Joe Gibbs Racing pretty much knows how to start off their NASCAR Cup Series campaign on a high note. Martin Truex Jr. in 2023 and Denny Hamlin in 2023 won the season opener Clash at the LA Coliseum. With the Clash event now moving to the historic quarter mile at Bowman Gray, they are expected to continue this streak of victories. By no means is this event going to be a cakewalk for them, as the former JGR driver Kyle Busch could be the one spoiling their party.

After all, he is on a mission to write his wrongs from the 2024 campaign and could be on the verge of scripting the biggest comeback of 2025.

Kyle Busch is looking to steal JGR’s thunder at the Bowman Gray Stadium

From 2008 to 2022, Rowdy was one of the star drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing. Many ardent Toyota and #18 team fans hoped that he would retire with the team, but all of that changed with M&M’s departure in 2022. With the lack of support and JGR’s inability to find a new sponsor, Busch had to make the switch to Richard Childress Racing. And it’s been tough for the 2-time Cup Series champ to find his mojo back; in 2024, he hit new lows as he went winless. So you see, Busch must come out all guns blazing to have hopes of turning things around in 2025.

Now, we know that Joe Gibbs Racing has a decent record when it comes to Clash on the quarter-mile tracks. In fact, they had a runner-up finish with Busch in 2022 at the Busch Light Clash. The very next year, the 39-year-old managed to finish 3rd and grabbed a podium finish, and interestingly, he finished second again in 2024, just behind Denny Hamlin. Given his run of performances at the Clash, it is hard to argue that Rowdy isn’t a favorite to win the event at Bowman Gray.

Busch has been at odds with the NASCAR fans for the majority of his racing career. However, since his switch to RCR and the Chevy camp, the sentiment has changed a bit. Despite him having his back against the wall, the racing community wants Rowdy to roar back in form and get back to winning ways in NASCAR. Just imagine what a turnaround it would be in case he wins the clash and goes on to snag his first-ever Daytona 500 trophy in a few weeks. It would be nothing short of a fairytale story, and it would be more so special for the RCR driver given the hardships he’s had to go through.

Well before Joe Gibbs Racing or Kyle Busch could attempt to stake their claim at the Clash, they will have to clear the heats and the qualifying rounds. After all, only 23 cars will make it to the final event, which means many big-name drivers could miss out on the opportunity to compete in the Clash.

Format for the 2025 Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

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The Clash at Bowman Gray is going to be a two-day event that starts on Saturday with practice and a qualifying session, leading into Clash on Sunday. Let us understand first how the field will be set for the mega event and what will be the format for heats and qualifying. It is expected that a total of 37 entries are going to enter the race weekend, and they are going to be divided into three practice groups.

Each practice group will have three practice runs across the flat quarter-mile oval. The fastest lap from the final practice session will determine the field for the heat races. This will see the fastest driver start on the pole from the first heat race, the second fastest get the pole for the second heat race, and the third fastest qualifier will start on the pole for the third heat race.

There will be four heat races with 25 laps each. Only green flag laps will be counted without the overtime. The top five finishers from each heat race will advance to the Clash; this makes up for 20 places out of the 23. Those who couldn’t advance to the Clash will have a chance with the last-chance qualifier. The starting position will be determined by where they finished in their respective heat races. LCQ will be 75 laps with no overtime, and the top two finishers will make it to the Clash.

The 23rd and final position will be reserved for the driver who has the highest finish in the 2024 driver standings and has yet to transfer to qualify for the Clash. This is how the field will be set for the 200-lap race where drivers will compete to win the trophy.