The Cook Out Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium was a huge success for NASCAR, and they kicked off the 2025 season in some style. The Madhouse did come to life as drivers traded paints, put their bumpers to use, and fought for the real estate of the quarter-mile racetrack. This was the most thrilling exhibition of Clash NASCAR has had in the last few years, and it proved to be a good call to shift the event from the LA Coliseum.

Going by the rumor mills and chatter within the NASCAR garage, the Clash could be headed to an international venue very soon. But Kevin Harvick isn’t completely sold on this idea, sharing how this move could fire back against the sanctioning body.

Clash should remain with the traditional borders

But what’s next? Going by the latest trends, the trip to the West Coast was seen as a medium to attract new fans from a mega city. The first two years were termed a success, and NASCAR left its blueprint, but the same cannot be said for the third year. This is why they decided to pay homage to their roots and opted to host the Clash at Bowman Gray. While this first-year exhibition was received well by the racing community, the venue could fall out of favor after its second run in 2026.

NASCAR certainly isn’t afraid when it comes to expanding its reach in search of a newer audience. They have lined up an international points-paying race for 2025 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City. Well, in case this event is a huge success, there’s no telling that NASCAR might feel tempted to take Clash to Brazil or even Europe. An idea that Kevin Harvick isn’t a fan of, highlighting the detrimental impact of such a move that could unfold if Clash gets converted into an international event.

“I think you’ll offend our grassroots fans of places like Bowman Gray that you could affect your own house here in our country instead of trying to make global. Let’s fix the structure of our system that we have here from the grassroots up, and you could use our biggest stars to do it.” Harvick said this while speaking on the Happy Hour Podcast.

There’s nothing wrong in trying to attract more eyeballs for a sport that’s chasing the heyday they once enjoyed. However, that revamp doesn’t necessarily have to be by ambitious expansion. Dale Jr., who understands the current trends of racing, was wishing that NASCAR would bring back the Clash to Daytona. “It needs to go back to Daytona; it needs to be that tease; it needs to be pole winners. If it’s 12, 14 cars, I do not care. If it’s a 20-lap race and it lasts 15 minutes. That’s all it needs to be.” Jr. said this on his podcast show.

Well, the chatter within the Cup garage regarding the next Clash venue is indeed huge. This was evident when the Cook Out Clash winner Chase Elliott shared his take on what the future of the Clash could look like. It might end up back at Daytona or even go as far as Europe.

Chase Elliott doesn’t mind the Clash moving to an international venue

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Pole winner Elliott managed to fend off the likes of Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin to win the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The HMS star certainly enjoyed the electrifying atmosphere at the Madhouse and was hopeful to return to the quarter-mile track in Winston-Salem. “I hope we didn’t disappoint. It was fun for me at least, and we’ll hopefully come back here one day.”

But he wasn’t against the idea of taking Clash overseas as long as the Cup Series race in Mexico is seen as a success story. “I know we’re kind of testing the waters a little bit with the Mexico City race this year, but I think the real test would be going overseas. And I think this race would be a good opportunity to do something like that that wouldn’t be, you know, committing to a points race somewhere that’s a long ways away.” The HMS driver said after bagging the win at Bowman Gray.

What do you think about the idea of taking the Clash event overseas? Is it necessary for NASCAR to invest heavily in international events rather than catering to its historical venues? Share your opinion regarding the same in the comments.