NASCAR set to return to HISTORIC venue

NASCAR has announced that a historic venue will make a return to host the annual preseason exhibition race The Clash.

The Clash is a non-championship event held in February every year before the NASCAR Cup Series gets underway.

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It has been held inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the past three years, where NASCAR stars raced on the temporary short track.

The 2024 iteration was won by the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin, after the date of the event was changed last minute to Saturday instead of Sunday.

NASCAR returns to Bowman Gray Stadium

NASCAR have recently revealed that the 2025 edition of The Clash will be held February 2 at the Bowman Gray Stadium - a venue that has not hosted a Cup Series race since 1971.

The stadium has earned the nickname ‘The Madhouse’, with the tight quarter-mile bull ring the cause of multiple wrecks over its history.

In 1971, the final series race at the Bowman Gray Stadium, it was Bobby Allison who took the victory in a '70 Mustang, with the venue having hosted many illustrious names in the history of NASCAR.

NASCAR’s first three-time Cup champion Lee Petty is one of the drivers to have won in North Carolina, alongside his son Richard Petty.

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In a statement, Ben Kennedy, NASCAR's Executive VP and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, discussed the historic return and emphasised the importance of ‘grassroots racing’.

“Bowman Gray Stadium has a storied history in motorsports, so we look forward to bringing the Cup Series back to this revered racetrack,” Kennedy said.

“Bowman Gray Stadium holds a special place as the original home to grassroots racing. With a history of intense competition, we are proud to host The Clash at the ‘The Madhouse.’”

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