The Cook Out Clash, set for Sunday night at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, faces possible postponements due to severe weather, with snow accumulating between 6 to 10 inches on Saturday and daytime temperatures struggling to rise above 30 degrees. These conditions may push the race to Monday, Tuesday, or even Wednesday as organizers monitor the forecast closely.
Erik Jones Highlights Hidden Dangers Beyond Snow
While snow is grabbing most headlines because of its rarity at NASCAR events, Erik Jones, who drives for Jimmie Johnson and won the Clash when it was held at Daytona in 2020, cautions that the frigid temperatures pose significant challenges for race performance and vehicle reliability. Jones expressed concerns about how the cold will impact critical car components.
Well, I mean, not even taking the snow into account, there are a lot of challenges with the cold,
he said on the Eric Estepp show.
Number one, right, our cars don’t run antifreeze, so it’s going to be hard.
– Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson Driver
He further described the strain on car parts due to the extreme temperature swings expected during the event.
It’s going to be well below freezing all day long and into the night, so you’re going to be doing that a lot. As far as like heat and components, I don’t know. I mean, rear ends and hubs and everything, it’s extremely cold for a lot of those components. Brakes going from that cold to that hot that quick,
Jones continued.
The Clash’s Role in NASCAR’s Preseason
The Cook Out Clash serves as the kickoff event for the NASCAR preseason, setting the stage just weeks before the Daytona 500. Although the race does not affect championship standings, it remains a critical opportunity for drivers to reacclimate to competitive racing and test their equipment under real conditions.
Jones admits there are many uncertainties heading into this year’s race. He highlighted specific difficulties in getting cars and tires up to optimal temperatures on the slick surface of Bowman Gray’s short track.
There’s a lot of unknowns, honestly, going into it,
Jones said.
It’s going to be hard to get the cars going, get the tires up to temp on a track like Bowman Gray, be sliding around like crazy, firing off, and the track’s going to be pretty slick to get going. So, yeah, a lot of questions, but we’ll see what happens.
– Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson Driver
Background of the Cook Out Clash and Venue Changes
Originally held at Daytona International Speedway for multiple seasons, the Clash has undergone several venue changes. After a stint on the Daytona Road Course, in 2022 it moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and is scheduled to take place at Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time in 2025. This return to a traditional short track setting introduces new challenges for drivers accustomed to larger speedways.
Erik Jones’s Career Highlights and Prospects This Season
At 28, Jones boasts three NASCAR Cup Series victories across more than 300 career starts. His top performance in the 2025 season came with a third-place finish at the Clash event, underscoring his competitiveness on such tracks. Notably, Jones remains unique as the only driver to have earned Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity (formerly O’Reilly’s Auto Parts) Series, and the Truck Series.
Implications for Drivers and Race Outcomes
The extreme cold poses a serious test to both driver skill and mechanical durability at Bowman Gray Stadium. The combination of slick surfaces and temperature-sensitive components could generate unexpected incidents or equipment failures, influencing race dynamics and potentially altering the momentum of the NASCAR preseason.
With the Clash acting as a critical warm-up to the Daytona 500, drivers like Jones and others must adapt quickly to preserve performance and avoid costly mistakes before the championship season officially begins.
