The 2025 Cookout Clash did not just bring the Cup Series back to Winston-Salem; it threw it straight into the chaos of a bullring steeped in sweat, sheet metal, and Southern lore. Bowman Gray Stadium, rightfully nicknamed “The Madhouse,” was the site of NASCAR’s wildest preseason experiment yet, and it delivered supremely. With bumping, banging, and elbows-out qualifiers, the old-school quarter mile gives today’s stars a crash course in grassroots grit. But now, something even bigger is brewing.

Following the electric return after 54 years, talks between NASCAR and the city have quietly shifted into high gear, and if all goes to plan, fans might be hearing the roar of national-level stock cars in Winston-Salem a lot more often.

The Madhouse returns

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, officials are now close to locking in a five-year deal that would bring at least one national series race annually, the Cup, Xfinity, or Truck, to the legendary Bowman Gray Stadium. It’s a massive nod to the Clash being a success and a rare moment of modern NASCAR embracing its short-track soul.

After Chase Elliott survived a night of door-slamming qualifiers and roaring grandstands to win the 2025 Clash, most fans were left asking just one thing: When can we do this next? And NASCAR seems to have heard them loud and clear. Mathew Dillner didn’t shy away from posting the good news on X: ” @JournalNow is reporting that NASCAR & the City of Winston-Salem are close to a deal that would bring at least one National-level NASCAR race to @BGSRacing for a period of five years. The agreement would include upgrades to the 88-yr-old Stadium (a new video scoreboard).”

This wasn’t a points race, and Bowman Gray wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a novelty on the calendar. However, the clash, which had previously taken place at Daytona and then the LA Coliseum, was meant to be a preseason spectacle. But the Madhouse made such a fun impression that it might just land itself a permanent spot in the sport’s rotation.

To get this deal across the finish line, the Winston-Salem City Council stepped up, approving a $1 million scoreboard upgrade. NASCAR reportedly flagged the outdated tech as a key concern, and in return for the city’s investment, the sanctioning body is committing to keeping the engines firing at Bowman Gray through at least 2030. Moreover, the new scoreboard will be purchased by WSSLLC, with the city and WSSU paying for 60 percent of the price and WSSLLC paying 40 percent.

The new scoreboard would have better video playback features and more room for sponsorship opportunities. Part of the agreement is that NASCAR would commit to holding NASCAR series events at Bowman Gray Stadium over five years. From 1979 to 2021, the Clash belonged to Daytona. And it was Hollywood’s game in LA from 2022 to 2024. But with Bowman Gray now back in conversation and possibly on the schedule for good, NASCAR might have finally found its perfect blend of old-school grit and new age flair.

In a statement, the city made it clear that this isn’t just about racing. “NASCAR officials have shared that they received negative feedback about the functionality of the stadium scoreboard and consider the replacement of the scoreboard the highest priority to ensure Bowman Gray Stadium can host The Clash in 2026, as well as other NASCAR events, Winston-Salem State University football games, and community events,” the City of Winston-Salem said in a statement.

Of course, the 2025 clash wasn’t without drama, because what else would you expect from Bowman Gray? Chase Elliott edged out Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin in one of the most elbow-out races of the year. As Elliot soaked in the cheers, he said, “I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win, for sure. Just really proud of our team for just continuing to keep our heads down and push forward, for sure.” The fans loved it, and as a season opener, it was great fun to watch new era drivers take on an old school track.

However, Bowman Gray’s revival places one burning question in our minds.

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What’s next for short track racing?

Bowman Gray might be coming back in style, but the short track scene across NASCAR is still stuck in the pits. While fans love the beating and banging that short ovals like this deliver, short track racing just hasn’t been the same in the Next Gen era. The problem? It’s not the tracks; it’s the cars. Drivers have been loud and clear: low horsepower, high grip, and nearly identical setups across the board have made it way too hard to pass. Races at places like Martinsville and Richmond, once guaranteed crowd pleasers, have turned into aerodynamic chess matches.

Denny Hamlin, never shy to speak up, laid it out bluntly on Actions Detrimental in 2024, saying, “It’s not aerodynamics. It’s a horsepower-to-tire ratio… until you make a horsepower, or tire, or shifting change, you will have the same result.” It seems that the discontent with the Next Gen engines continues to grow. Joey Logano backed him up, pointing to a short-track race that worked because the tires failed.

Logano said in 2024, “Bristol was good because the tire came apart… Richmond and Martinsville—we’ve got to do something back to fix it… We have to swing the bat.” They did end up using a softer tire compound for the Martinsville playoff race in 2024, and it seemed to work well, but that’s still a short-term fix to overarching problems with the Next-Gen car. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch kept it very simple and blunt. “The racing has definitely not gotten better with the Next-Gen at short tracks… I don’t know. We tried different aero packages, we tried different tires… It’s just a similarity in all the parts and pieces and everybody being the same.”

NASCAR, to its credit, isn’t ignoring the noise, and plans to focus on tires and possibly even gearboxes, though horsepower increases are currently off the table due to cost and parity concerns. NASCAR’s senior VP of competition, Elton Sawyer, said, “We’re not naive to this… we want our short track package to be better… we’re working as hard as we can with Goodyear and we need to work harder.”

So while Bowman Gray’s return is cause for celebration, it’s also a litmus test. Can NASCAR use this tiny bullring to test better tires, bolder setups, and more entertaining racing? Let us know what you think in the comments!