Work continues to arrange Bowman Grey Stadium for racing on Wednesday (weather-permitting). The pre-season exhibition race referred to as the ‘Cook dinner Out Conflict’ has already been postponed a number of days as a result of historic snowfall all through North Carolina.
The observe itself has already been cleared of snow, however work continues within the grandstands and surrounding areas as temperatures lastly punch above freezing — a minimum of in the course of the day.
Amongst these serving to with snow elimination are two precise NASCAR Cup Collection drivers. Former Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet) and second-generation racer Todd Gilliland (No. 34 Entrance Row Motorsports Ford) are amongst those that have travelled to Winston-Salem to help with the cleanup.
Stenhouse had mentioned a day in the past that he needed to assist shovel snow from the grandstands surrounding the historic quarter-mile brief observe, and on Monday, he saved his phrase and was proper there with shovel in hand.
It is potential NASCAR may have run the race earlier than Wednesday, however that will have been on the expense of fan attendance. Justin Swilling, who’s NASCAR’s venture supervisor for The Conflict, just lately mentioned in a video teleconference that officers did not need to run the occasion with empty stands.
“We explored all situations however on the finish of the day, we’re right here for the followers and we need to make sure that they’re a important piece,” mentioned Swilling. “Anytime that anybody involves the Madhouse for an occasion, it’s the followers as a lot because the competitor’s that make it a present.
“So, we explored all situations, however on the finish of the day, we needed to provide ourselves loads of time and needed to provide the group loads of time as properly to recover from the latest storms we had.”
Final yr, Gilliland made the characteristic race after incomes the fifth and last switch spot in his warmth race. After beginning twentieth, he went on to complete 14th within the 200-lap major occasion.
Stenhouse’s 2025 Bowman Grey expertise was a bit rockier. He clashed with native favourite Burt Myers of their warmth race, sending the modified legend careening into the wall in the course of the last-chance qualifier. Stenhouse didn’t make the primary occasion, ending seventh within the LCQ (prime two advance), and was the villain of the night time within the eyes of many followers. Since then, he and Myers have performed up the light-hearted rivalry forward of the 2026 race, collaborating for a promotional video.
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