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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Qualifying Mar 25, 2023 Austin, Texas, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson 84 looks up at qualifying at Circuit of the Americas. Austin Circuit of the Americas Texas USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDanielxDunnx 20230325_tbs_da8_037
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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Qualifying Mar 25, 2023 Austin, Texas, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson 84 looks up at qualifying at Circuit of the Americas. Austin Circuit of the Americas Texas USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDanielxDunnx 20230325_tbs_da8_037
A persistent winter storm has forced NASCAR to reschedule the Cook Out Clash for a third time. The Cook Out Clash is back for its second year at this exciting quarter-mile track. After already avoiding one storm, the event moved from Saturday to Monday, then to Wednesday. The winter weather has caused quite a mess at Bowman Gray, and one of Jimmie Johnson’s drivers has found a tricky mechanical issue that nobody expected.
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Jimmie Johnson’s driver points out the hidden threat
Erik Jones pointed out a critical mechanical risk that many might overlook. in the brutal cold, preventing water systems in NASCAR Cup cars from freezing solid.
In a recent interview, Jones explained that these cars do not have antifreeze like regular vehicles. He pointed out that it is difficult to race in such cold conditions, as the cars were left unused on Thursday and Friday nights after the tech check. They then had to race in temperatures below 20°F, which he had never experienced before.
“There’s a lot of just mechanical challenges and keeping the cars warm. We’re gonna have to run the cars a lot. Honestly, keep them from freezing. From the water freezing,” Erik Jones said.
The tight 0.25-mile oval compounds the issue, getting heat into the tires and brakes, “really tough” amid constant cornering demands. Jones stressed the unknowns: “I don’t honestly know that I’ve ever driven a race car in that cold of weather. There are a bit of unknown challenges if we do race in this weather.”
For Legacy Motor Club, this follows Jones’ near-miss in 2025’s inaugural Clash at Bowman Gray, where he led the Last Chance Qualifier late but crashed out vying for a transfer spot. Jimmie’s team, blending his championship pedigree with Toyota power, now adapts under new crew chief Justin Alexander, fresh from North Wilkesboro testing.
NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy posted on X that they put safety first: “Nothing matters more than the safety of our fans, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.”
Crews started using salt brine on the track early and finished by January 27. While crews worked to treat the track surface with salt brine, the real challenge will come at race time. With temperatures expected to be in the low 20s, drivers will face a serious risk of brake fade in the Next Gen cars as they struggle to maintain heat. Jones kept it real, “I’m sure we’ve always done a good job of figuring it out and making it work… But it’ll definitely be a new game plan for a lot of people.”
Teammate John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Dollar Tree car griped about tires: “It’s going to be super cold this weekend, so it’ll be hard to get the temperature in tires,” fresh off 2025 heat-race damage that sidelined him. His crew chief, Travis Mack, leaned on recent runs, “We had a really good test in North Wilkesboro with the No. 43 car, so I think that’s going to help us at The Clash.”
The unprecedented cold has not only created new technical hurdles but has also reignited the debate over the event’s venue, with Jones arguing these are exactly the kinds of problems a return to Daytona would solve.
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Jones eyes Daytona return amid freeze fears
Beyond the mechanical issues, Erik Jones also questioned the event’s location. He pitched bringing the Clash back to Daytona, questioning the decision to hold the race at Bowman Gray in the winter.
“To be honest, I know everybody kind of ragged on the Clash (at Daytona) and what it came and the wrecks, but I don’t understand what’s a whole lot different going to Bowman Gray,” he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“There’s a lot of beating and banging and wrecking there. I don’t think that’s a real argument for it. But I would like it to be in Daytona,” he continued.
That nostalgia hits hard for the 2020 Clash winner, who remembers when the exhibition race ran for over 40 years in Florida before recent moves to the L.A. Coliseum and now, a frigid Bowman Gray.
Freezing nights make things chaotic at Bowman Gray’s quarter-mile track. The cold makes the surface slick and makes it hard for tires to warm up. Jones is right. Cold air thickens fluids, makes engines slow to rev, and takes brakes from ice-cold to glowing hot in seconds.
NASCAR crews raced against time before the storm. They worked quickly to install track electronics, repaint walls, and update infield logos to prepare for the snow. Meanwhile, haulers watched the slick roads closely.
Jones admitted there were many unknowns. “So, there’s a lot of unknowns, honestly, going into it. It’s going to be hard to get the cars going, get the tires up to temp on a track like Bowman Gray, be sliding around like crazy… So, yeah, a lot of questions, but we’ll see what happens.”
The excitement for the upcoming race at Bowman Gray highlights the significant risks involved with the winter conditions. But when the green flag finally drops on Wednesday, teams will be battling not just each other, but unprecedented freezing temperatures that could make survival the biggest victory of all.
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