The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series pre-season officially roared to life – albeit three days late – with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, a non-points exhibition race delayed by historic winter weather that blanketed the venue in snow and ice.
When the green flag finally flew, it delivered exactly what Bowman Gray is famous for: aggression, constant contact, unpredictable conditions and relentless restarts. For New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen, it was a night that showcased both frustration and flashes of brilliance, particularly when rain turned the race on its head.
Practice and qualifying
Van Gisbergen showed solid early speed during practice, finishing eighth fastest out of 38 cars. Qualifying saw the Trackhouse Racing driver place 17th, comfortably advancing directly into the main Cook Out Clash race and bypassing last-chance qualifying.
All three Trackhouse Racing entries advanced straight through, while Kyle Larson claimed pole position for Hendrick Motorsports, with William Byron joining him on the front row.
Josh Berry and Austin Cindric raced their way into the field via last-chance qualifying, finishing first and second respectively, while Alex Bowman secured the provisional spot as the highest 2025 points finisher not already qualified.
With long-run speed and tyre management expected to be critical, Van Gisbergen entered the event looking to build on last year’s showing, where he qualified 10th and finished ninth.
Early running and first cautions
At the start, Larson asserted immediate control, leading Byron, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin. Van Gisbergen lost two spots on the opening lap, slipping to 19th while battling Bowman for 18th.
Trackhouse teammate Connor Zilisch dropped back to 21st early, while Ross Chastain hovered just outside the top 10 in 12th.
Larson was dominant under green, leading all 39 laps from pole before the first caution flew on Lap 41 for water on the track. Just before the yellow, Van Gisbergen had fallen to last place in the 23-car field.
On the restart, the Kiwi responded, moving past Zilisch and Cindric to slot into 21st.
Chaos soon followed. Chastain bumped Ryan Blaney entering Turn 3, sending Blaney into Bubba Wallace. Wallace spun from 11th place, making light contact with Blaney as both continued. Wallace pitted for a flat tyre and rejoined at the rear, with the second caution slowing the race again.
When racing resumed on Lap 54, Briscoe and Larson went wheel-to-wheel in a fierce battle for the lead. After four laps of side-by-side racing, Larson used the preferred inside line to edge ahead, while Byron disposed of Briscoe for second after a one-lap duel.
Van Gisbergen climbed to 16th, aided by a strong restart and decisive moves through traffic, battling Berry as he worked forward.
On Lap 71, Byron made contact with Larson, cleared him for the lead exiting Turn 2, and Briscoe slipped underneath Larson for second. Larson dropped to fourth as Carson Hocevar and Hamlin clashed while fighting for fifth, sending Hamlin up the track in Turn 1.
Van Gisbergen’s night then turned sour. Battling Cindric for 19th, contact from the Kiwi spun the No.2 Ford into the infield grass, triggering the third caution.
“People kept running into me, and I got sick of it,” Van Gisbergen said over the radio.
Moments later, more contact came from Daniel Suarez, prompting further frustration.
“Is the number 7 [Suarez] beefing with everyone? I guess he’s excited he’s not my teammate anymore, he can hit me now,” Van Gisbergen added.
Suarez, already involved in multiple incidents, including with Bubba Wallace, had earlier vented on his own radio: “I’m going to kick his f**** ass. Tell SVG I’m coming for him,” said Suarez.
Byron controlled the restart, but Hocevar and Larson tangled again on Lap 78, with Larson sent wide. Two laps later, Hocevar cleared Larson for fourth, while Hamlin battled Larson for fifth. Larson clipped the wall exiting Turn 4 and fell to seventh.
On Lap 84, Briscoe bumped Byron, took the lead, and was quickly challenged by Gibbs, who seized second. Gibbs then passed Briscoe on Lap 97 to take control.
Further back, Elliott bumped Larson, battling for 10th on Lap 101, adding to Larson’s difficult night.
Under the scheduled halfway caution, rain began to fall – mixed with sleet and hail. NASCAR officially declared the race a wet-weather event, with teams switching to rain tyres.
With temperatures hovering around 1°C and glare from the slick surface and stadium lights becoming a major concern, multiple parade laps were run before the cars were returned to pit road for track-drying.
When racing resumed with 99 laps remaining, chaos erupted. Cars struggled for grip through Turns 1 and 2, with multiple spins, including Larson and Kyle Busch. Van Gisbergen, drawing on his extensive wet-weather experience, kept his car clean, ran the outside line near the wall, avoided spinning cars and surged into the top 10.
On the restart, Briscoe led from the outside with Gibbs inside. Van Gisbergen lined up 10th alongside Suarez, quickly making the outside work and advancing to eighth. Zilisch also impressed in the wet, climbing to fifth, while Larson languished a lap down in last.
Berry then hit the wall hard, stopping on track and bringing out another caution.
The race became a cycle of short green runs and cautions. On Lap 122, Van Gisbergen sent it around the outside on a restart, passing Zilisch and climbing to eighth. Hocevar took the lead, followed by Briscoe, Gibbs, Elliott and Byron.
Van Gisbergen continued his charge, racing fairly but aggressively, climbing to fifth as Blaney spun from 18th to trigger yet another caution.
Hocevar led Briscoe, Suarez, Preece and Van Gisbergen on the restart. Moments later, Austin Dillon spun, but before the caution, Van Gisbergen had already muscled past Preece and Suarez to climb into third.
A restart saw Van Gisbergen on the front row alongside Hocevar. With 58 laps to go, the Kiwi powered into the lead – a remarkable turnaround after running last earlier in the race.
His moment at the front was short-lived. Elliott spun, bringing out another caution.
Preece challenged Van Gisbergen on the restart, briefly taking the lead before another yellow flew. Restarting again, Van Gisbergen edged Preece to retake the lead, only for a multi-car incident behind them to slow the race yet again, with Gibbs spun after contact from Zilisch.
Van Gisbergen chose the inside lane for the next restart and once again took the lead with 56 laps remaining.
Larson’s nightmare continued as he slowed dramatically on track.
“I’m barely running,” Larson radioed before adding, “I’m out of fuel.”
Another caution followed.
With 47 laps to go, Preece briefly got ahead of Van Gisbergen but slid into the wall, handing the lead back to the Kiwi. On Lap 157, Preece again passed Van Gisbergen, and moments later Van Gisbergen and Briscoe went wheel-to-wheel for second. Van Gisbergen lost out and fell to fourth.
Another caution flew when Elliott stopped on the track. On the restart, Briscoe got into the rear of Van Gisbergen, spinning him around with 35 laps remaining.
“That’s a shame, it was going well,” Van Gisbergen said over the radio.
During the caution, NASCAR allowed teams to pit for fuel, which proved decisive. Van Gisbergen restarted 18th and fell to 21st as the field charged away.
Further incidents followed, including Wallace spinning Hocevar, and later Kyle Larson being squeezed between Gibbs and Van Gisbergen, sustaining heavy damage and triggering another caution.
Despite restarting as high as 14th late in the race, Van Gisbergen faded to 19th with nine laps remaining.
Ryan Preece emerged from the chaos to claim victory in the Cook Out Clash, ahead of William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Suarez, Hamlin, Briscoe, Dillon, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bowman completed the top 10.
After leading the race multiple times and showcasing his wet-weather mastery, Shane van Gisbergen ultimately finished 20th – a result that didn’t reflect his speed or impact on one of the wildest Clashes in recent memory.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season officially begins next weekend with the Daytona 500, scheduled for Monday, 16 February at 8:30am NZDT.
Header Image: Fox Sports/X
