Press Release | NASCAR
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. (Aug. 17, 2024) – Today, NASCAR announced The Clash will come to historic Bowman Gray Stadium for the first-time as the opening exhibition event for the 2025 season on Feb. 2. The announcement was made by Ben Kennedy as part of pre-race for tonight’s NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series event at the racetrack. This will mark the first NASCAR Cup Series event at the racetrack in 54 years. The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will be broadcast live on FOX.
“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.’”
To commemorate the return to Bowman Gray, NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports Films are producing a one-hour documentary entitled The Madhouse: NASCAR’s Return to Bowman Gray Stadium that will premiere on FS1. The film will explore the rich and rollicking history of the Winston-Salem venue while weaving a narrative that focuses on preparations for The Clash in 2025. It’s a story that intersects two unique worlds: the biggest motorsports series in North America, and the grassroots charm of small-town America at Bowman Gray Stadium. More details on the documentary, including when fans will be able to watch on FS1, will be released at a later date.
“The city of Winston-Salem is very excited and grateful to NASCAR for selecting Bowman Gray Stadium as the site for The Clash in 2025,” said City of Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. “This further solidifies our city’s relationship with NASCAR and the many fans in the region as we welcome the NASCAR Cup Series back to Bowman Gray Stadium.”
Built in 1937, Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter-mile short track, holds a special place in NASCAR history as the longest-running weekly racetrack. In 1949, Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two founding fathers of NASCAR, brought motorsports to the facility as the first weekly racetrack and first paved racetrack that NASCAR competed on. Earlier this year, NASCAR took over the long-term management of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium in partnership with the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The racetrack hosted 29 NASCAR Grand National, now NASCAR Cup Series, races from 1958 to 1971. Bowman Gray Stadium has hosted many NASCAR legends including Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Glen Wood, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, and others. Petty won his 100th NASCAR Grand National race in the 1969 Myers Brothers 250 at the racetrack.
More recently, Bowman Gray Stadium hosted several East Series races from 2011 to 2015. Ben Kennedy, great grandson of Bill France Sr., won an East Series race there in 2013. Other winners include two-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes and Cup Series drivers Ryan Preece and Corey LaJoie.
Current NASCAR Cup Series drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, and Bubba Wallace have all competed in their professional careers at Bowman Gray Stadium.
For more information and to get on the list to purchase tickets for The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, visit NASCARClash.com. To learn more about the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series season with weekly modified, sportsman, street stock and stadium stock competition, visit bowmangrayracing.com.
(Photo Credit: x.com/NASCARONFOX)
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