Dominant Elliott Rules Cook Out Clash At Bowman Gray

Chase Elliott celebrates in victory lane Sunday night at Bowman Gray Stadium. (John Harrelson/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – On a night when the NASCAR Cup Series returned to one of its most historic racetracks, the sport’s current most popular driver added his name to the long list of ‘Madhouse’ winners.

Chase Elliott, after winning his heat race Saturday and starting from the pole, led 171 of 200 laps at Bowman Gray Stadium Sunday night en route to a dominant victory in the Cook Out Clash.

Elliott, the 2021 Cup Series champion, bested longtime friend and 2023 titlist Ryan Blaney by 1.333 seconds in topping the season-opening exhibition event that annually kickstarts the NASCAR calendar.

It marked his first Clash victory, with Elliott joining his father Bill (1987, Daytona) as a Clash winner, as well as the eighth Clash win for Hendrick Motorsports since the event’s inception in 1979.

“Thanks to everybody for coming out,” Elliott said as a crowd of roughly 17,000 cheered wildly around him. “Y’all made for a really fun environment for us. We don’t race in stadiums like this (often), so it’s just really cool. I appreciate everyone making this moment special for me and my team. This is awesome.

“I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win, for sure,” he added. “Just really proud of our team for continuing to keep our heads down and push forward, for sure. I hope we didn’t disappoint because this was a lot of fun.”

After leading the first 96 laps from the pole at the flat quarter-mile oval, Elliott got shuffled out of the top spot by four-time Clash winner Denny Hamlin just before the scheduled halftime break that split up the 200-lap main event.

It took Elliott 30 laps and a sequence of four restarts early in the second half for the Dawsonville, Ga., native to wrest control of the race back away, but he was methodical and patient in doing so.

The seventh and final caution of the night waved with 80 laps left after Brad Keselowski’s Ford went spinning in turn one, and on the restart Elliott elected to slot behind then-leader Hamlin via the choose rule.

Meanwhile, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick lined up alongside his co-team owner on the front row, hoping to “hang tough” on the outside lane. That plan worked for a lap, before Hamlin worked free of Reddick’s pressure, but Elliott immediately bullied his way to the inside with 77 laps left to challenge again.

Elliott and Hamlin fought door-to-door for nearly two full laps before the former cleared back to the point on lap 126, and once out in front Elliott never relinquished the lead again.

He methodically worked through slower traffic in the final 50 laps, having enough forward drive to keep all challenges at bay as Blaney picked off car after car behind him in a charge from last to second.

Chase Elliott (9) leads Denny Hamlin Sunday night at Bowman Gray Stadium. (HHP/Jacy Norgaard photo)

“It was a tough race. Ryan kept me honest there at the end,” admitted Elliott, who became the 26th different winner in NASCAR Clash history. “Denny was really good (in) the second half after that break. I just felt like he was kind of riding, and I was afraid to lose control of the race and not be able to get it back. Fortunately, it all worked out in the end.

“This is a great way to start the season. Huge thanks to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports; they’ve put in a lot of hard work over the off-season … to get us going and I’m excited to get to Daytona (Int’l Speedway) now. It’s a great way to get the year going.”

After missing the transfer in his heat race Saturday and having to use a points provisional to start last – 23rd – in the Clash field, Blaney put on a methodical charge on his way to runner-up honors.

The third-generation driver got to Elliott’s rear bumper several times over the final 50 laps after dispatching Hamlin for second place on lap 147, but never had quite enough to fully muscle Elliott out of the way for a potential win.

In hindsight, Blaney admitted he wasn’t looking to outright dump Elliott for the Clash victory by any means.

“I wasn’t going to bulldog into him and get chased out of here with pitchforks,” Blaney quipped in his post-race media availability. “I just didn't quite have enough right rear (tire) at the end to make a move on him.”

Hamlin faded to 4.7 seconds back in third by race’s end and lamented the final restart where he felt he “lost control” of his own destiny.

“I just didn’t do very well on that restart there, and kind of lost the bottom, and Chase took advantage of it,” Hamlin said. “Once you get the lead, it’s a lot easier to hang on to it.

“I thought that they were just a little better that second half than we were, along with the 12 (Blaney) was as well. We just have to get a little bit better, but overall, a good day for our Sport Clips Toyota.”

Defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace crossed fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, and Reddick.

Rookie Shane van Gisbergen and outside polesitter Chris Buescher closed the top 10.

Sunday night’s Clash set records for the most cautions (seven) and most cars finishing on the lead lap (11) in a Cup Series race at Bowman Gray. It also tied the track record for lead changes, with four.

NASCAR Cup Series teams return to the track and officially kick off the quest for the 2025 season championship with the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Broadcast coverage of the Great American Race is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET, live on FOX, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90. William Byron is the defending Daytona 500 winner.