Ryan Preece Captures Historic Cook Out Clash Victory at Bowman Gray Stadium
Ryan Preece Captures Historic Cook Out Clash Victory
Ryan Preece claimed his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series checkered flag on Wednesday night at Bowman Gray Stadium, winning the 2026 Cook Out Clash in dramatic fashion. The 35-year-old RFK Racing driver from Berlin, Connecticut, took the lead with 45 laps remaining and held on through chaotic conditions to secure the victory. William Byron finished second, followed by Ryan Blaney in third place, while Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
Overcoming Unprecedented Challenges
The race proved to be one of the most unpredictable events in Clash history, featuring a record 17 caution flags and 11 lead changes. Winter weather played a significant role, with sleet forcing teams to switch to wet-weather tires mid-race around lap 100. Despite below-freezing temperatures and challenging conditions, tens of thousands of fans filled the Bowman Gray grandstands for this unconventional midweek spectacle.
A Milestone Moment
After competing in over 220 NASCAR Cup Series races, Preece's emotional victory marked a career-defining achievement. The win represents RFK Racing's first Clash victory since 1999, cementing this memorable night in the team's history.
```About the People Mentioned
Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece is an American professional stock car racing driver from Berlin, Connecticut, who has established himself as a competitive presence across multiple NASCAR series[1][2]. Preece began his NASCAR career in the Whelen Modified Tour, where he achieved early prominence by becoming the youngest champion in tour history at 22 years, 11 months, and 25 days old in 2013[1]. He earned 25 wins in the Modified Tour, including three victories in recent seasons, and was named to NASCAR's elite NASCAR NEXT program in 2013 and 2014[1][2]. His transition to NASCAR's national series began in 2013 when he made his Xfinity Series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finishing 24th in a Tommy Baldwin Racing vehicle[1][2]. Preece demonstrated steady improvement, competing part-time with JD Motorsports in 2016 before joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017. With JGR, he secured a significant victory at Bristol Motor Speedway and earned the $100,000 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus[2]. In the NASCAR Cup Series, Preece achieved notable milestones in 2023, earning his first career pole award at Martinsville Speedway and scoring his first stage win in the same race[1]. Despite suffering a severe flip at Daytona that season, he recovered to finish the final 10 races competitively[1]. As of 2025, Preece entered his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving for RFK Racing after a two-year tenure with Stewart-Haas Racing[3]. He continues to maintain involvement in the Whelen Modified Tour on a part-time basis while competing at the highest levels of NASCAR stock car racing[2]. Preece is recognized for his resilience, adaptability, and consistency throughout his racing career across multiple competitive divisions[4].
William Byron
William Byron, born November 29, 1997, in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a professional stock car racer competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 24 Chevrolet.[1][2][3] He is renowned for his rapid ascent from virtual sim racing on iRacing—where he amassed over 100 wins before driving a real car at age 16—to becoming one of NASCAR's elite drivers.[1][3][5][6] Byron's career highlights include a record seven wins as a rookie in the 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, earning Rookie of the Year honors there and in the subsequent Xfinity Series, where he claimed the 2017 championship with four victories, including at Daytona and Indianapolis.[1][2][3][5][6] He became only the second driver, alongside Erik Jones, to win Rookie of the Year in all three national series consecutively.[1][2] Debuting in the Cup Series in 2018, he secured that series' Rookie of the Year award and has since logged 14 wins in 265 races, with 112 top-10 finishes.[2][4][6] Key achievements encompass his first Cup win at Daytona in 2020, a breakout 2023 season with six victories (including Watkins Glen and Darlington), and leading Hendrick to its 300th Cup win.[4][5][6] In 2024, he triumphed in the Daytona 500—Hendrick's seventh—and added wins at Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville, reaching the Championship 4 and finishing third overall.[1][2][5] He repeated as Daytona 500 winner in 2025 and captured his first Cup Regular Season Championship in August at Richmond, earning 15 playoff bonus points.[2][3] Entering his ninth Cup season in 2026 at age 28, Byron remains a title contender with 42 top-10s over two years, the series-best 11.9 average finish, and nine recent wins, solidifying his status among NASCAR's top talents.[1][3][5][6]
Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney is a prominent American stock car racer and third-generation driver in NASCAR, son of former Cup Series competitor Dave Blaney and grandson of dirt track legend Lou Blaney.[1][3][5] He drives the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, where he has established a reputation for consistency, resilience, and clutch performances.[1][2] Blaney's career began in youth racing with quarter midgets, Bandoleros, and late models, progressing to NASCAR's lower series in 2011. He debuted in the ARCA Menards Series, K&N Pro Series, Truck Series, and Xfinity Series, earning Rookie of the Year in the Truck Series in 2013 with Brad Keselowski Racing while finishing sixth in points.[1][3] Joining Team Penske part-time in 2012 and full-time in the Cup Series in 2018, he has never finished outside the top 10 in final standings since 2017, securing his first Cup win at Pocono Raceway in 2017 with Wood Brothers Racing.[1][2][3][4] Key achievements include his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship—Team Penske's fourth—with a dramatic playoff run featuring wins at Talladega, Martinsville, and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, ending with a second-place finish at Phoenix Raceway.[1][2][4] He also won the 2022 All-Star Race at Texas, leading 84 laps for a $1 million prize, and the inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway.[1][2] In 2024, Blaney finished second in points to teammate Joey Logano, nearly securing back-to-back titles.[3] Currently, Blaney remains a top contender for Team Penske, valued for his strategic insight and adaptability in high-stakes races like playoffs and short tracks reminiscent of his dirt roots.[1][6] His nine Cup wins and status as a champion before age 30 underscore his elite standing in motorsports.[4][7]
