rewrite this title NASCAR forced to push the Clash back again as North Carolina battles a major snowstorm

NASCAR has decided to postpone the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium for the third time. The exhibition event will now take place on Wednesday, February 4.

The event was initially rescheduled to host a one-day show on Sunday, before extreme winter weather forced proceedings to Monday. Saturday’s snowstorm produced eight inches of snow in the Winston-Salem area, while Charlotte received 10-15 inches of snow.

It was one of Charlotte’s five highest single-day snowfalls on record, and the last time Winston-Salem experienced such weather was in 2018. Since most of the industry is based out of Charlotte, the component of travelling amidst the winter weather came into consideration.

Clash manager Justin Swilling explained the reasoning behind the move.

“When we all woke up this morning, we were all on the same page. It’s going to take a day or two to get the industry out of the snow that they’re found in the greater Charlotte area and get them up here. It’s going to take us a few days to get the stadium cleaned off. The city felt that responsibility as well,” he said via Fox Sports.

Practice and qualifying are slated for 1:30 p.m. ET, and the Last Chance Qualifiers will happen on 4:30 PM ET. 20 drivers will qualify for the main event, while two more get ahead through the LCQ. An additional slot goes to the driver who finished highest in 2025, but couldn’t qualify for the event.

The Cook Out Clash will ultimately begin at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace believes even Wednesday would be a contentious date under such conditions. Nonetheless, he backed Ben Kennedy, the Chief Venue and Innovations Officer, for trying his best to handle the issue.

Kyle Larson comments on the Clash’s cold weather

Kyle Larson recently spoke with Motorsports Today and shared a driver’s perspective on racing in the cold weather. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion believes the car’s internal temperature will keep them insulated, but extended his concern for fans, mechanics and track officials.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever competed when it’s that cold, but thankfully for us, we’re inside of a stock car which is basically like a oven, so that’ll help. I think honestly, I think it’ll feel fine for us inside the car. I wouldn’t be surprised if you still break, you know, somewhat of a sweat in there, just because you know all the temps from internally and you know it’s not windy in there because we’re going so slow,” he said.

Larson had a forgettable experience during last year’s Clash. He began outside the top-20 and finished a lap down at 17th.

Edited by Vignesh Kanna