WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A longtime symbol of Winston-Salem pride is the coffee pot. A 7-foot-tall version built by local tinsmiths as an advertising device in 1858 has moved around town since its construction but still stands today near the original Old Salem settlement. The relocation came in part because of its size but also partly because curious rubberneckers would cause car accidents, and because one driver crashed into it back in the horseless-carriage age. That accident predates the construction of Bowman Gray Stadium, so no Madhouse regulars needed to be called in for questioning.
The coffee pot has come to symbolize community and the city’s welcoming spirit. So when Winston’s hometown track opened its gates Sunday evening to a national — even international — crowd for the first Cook Out Clash there, a measure of initiation from the locals felt like a mandatory rite of passage. The coffee pot became a melting pot, and the wide-eyed newbies joined the homegrown, diehard locals as the congregation.
This latest spin on what NASCAR’s preseason Clash exhibition is (and what it could be) created a rock-star atmosphere at one of its rugged original venues. The Cup Series’ first race of any sort at Bowman Gray Stadium since 1971 was greeted with lusty appreciation from a vibrant crowd, one that frequently made its opinions known, whether it was to cheer a brilliant move on the quarter-mile oval’s contours or to shout out encouragement or jeers from the ever-proximate bleachers during driver introductions.
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“I thought the pre-race ceremony was pretty cool,” said defending Cup Series champ Joey Logano, who finished fourth but caught his share of hoots and gibes before the engines fired. “The fans being right there, it’s what Bowman Gray is, right? You have the fans heckling you, saying whatever they want, saying you’re No. 1 in two different ways. That’s what Bowman Gray was built off of. I don’t know if you guys got the boos I got.”
At this point, Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney shrugged in response as he sat alongside in post-race interviews. “Overall, I would say it was successful, right?” Logano added. “When fans are cheering and screaming, the drivers’ brands are being exposed to everybody, which is great, right? Everyone has a favorite or not. You’re passionate about it.”
NASCAR officials noted post-race Sunday that fans from 44 states, five countries and three continents bought tickets to the 17,000-seat arena for its first major-league event in five decades. Those numbers blended with roughly 40% of ticketholders from the greater Piedmont Triad area of Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem and its surrounding communities.
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One veteran radio voice provided anecdotal evidence that there was a sort of vetting process for the Bowman Gray first-timers, that buy-in to the rowdy atmosphere that’s given the stadium its Madhouse moniker was necessary for proper admission. For the fans, the middle-finger salute — a taboo gesture almost everywhere else — became like a secret handshake. For the drivers, any razzing from the railbirds during pre-race ceremonies was hard to ignore.
“It was neat to hear them cheering, supporting you. There’s not a lot of places we go where they’re that close and that passionate,” Blaney said. “For whatever reason, everyone wants to have their opinion heard here that’s in the stands, which is awesome to me. Good or bad, it’s awesome that they’re there and they’re wanting to interact. That is a hardcore race fan.”
NASCAR officials have taken a more aggressive approach to hosting unique events in recent years, and the non-points Clash has been a focal point for exploring where the schedule might go. The suggestion that the exhibition race might rotate to another showcase arena, to another historic venue or even to an international locale has been burbling ever since the series proved that the Olympic-style setting of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum could work.
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The City of Angels handed the torch to the Camel City for this year’s edition, and the rabid home crowd turned out. The venerable stadium was also ready for its prime-time network TV debut, with a thorough refresh to the arena that dates back to FDR’s second term.
“They took a facility here that’s been around for a long time and made it feel like a brand-new one,” said Denny Hamlin, who led briefly before settling for third Sunday. “The fans obviously were very, very excited to see us. They were enthusiastic. We feed into that. It felt like a big event. Even though it’s not a points-paying event or anything like that, it still feels big. You want to go wherever can give you that feel and atmosphere. There’s surely bigger venues and bigger cities to go to, but will you have this type of feel or not? That’s really what matters.”
This year’s racing calendar has barely begun, so what the 2026 schedule might hold is plenty far off. But the suggestion of putting on another pot of coffee at Bowman Gray is already out there, with many ready for that second cup of stadium joe.
“You’re going to pack it out,” Blaney said. “There’s going to be just as many people here next year as there was tonight. I don’t think it would lose any of its luster.”