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan Hamlin, born November 18, 1980, is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE, sponsored by FedEx.[1][2][3][5] As the longest-tenured driver at Joe Gibbs Racing with over 500 career starts, he ranks among the sport's elite, holding fourth in total Cup Series wins (60) and third in poles among active drivers, with victories at 16 of 24 tracks across all styles.[1][2][3] Hamlin debuted in 2006, winning twice as a rookie—the first to qualify for the playoffs—and earning Rookie of the Year honors.[2][3] He has qualified for the playoffs in 13 of 14 full seasons, finishing top-five in points five times, including runner-up in 2010 with a career-high eight wins.[1][2][3][4] Key achievements include three Daytona 500 victories (2016, 2019, 2020), making him one of five drivers to win consecutively; three Southern 500s (2010, 2017, 2021); the 2022 Coca-Cola 600; and the 2015 All-Star Race ($1 million prize).[1][2][3][4] In 2024, he won the Würth 400 at Dover, tying Lee Petty for 12th on the all-time wins list, and reached his 50th victory at Pocono.[2][3][4] Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, fielding NASCAR Cup Series teams.[2][3] In 2025, he recorded six wins, five poles, 14 top-fives, and 18 top-tens across 35 starts, finishing second in standings with 5,031 points.[5] Entering his 21st full season in 2026, he remains a championship contender and respected leader.[3]
About the Organizations Mentioned
NASCAR Cup Series
The **NASCAR Cup Series** is the premier division of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), hosting the highest level of stock car racing in the United States with 36 chartered teams competing in high-speed oval and road course events.[2] It drives a multibillion-dollar industry blending automotive technology, sponsorships from tech giants like Ford and emerging players like Dodge, and broadcast deals amplifying its business reach.[2] Launched in 1948 as the Strictly Stock series, it evolved into the Grand National Division by 1950 and became the Winston Cup Series in 1971 through a landmark tobacco sponsorship. The modern **Cup Series** era began in 2004, with the playoffs rebranded as "The Chase" in recent years—a 16-driver postseason format emphasizing consistent points accumulation over single wins, as updated for 2026 to reduce aggressive attrition and reward equipment reliability.[1][2] Key achievements include record viewership for the **Daytona 500**, NASCAR's Super Bowl equivalent, which kicks off the season on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway, followed by Atlanta on February 22.[3] Icons like Richard Petty (200 wins) and Jimmie Johnson (seven championships) defined its legacy, while recent tech innovations—such as advanced aerodynamics, hybrid powertrains in lower series hinting at Cup upgrades, and data analytics for predictive performance—position it at the forefront of motorsport engineering.[2] As of early 2026, the series thrives amid business momentum: the season opener, Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, faced snow delays but builds hype for a campaign predicting breakouts like Shane van Gisbergen's Chase qualification and Denny Hamlin's championship push.[1] With declining DNFs (down from 5.2 per race in 2025) and manufacturer rivalries heating up, the Cup Series exemplifies resilient enterprise—merging adrenaline-
RFK Racing
**RFK Racing** is a professional stock car racing organization competing in NASCAR's Cup Series, one of the most prestigious motorsports competitions in the world.[1][2] Based in Concord, North Carolina, the team represents a merger of racing legacies and modern innovation in competitive motorsports. The organization traces its roots to 1988, when legendary racing entrepreneur Jack Roush founded Roush Racing with driver Mark Martin.[1][3] This partnership became transformative—Martin won 35 NASCAR Cup Series races and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.[3] Roush established himself as a dominant force, becoming the first NASCAR owner to achieve 300 wins and capturing eight championships across NASCAR's top divisions.[1] In 2007, Roush partnered with John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group (owners of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C.) to form Roush Fenway Racing, combining championship expertise across sports organizations.[2][3] The team achieved back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series championships in 2003 and 2004 with drivers Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch.[2] The organization underwent significant transformation in 2022 when Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, joined as both driver and co-owner, rebranding the team as Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing).[1][2] This investment revitalized performance, with the team returning to Victory Lane six times in three years after a five-year drought.[5] Currently, RFK Racing fields three NASCAR Cup Series teams: Brad Keselowski driving the No. 6, Chris Buescher piloting the No. 17, and Ryan Preece commanding the No. 60.[4][5] Beyond racing
