A winter storm that dumped up to a foot of snow in North Carolina's Piedmont has once again forced postponement of NASCAR's Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This time to Wednesday, February 4. Originally scheduled for Sunday, February 1, it was first postponed to Monday, February 2.
On Sunday, NASCAR announced it was moving The Clash to Wednesday. NASCAR executive Justin Swilling, who's spearheading operations for The Clash, said the postponement decision was made after seeking perspective and guidance from officials with the City of Winston-Salem and the state of North Carolina. This decision is made in an abundance of caution for the fans and the competitors that are traveling to the venue, it's mission critical that we get everyone here safely.
It also gives us some additional time early in the week to ensure that all of the wintry mix between snow and ice and sleet and everything in between was cleared off all areas of the property. m. and will be on the Fox Sports App.
m. m. Both of those events will be televised live on Fox.
All times are Eastern. m. with off-site shuttle services beginning at noon.
m. Swilling advised fans attending the event to dress in layers and be bundled for cold weather. There will be a few patio warmers but no large warming stations.
Crews focused on the racing surface Sunday, and it was almost completely dry by late afternoon. The football field is probably 70% to 80% there and with a few more passes of some different pieces of equipment, we'll be in a good place. Next, we'll focus on the NASCAR Cup Series garage area, which efforts are underway there to get the snow and ice that's remaining melted off of that surface.
The stadium grounds themselves and where it comes to hosting fans, that's really the city of Winston-Salem's responsibility, but we also bear in that responsibility as well given it's a NASCAR hosted event. So, things like the steps of the stadium, the benches of the stadium, where fans will sit, the fan concourse, the fairgrounds staff have really taken the lead on that. This morning, they immediately started to go to work on the concourse and have slowly started to move their way from kind of the turn four side of the racing surface all the way over to the turn three side in the stadium.
Now, we're just trying to find where we can put that snow until it melts away. Huge construction dump trucks hauled 40 loads of snow and ice away from the stadium on Saturday. A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing.
com , USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association's sports feature category.
During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication's editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.
The postponement decision highlights the importance of prioritizing safety for fans and competitors alike in extreme weather conditions. It's a testament to the event organizers' commitment to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all involved.
