Chase Elliott dominates Clash in NASCAR Cup Series’ return to Bowman Gray Stadium

One of NASCAR’s biggest stars is starting this year in Victory Lane.

Chase Elliott took the checkered flag in the historic Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy started on the pole and led the most laps during an eventful Cup Series exhibition race Sunday night to win the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy.

Elliott led 171 of 200 laps and held off second-place finisher Ryan Blaney, who worked through the pack to reach the podium after starting at the tail of the field. Denny Hamlin led 28 laps and came in third, followed by reigning series champion Joey Logano in fourth and Bubba Wallace in fifth.

“It’s an extremely special moment,” Elliott said. “And the people in the crowd here made it that. It’s a moment that I’ll never forget, for sure. It’s not every day you not only race in an environment like that, but to have the opportunity to win and kind of share that moment with the crowd, it’s really cool.

“Hope we put on a good show, and hope they enjoyed it. It seemed like they were into it throughout the night, and it seemed like a success.”

The sold-out crowd at Bowman Gray Stadium included 60% of ticketholders hailing from outside the Triad area, according to NASCAR. Spectators came from 48 states, five countries and three continents.

The first Cup Series race at the “Madhouse” since 1971 produced six natural cautions, none of which delayed the finish.

All 200 laps were run under green, as caution laps technically came under the red flag and did not count toward the total laps of the race. Four of the six cautions for crashes came between the halfway break (Lap 100) and Lap 120.

Kyle Busch, who made contact with Justin Haley during the first heat race Saturday, spun early in the race and worked back to a P15 finish after initially starting in 13th place.

Elliott paced the field throughout. Hamlin, the previous Clash winner, grabbed the lead during the race and ultimately finished in third. Tyler Reddick led one lap.

The top five finishers in each of Saturday’s four heat races earned their starting positions in the Clash, leaving 19 competitors outside the grid. That included Blaney, who overcame his start in 23rd place of 23 drivers and finished in second.

Blaney ran laps early in Sunday’s Last Chance Qualifying session that preceded the main event and came into the pits. He secured the provisional spot, going to the driver with the most points from the 2024 season who didn’t qualify for the Clash.

Results from the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Chase Elliott dominates Clash in NASCAR Cup Series’ return to Bowman Gray Stadium."

Shane Connuck

The Charlotte Observer

Shane Connuck is a former journalist for The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription