In two days, we will be making a trip down memory lane. NASCAR is returning to a hallowed racetrack, the Bowman Gray Stadium, after 54 years. The ‘Madhouse’ as it is called in local lingo, was the seat of grassroots racing in its heyday. It also played host to the first-ever NASCAR race in 1949. So when drivers and fans will flock to the legendary short track this Sunday, it will mostly be for the deep-rooted nostalgia.

The Clash race has been conducted since 1971 – which is ironically the year when the Madhouse left NASCAR. Now that Bowman Gray is back on the schedule, preparations are underway to make it feel as close to home as possible. And NASCAR is including a special treat.

Bowman Gray souvenirs for the fans

Well, the diehard NASCAR fans will get a treat anyway. Their favorite Cup Series drivers will be flocking to the exhibition race, including the star-studded ones. Denny Hamlin won his fourth Clash victory in 2024 in dominant fashion, holding off Kyle Busch, a two-time Clash winner. Both will be competing against each other again this year. And the different venue spices things up. Bowman Gray is located in the NASCAR neighborhood, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and has witnessed many memorable moments. Seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty clinched his 100th victory at the track.

Bowman Gray Stadium‘s rich history does not just include racing. A series of music concerts, boxing matches, and football were also on its diverse calendar of events. Hailing this rich tradition, NASCAR has decided to offer something special to fans – the old guard rails of the quarter-mile track. Journalist Adam Stern updated on Twitter about the $60-dollar merchandise: “@NASCAR has turned the old guardrails it took down at Bowman Gray Stadium into memorabilia ahead of this weekend’s @CookOutClash ($60-$200), the first time that its merch partner @TheLegendsWay has created products that include collectibles sourced from a NASCAR race track.”

This comes off as the latest effort on NASCAR’s part to revive the public reception of the Bowman Gray track. Soon after Bill France Sr. forged a partnership with the Hawkins family in 1949, thrilling stock car shows became the norm. The facility hosted 29 Cup races from 1959 through 1971. The roster of winners in that span included some Cup Series legends – like Richard Petty, Rex White, David Pearson, and Junior Johnson. Now NASCAR has signed a lease for the ‘Madhouse’ that runs through 2050. Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy Ben Kennedy said, “This is a really kind of special moment for us.”

NASCAR may have the best intentions in making the most out of the track. However, a Bowman Gray legend is not on board with the sport’s profit-making.

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Money talks and talent walks?

Although NASCAR wound up its operations at Bowman Gray back in 1971, the track continued to host races. These events have produced a flurry of multiple winners at the track. For example, Burt Myers is a legend in the SMART Modified Tour. In 1999, he became the youngest driver at 23 to become a ‘Madhouse’ champion – he added 10 more titles after that. Similarly, Tim Brown is dubbed as the ‘Bowman Legend’ – he has clinched 101 feature wins, 146 pole positions, and 12 championships in the Modified Division. Despite this massive resume, Brown found himself incapable of infiltrating the NASCAR ranks.

He pointed out one reason for this – money. Tim Brown owns one NASCAR start that resulted in a 27th-place finish at a Martinsville Truck race back in 2009. Although he wanted to level it up, he could not due to a lighter purse. “I had several opportunities that looked like they might materialize into deals in trucks or Xfinity, but they always came down to money. I’d get phone calls, but it always ended with the question, ‘How much money can you bring? …Coming from a small town without much financial backing, I couldn’t afford to fund a truck team or buy a ride. By my late 20s, I realized I wouldn’t have the funds to move up.” 

Financials continue to be a persistent issue in NASCAR, with many drivers unable to progress in the ranks. More recently, former Xfinity Series driver Hailie Deegan spoke about the same, highlighting her move to IndyNXT as a byproduct of her inability to afford an Xfinity seat. “I think a lot of people fail to realize that on the NASCAR side of things, it is such a crazy number. So if $6 million to run for a quality Xfinity team just came out of nowhere, fell off a tree, for sure I’d do it,” she said in a conversation with the Associated Press.

Evidently, NASCAR is not making everybody happy with its emphasis on profits. Fans may be excited about returning to the ‘Madhouse’, but the track’s winners lack recognition.