The 2025 NASCAR season is almost here! And this year, “The Clash” is heading to none other than The Madhouse—Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC. This is the first time the Cup Series is racing at Bowman Gray since 1971, and with that kind of history, you know things are gonna get wild. For those unfamiliar, Bowman Gray isn’t your average track. It’s got a reputation for being part race track, part wrestling ring, and part religion. That’s what the track’s promoter, Gray Garrison once said, and we’re about to see if it still lives up to that hype.

NASCAR’s also put a ton of work into updating the place—think SAFER barriers, new lighting, and more—but don’t be fooled, the track itself is still a short-track classic. Some of today’s Cup drivers have raced here before in the K&N Pro East series (now ARCA), including names like Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Bubba Wallace. So, expect the unexpected, because this is gonna be a whole new kind of showdown.

Everything about the BGS event!

Well, the BGS would kick things off on Saturday (Feb 1st, 2025) with its staple: NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Modifieds. First up would be the practice sessions from 11:45 A.M. to noon, followed by the qualifying. Finally, the 125 laps Modifieds race would be green-flagged at 1:45 P.M. If you are interested in watching this drama unfold it will be broadcasted on Tubi and Flo Racing. The same day at 6:10 P.M., the Cup Series practice and qualifying will commence and will go on till 8:00 P.M. Fans can watch both on FS1.

So, the 39 Cup entries will be divided into three groups for practice. Every group will get two sessions of eight minutes each. After these eight minutes, each group will further be divided into two more groups. These groups will have 4 minutes of another practice session. This is also the qualifying session. Based on the lap timings in this session, the starting order for the heat races will be decided. The heat races will start at 8:30 P.M., which would be the first heat race with the fastest driver in the qualifying session starting on the pole.

Each of the heat races will be 25 laps. After the first heat concludes, the second heat race would have the second fastest from qualifying on pole and so on. Like these, there are four heat races, wrapping up Saturday events at 9:30 P.M. All the action can be caught on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM, or NASCAR Radio. At the end of this day, we’ll have the top 20 drivers, as, from each heat, the top 5 will qualify for the main event. The winner of the first heat gets the pole in the main event, and the winner of the second one is also in the front row but in P2. The winners of the third and fourth heats will occupy the second row, and so forth, the lineup will be decided.

This leaves us with 17 drivers. On Sunday, there will be a 75-lap race at 6 P.M. where these 17 will race, and the top 2 will qualify for the main event. This would be broadcast on Fox, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The 23rd and the final spot in the grid will go to the driver who scored the highest points among the 17 in the 2024 Cup Season. Then, the 23 drivers will lock horns in “The Clash” after it green flags at 8:00 P.M. You can watch the whole thing on Fox, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

And if you actually want to experience “The Madhouse,” you can buy the tickets for the events at: www.nascarclash.com There are still some seats for the Saturday events,  but for Sunday, it’s all sold out. But still, you can fill out the waitlist form. You never know who cancels and you get in! And don’t worry, the weather seems to be pretty clear, so it would be a nice day for racing.

Weather conditions and lineup for “The Clash”

Trending

1

Denny Hamlin Publicly Trashes NASCAR’s Bowman Gray Revival in 6-Words

2

Kyle Busch Handed “Final Warning” by NASCAR as Internal Friction Erupts at Chevrolet

3

NASCAR Fans Trash FOX’s “Horrible” Daytona Hire to Call Out Injustice For Kevin Harvick’s Talent

4

Cup Series Legend Comes Out of Retirement to Announce NASCAR Return at Iconic Racetrack

5

Kyle Busch Refuses to Oppose NASCAR’s Controversial Rule After Denny Hamlin’s Brutal Allegations

It’s no secret that Winston-Salem’s weather is very unpredictable. It’s still early, but according to Weather Underground’s report, things look pleasant at BGS. On Saturday, it’s majorly sunny with the temperature reaching a high of 62 degrees. And we won’t jinx it but there is a 2% chance of rain at the start of the heat races. However, as the heat races progress, the temperature will get cooler.

Then, on Sunday, the temperature will soar to about 51 degrees. But would gradually reduce by the time the main event kicks off. It’s estimated to be 47 degrees by then. And there is also a 5% chance of rain for the main event. Maybe NASCAR would bring the wet tires (just in case). Imagine a rain-filled BGS race…the thrill would be unmatched.

And speaking of thrill, here’s the lineup of our 39 Cup drivers:

1. #1 Ross Chastain
2. #2 Austin Cindric
3. #3 Austin Dillon
4. #4 Noah Gragson
5. #5 Kyle Larson
6. #6 Brad Keselowski
7. #7 Justin Haley
8. #8 Kyle Busch
9. #9 Chase Elliott
10. #10 Ty Dillon
11. #11 Denny Hamlin
12. #12 Ryan Blaney
13. #15 Tim Brown
14. #16 AJ Allmendinger
15. #17 Chris Buescher
16. #19 Chase Briscoe
17. #20 Christopher Bell
18. #21 Josh Berry
19. #22 Joey Logano
20. #23 Bubba Wallace
21. #24 William Byron
22. #34 Todd Gilliland
23. #35 Riley Herbst
24. #38 Zane Smith
25. #41 Cole Custer
26. #42 John Hunter Nemechek
27. #43 Erik Jones
28. #45 Tyler Reddick
29. #47 Ricky Stenhouse
30. #48 Alex Bowman
31. #50 Burt Myers
32. #51 Cody Ware
33. #54 Ty Gibbs
34. #60 Ryan Preece
35. #66 Garrett Smithley
36. #71 Michael McDowell
37. #77 Carson Hocevar
38. #88 Shane Van Gisbergen
39. #99 Daniel Suárez

The race is surely going to be a thrilling one. Who do you think will win? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.