Chase Elliott claimed NASCAR’s first checkered flag of 2025 on Sunday night in Winston-Salem, winning the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium for his first victory in the Cup Series’ preseason event. In winning the Clash, Elliott earned the special distinction of winning at Bowman Gray, NASCAR’s original asphalt oval, which hosted a Cup Series race for the first time since 1971.

After winning his Heat race on Saturday night to earn the pole for the main event, Elliott led most of the opening 100 laps of the race before losing the lead to Denny Hamlin just prior to the halfway break. Elliott eventually regained the lead in the second half, then held off Ryan Blaney in the closing laps – managing lapped traffic efficiently and also receiving aid when Blaney missed the entry to turn 1 – to cap off a night where he led 171 of 200 laps.

With this victory, Elliott joins his father, Bill Elliott, who also won the event in 1987 when it was held at the Daytona International Speedway. The Elliott family becomes the second father-son duo to win the Clash, following in the footsteps of Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win for sure. Just really proud of our team for continuing to keep our heads down and push forward,” Elliott told Fox Sports. “… Ryan kept me honest there at the end. Denny was really good there in the second half. 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 worked out. Great way to start the season.”

The Clash at Bowman Gray also featured two legendary drivers from the track’s weekly racing circuit, as track champions Tim Brown and Burt Myers were both given dream opportunities to race alongside the best in the Cup. Brown finished 10th, while Myers saw his chance thwarted by an accident.

With the Clash now completed, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicks off in two weeks with the renowned Daytona 500 on February 16.

Cook Out Clash results

1. #9 - Chase Elliott
2. #12 - Ryan Blaney
3. #11 - Denny Hamlin
4. #22 - Joey Logano
5. #23 - Bubba Wallace
6. #1 - Ross Chastain
7. #2 - Austin Cindric
8. #45 - Tyler Reddick
9. #88 - Shane van Gisbergen (R)
10. #17 - Chris Buescher
11. #60 - Ryan Preece
12. #20 - Christopher Bell
13. #21 - Josh Berry
14. #34 - Todd Gilliland
15. #8 - Kyle Busch
16. #77 - Carson Hocevar
17. #5 - Kyle Larson
18. #24 - William Byron
19. #48 - Alex Bowman
20. #4 - Noah Gragson
21. #6 - Brad Keselowski
22. #99 - Daniel Suarez
23. #19 - Chase Briscoe – DNF