was announced the race would be postponed to February 2. On February 1, 2026, it was announced that the Clash would be postponed to Wednesday, February 4.
Christopher Bell was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 14.193 with an average speed of .
Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 14.137 and a speed of . Josh Berry will start on the pole for the Last Chance Qualifier.
Josh Berry and Austin Cindric, the top two finishers, qualified for the main event. Alex Bowman also qualified as the highest driver in previous season's standings that have not yet qualified.
Fox covered the race on the television side. Due to time constraints, the race went over the 3-hour window provided by Fox, the race moved to FS2 after 9:00 PM EST. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and three-time Clash winner Kevin Harvick handled the call in the booth for the race. Josh Sims and Regan Smith handled the pit road duties, and Larry McReynolds provided insight on-site during the race.
MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Todd Gordon called the action from the broadcast booth when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the action for MRN when the field raced down the backstretch. MRN Lead Pit Reporter Steve Post, Chris Wilner & Jacklyn Drake covered the action for MRN on pit lane.