Snow postpones NASCAR’s preseason race at NC track again. Here’s the new schedule
For the moment, the first exhibition race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is still on.
But it’s been postponed.
The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium — which was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday at the Winston-Salem, N.C., racetrack — has been rescheduled a second time, now set for Wednesday afternoon. NASCAR made the latest announcement on Sunday after snow and ice ravaged the region on Saturday.
Snow and ice stopped precipitating in Winston-Salem on Sunday, making it seem possible for a Monday evening race. But the eight-to-10 inches of snowfall that blanketed the region on Saturday — reported by the National Weather Service — made the prospect of a Monday race untenable.
Here’s the new Clash schedule, as of Sunday afternoon:
- Practice and qualifying is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on the FOX Sports App.
- Last Chance Qualifier is right after that, at 4:30 p.m. on FOX.
- The actual race will be at 6 p.m. on FOX.
- For fans: Parking lots will open Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. with off-site shuttle services beginning at noon. Gates will open at 12:30 p.m.
MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will broadcast all of the action surrounding the event. The Clash is the first event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule; it is a preseason exhibition race that runs ahead of the annual season-opener: the Daytona 500.
“NASCAR is continuing to work closely with the City of Winston-Salem and North Carolina Department of Transportation on the on-going impacts of the historic winter weather in the city and surrounding region to host a safe event,” NASCAR wrote in a statement Sunday.
Freezing temperatures will continue in and around Winston-Salem up until Monday afternoon, forecasts show. The high Monday is expected to be 36 degrees — it’ll be mostly sunny with no precipitation. High temperatures are expected to be above freezing through Tuesday (high of 42) and Wednesday (high of 43). That said, there is a 40% chance of rain Wednesday, an NWS forecasts states.
NASCAR: We’re working around the clock to make Clash happen
Justin Swilling, a senior director of marketing at NASCAR who has been the point person for all Clash operations, told reporters Saturday that “the entire NASCAR organization” is working to ensure this event “goes off as soon as we can get the track cleared of winter weather.”
He offered a glimpse of that work on Sunday.
“The condition of the facility now is continually improving while the temperatures remain below freezing,” Swilling told reporters Sunday in a Zoom video call. “The sunlight has helped us tremendously. And a lot of the equipment that we’ve had on site from a NASCAR perspective has really went to (good use).”
He added: “Just to put things into perspective, too: The huge construction dump trucks that you guys see always going up and down the road and on big construction projects, we hauled out 40 loads of snow and ice yesterday. I mean, it was an incredible feat. ... Feel really confident in our plan.”
NASCAR does not own Bowman Gray Stadium. The motorsport sanctioning body instead is a lease tenet to the city-owned facility, which requires the city of Winston-Salem to be in alignment with every decision NASCAR makes logistically.
That hasn’t caused any issues, however, Swilling said.
“They’re supportive of us getting this event in, in the best way, shape, form possible,” Swilling said Saturday. “One thing we always have to keep in mind, too, is we’ve just got a venue to look after; they’ve got an entire community, and a community that’s reeling still in some ways from this past weekend’s storm and then the current storm that we’re facing here. So we always want to be responsible and prudent.”
Drivers will experience something new with freezing temperatures
Even if Wednesday goes according to plan, this will still be a new experience for NASCAR drivers.
The race widely considered to be the coldest Cup Series race in the modern era occurred at Richmond in February 1990, when it was 31 degrees at the start of the race. Slightly higher temperatures are expected Wednesday. But it’ll still be cold.
Ask 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson how the weather will impact his day in the race car, and he’ll smile and shrug.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever competed when it’s that cold,” Larson said Saturday. “But thankfully for us, we’re inside of a stock car, which is basically like an oven. So that’ll help. Honestly, I think it’ll feel fine for us inside the car. I wouldn’t be surprised if you still break somewhat of a sweat in there just because the temps internally, and it’s not windy in there (because they go slower on a short track than on other tracks).
“But I feel for the crews and mechanics and fans and NASCAR officials — everybody who’s there outside in the cold. But we love the sport, and we’ll compete in any conditions, I think.”
And as far as if any further Clash delays will impact preparations for the racing festivities leading up to the Daytona 500 on February 15? Cup drivers don’t seem too worried about it.
Take Christopher Bell’s account, who spoke to reporters earlier this week.
“It really doesn’t matter to me, or even my team,” Bell said. He added, “If it’s Monday, Tuesday or even goes out farther, we’ll be just fine in order to get to Daytona.”
Editor’s note: This story originally ran Saturday but has since been updated to reflect the latest NASCAR scheduling change. Follow along here for the latest news on the Clash.
This story was originally published January 31, 2026 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Snow postpones NASCAR’s preseason race at NC track again. Here’s the new schedule."
