NASCAR has decided to delay its only preseason race by an additional two days, moving the event to Wednesday due to a severe snowstorm impacting North Carolina. The Clash, initially planned for Sunday at Bowman Gray Stadium—a historic quarter-mile track that also hosts Winston-Salem State University football games—will now take place midweek.
Practice and qualifying sessions are set for 1:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the FOX Sports app and FOX One. According to FOX, a 75-lap last-chance qualifying race will start at 4:30 p.m., followed by the 200-lap main event at 6 p.m. ET.
On Saturday, the Winston-Salem region received 8 inches of snow, with snowfall between there and Charlotte ranging from 10 to 15 inches, where most teams are based. Originally postponed from Saturday to Monday, the event was pushed back further after evaluating whether crews and fans could travel safely to the track, as many crew members were still at home.
Charlotte recorded 11 inches of snow, ranking among the top five highest single-day snowfalls in city history. This storm delivered the heaviest snowfall to Winston-Salem since 2018.
Justin Swilling, manager at Crush, explained that the postponement decision involved coordination with Winston-Salem city officials, who own the venue popularized by the reality TV show “Madhouse,” and state transportation authorities. The region had also experienced a sleet storm the previous week, followed by busy schedules, complicating cleanup efforts.
“When we woke up this morning, we were in total agreement,” Swilling said. “It will take a day or two to clear the snow in the greater Charlotte area and move equipment here, plus several days to prepare the stadium. The city is responsible for much of this cleanup.”
Swilling added, “State officials have strongly advised against road travel at this time, urging people to stay home. We’re hopeful that as temperatures rise early next week, conditions will improve. The government has done an excellent job clearing primary and some secondary roads, so the decision to push the race to Wednesday was unanimous from the start.”
Regarding fan attendance, Swilling noted NASCAR’s awareness of the crowd’s essential role. “Everyone who comes to Madhouse knows the fans, not just the drivers, make the event what it is,” he said.
“We considered every option, but ultimately wanted to allow enough time for the community to recover from the storm. Wednesday seemed safest for everyone to safely travel to Bowman Gray Stadium, so we are confident in that choice.”
If this had been a regular-season race, NASCAR might have been more inclined to run without fans, as teams would be obligated to compete the following weekend. However, since on-track activities for the Daytona 500 don’t begin until the next Wednesday (Feb. 11), NASCAR had the flexibility to prioritize safety without pressure to rush scheduling.
Fan Take: This delay highlights NASCAR’s commitment to fan and crew safety, reaffirming that the sport values community and well-being over schedule demands. For fans, it means anticipating an electric atmosphere at Bowman Gray Stadium once conditions improve—a reminder of how weather can add an unpredictable element to the excitement of racing.
