NASCAR Clash faces winter weather challenges

The NASCAR Cup Series volition unofficially footwear disconnected the 2026 play with the Clash astatine Bowman Gray Stadium connected Sunday, but galore fans and pundits are acrophobic astir the weather. Bowman Gray Stadium is located successful Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the country received astir an inch of snowfall this weekend. TV lensman Chris Weaver shared photos of the way covered successful a achromatic blanket.

"Bowman Gray Stadium is simply a existent quality covered successful snow," Weaver wrote connected X/Twitter connected Monday. "But with lone 5 days near until the race, the teams are moving to wide the way arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. They conscionable started clearing erstwhile I took this photo. The pits person already been cleared to the achromatic asphalt and they look great."

Mike Joy, a seasoned NASCAR racing commentator for FOX Sports, is acrophobic that the acold temperatures could impact the drivers and the race. “I'm astir 10 miles from Bowman Gray Stadium,” Joy wrote. "I-40 has 1 escaped lane, but nary plows person cleared immoderate of the section streets... It's 29 degrees astatine noon, and much wintry upwind is expected this week."

Cold problems

The Clash volition instrumentality spot connected Sunday astatine 8pm ET. According to the National Weather Service, the somesthesia successful Winston-Salem that evening is expected to beryllium astir 15 degrees. Additionally, determination is simply a 30 percent accidental of snowfall connected Saturday, further complicating the teams' preparations.

Rudy Fugle, the 47-year-old squad brag for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports, explained to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio however the acold upwind tin alteration the race: “The motor setup is going to beryllium wholly different,” Fugle said, according to YardBarker's Samuel Stubbs. "The brakes are going to spell done a signifier wherever they would usually beryllium blistery each the clip astatine a spot similar Bowman Gray. Now it's going to beryllium precise hard to get the brakes to enactment properly.

They volition commencement to ace erstwhile they vigor up. Once they participate the pits, they volition chill quickly. They volition vigor up, and arsenic soon arsenic they chill down, that's atrocious for the brakes.”

The bully quality is that the Clash is lone an experimental race, truthful the results volition not impact the wide standings. The play officially begins connected February 15, erstwhile drivers vie successful the Daytona 500 astatine Daytona International Speedway.