Well, it has been almost four hours, and the Cook Out Clash race has not reached an end. What was meant to be a 200-lap warm-up exhibition race for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season turned into an exhaustive exercise for drivers. After snowstorms pushed the race date from Sunday to Wednesday, the rain did not let up. And in the middle of this chaos, NASCAR’s unrelenting green flag racing also baffled the sport’s veterans.

Calls mount against NASCAR race decision

“This is complete bullsh**. Like, you were meant to start the race full. These mother f****rs didn’t started the race full. So it’s their own problem they’re running out of fuel,” James Small, crew chief of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, ranted on the radio, according to Jordan Bianchi on X.

Kyle Larson, who was leading for a substantial chunk of the race, ran out of fuel in less than 50 laps. He began losing pace and could not get off the track as the caution came out. The same fate visited Chase Elliott. With around 34 laps to go, NASCAR made the decision to allow more teams to take fuel. That is how the chaotic circumstances began, leading to James Small’s frustration.

Chase Briscoe was in a tight battle with Ryan Preece when NASCAR made the call. So the call had a mixed impact for teams, whose fuel tanks varied in content. Bubba Wallace, who also did not face a fuel shortage, was left furious: “This is f—ing comical! Seeing everyone scurry to put fuel in. Jessssssssssus Christ!”

What this also displays is a lack of preparation. The NASCAR race was already delayed due to light snowfall and rain close to the halfway mark. Then, when the teams put on wet-weather tires and started racing, spins on the slippery track and random paint-trading unfolded in the close quarters of Bowman Gray, famously called the Madhouse. So a disorganized refueling strategy for teams left drivers and veterans scratching their heads further.

Close to the end of the race, Dirty Mo Media posted a jaw-dropping picture. It showed the stats of green flag racing – 165 laps, and red flag racing – 135 laps. Even veteran driver Mark Martin posted his frustration on X: “Damn man 🤯 You can never win a race without enough gas. I know this from firsthand experience.”

Clearly, it was a night of utter chaos and frustration for NASCAR drivers, although Ryan Preece emerged victorious in the end. Meanwhile, there was another driver who showed great form but ultimately suffered due to the chaos.

Slipping after a good climb

Shane van Gisbergen had good expectations after a dominating 2025 season. The Kiwi speedster picked up five road course wins in a row last year – but nobody was expecting him to excel at the Clash race. The 0.250-mile oval short track at Bowman Gray Stadium was historically not in SVG’s strong points. However, the Trackhouse Racing driver excelled, to everyone’s surprise.

SVG surged forward from 15th into the top ten with 60 laps left. Then, around lap 140, he passed Carson Hocevar to seize the lead. He maintained his dominant form until lap 166, when the No. 97 Chevy spun out after a tap from Chase Briscoe’s No. 19.

“That’s a shame,” Shane van Gisbergen radioed to his crew during the Lap 165 caution. “It was going well.” Despite being spun and pitting under yellow for a windscreen tear-off, van Gisbergen remained on the lead lap with 35 laps to go from 18th. He eventually finished the race in 20th place.

Besides SVG, a lot of drivers’ hopes were dashed due to the NASCAR Clash’s chaotic conditions. Let’s see if the sport can learn from the mistakes of this race.