Ryan Preece Wins a “Whacky” Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

“Whacky” was the word Ryan Blaney used to describe the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, and no one could deny his accuracy when discussing the non-points event won by RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece.

NASCAR officials, the Cup Series teams and drivers faced so many different situations in the exhibition race that the event could have easily been deemed a massive test session.

It was the first outing for NASCAR’s higher horsepower package designed for road courses and tracks less than 1.5-miles in length. Dry weather tires were used for the event’s first half, while a switch to wet weather tires was required for the second due to sleet. When the event finally ended more than three hours after it began, it was 32 degrees but felt like 25. Even the drivers realized it was miserable conditions for the fans who attended.

“I bet that was brutal in those aluminum grandstands. Cold asses up there,” said third-place finisher Blaney. “Appreciate the fans sticking around all night.”

The exhibition event that has kicked off the season since 1979 was supposed to be a quick 200-lap race on a quarter-mile track. A simple two-hour TV block on Fox. Instead, it turned into an agonizing marathon due to the drivers’ bumper car tactics that caused 17 caution flags and the winter weather that had twice forced the race to be rescheduled.

Due to the event exceeding its allotted time, Fox had to shift the telecast from its main network to FS2, Fox One and Fox Sports App. Officially, the race took 2 hours 20 minutes 15 seconds to complete, but that’s extremely misleading since it started at 6 p.m. and ended about 9:30 p.m.

For those who don’t want yellow flag laps to count in NASCAR races, the event provided a stark reality of the adverse effect that can have on a race. At one point, the drivers had completed 152 green-flag laps but had run an additional 133 yellow-flag laps. At times, it felt like an exercise in futility, especially after it began sleeting and the cars switched to wet weather tires. Yellow flags were needed for wrecks on laps 138, 139, 142, 143 and 144. The green flag would wave and then there would be a wreck in the back of the field.

Like I stated earlier, the race was a massive test session, providing information that could benefit a team or driver later in the season. For instance:

• Blaney learned that his car doesn’t perform well on wet weather tires. In the first 100 laps on dry or slick tires, he drove from 16th to fourth. When he switched to wet weather tires, he was 22nd and a lap down at one point. After the track began drying, Blaney maneuvered his way back through the field and into a top-three finish despite being involved in three accidents.
• Road racing aces and Trackhouse Racing teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch perform well on wet weather tires. While on those tires, they charged to the front. Van Gisbergen led twice for 15 laps and Zilisch ran fifth at one point. However, on lap 164, both men were involved in an accident that left Zilisch 18th and Van Gisbergen 20th in the final rundown.
• Daniel Suarez produced a strong performance, finishing fourth, but angering several competitors along the way with his aggressive driving.
• Carson Hocevar picked up where he left off last year, running up front and leading laps. He set the pace for 18 laps before being involved in two separate accidents in the final 66 laps. He finished 15th in the 23-car field.

• NASCAR learned that snow gathers behind the SAFER barriers and when it melts, the water runs underneath the barrier and onto the track.
• The teams experimented with fuel-weight ratios. The cars weren’t filled to capacity during the halfway break, so with 11 yellow flags in the race’s second half, the cars began running out of fuel. With 36 laps remaining, NASCAR ordered everyone to pit road for refueling.
• Hocevar’s crew learned that changing wet weather tires to dry without NASCAR’s authorization will result in a penalty.
• Preece’s victory showed RFK Racing’s strength. His victory made him the third driver to win the Clash before securing a Cup point race win. The other two were Jeff Gordon in 1994 and Denny Hamlin in 2006.
• Ty Gibbs showed he remains on the verge of winning his first Cup race, leading five laps before settling for a 14th-place finish.

Yes, the Cook Out Clash was definitely a learning experience, a massive test session, but it was one that couldn’t end fast enough. The Clash’s original intention was to showcase the previous season’s pole winners, but it changed in an effort to have more cars in the event. Now, its purpose, objectives and location need to be evaluated because this year’s event wasn’t a positive showcase for NASCAR’s premier series.