NASCAR Official Reveals Jim France & Co.’s Desperate Behind-the-Scenes Effort to Save Bowman Gray Clash
Feb 2, 2026 | 6:15 AM EST
NASCAR Official Reveals Jim France & Co.’s Desperate Behind-the-Scenes Effort to Save Bowman Gray Clash
Feb 2, 2026 | 6:15 AM EST
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From Twitter
Imago
From Twitter
NASCAR is seemingly pulling out every trick in its sleeve to save the Clash and host it this week amidst the snowstorm. While the race, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, has been moved to Wednesday, there still seems to be a lot of work remaining at the track. But Jim France and his forces are getting help from all sides.
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Bowman Gray is receiving help from sister tracks
NASCAR’s Justin Swilling opened up about the situation that had formed around the track right before the originally scheduled day of the Clash. Bowman Gray was covered in snow, and the authorities were desperately trying to get help from anywhere they could.
“I think every track in this greater region, we’ve sent them notes to take inventory. We’ve been having calls on calls on calls with different track operators across the region, and they’ve been more than accommodating and helping us.”
The race was originally scheduled for Sunday, 1st February. However, it was postponed to Monday owing to a major snowstorm in Winston-Salem. Most recently, the race was rescheduled once again to the 4th of February, Wednesday. But even prior to that, the authorities were attempting to clear the track to host the event earlier.
“At the end of the day, what we need to make sure of is that again, we have a racetrack that is capable of putting on a race and is capable of housing competitors,” he said on the Hauler Talk podcast. “But we’re all focused on safety. Ever since late last week and into early this week, we’ve been getting you know the meteorology updates every morning and afternoon.”
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Bowman Gray Stadium (via NASCAR.com)
Even though the NASCAR Clash is a pre-season event with no points, it is greatly awaited by the fans and the drivers. Not only does it set the tone for the entire season, but it also serves as a warm-up event and a great source of entertainment for the viewers.
As per recent predictions, the weather on Wednesday would be a lot warmer compared to the current conditions, with the mercury touching almost 25 degrees. While Tuesday is expected to be warmer, the authorities will seemingly take that day to get rid of the snow, clear the track, and prepare it for racing.
As of now, the conditions are so bad in Winston-Salem that even the cars cannot be kept near the track because of how oddly cold temperatures can affect those cars. This also happens while racing, which is why drivers prefer races to be a bit warmer.
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Can cold temperatures make the NASCAR Clash more chaotic?
The cars can react rather differently when racing in cold conditions, especially as cold as Winston-Salem currently is. These cars need to be in an optimum operating window to extract maximum performance from all the components, but getting too hot, or too cold (in this situation) can turn dangerous, especially on such a short track.
The biggest issue comes with the tire warmup and track temperature. A lack of overall heat does not allow the tires to come into optimum temperature on time. This, combined with the cold asphalt on the track, leads to a lack of grip. Moreover, cold brake calipers make it harder for the cars to slow down.
Combining all of these issues, the NASCAR Clash at the Bowman Gray could turn out to be chaotic with the drivers locking up and possibly crashing into each other. At the same time, the denser air gives more power to the engine, so the throttle starts feeling ‘snappy.’
While the experienced drivers can tackle these changes, the same can’t be said for the rookies. The Clash this year could turn out to be rather interesting. However, NASCAR also has to focus on the safety aspect, and hence, the delay feels inevitable.