GFT Facts and Stats Friday: NASCAR Exhibition Race ‘Cook Out Clash’ kicks off the 2025 season
31 January 2025
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
Winston-Salem, NC — It’s go time! Like many of you, we at Go Full Throttle Racing News are ready for some on-track action. And that all starts Saturday Feb 1 at Bowman Gray Stadium when the NASCAR Cup Series cars hit the track for Clash Practice/Qualifying and Heat races. Watch & Listen: FS1, MRN & SiriusXM from 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. ET
2025 Clash Format Rundown:
Saturday, February 1, 2025
• Three practice groups with each group having three sessions.
• Final practice determines the starting order for the four Heat races (fastest on pole for Heat 1, 2nd on pole for Heat 2, 3rd on pole for Heat 3, 4th on pole for Heat 4 etc.)
• Heat races are 25 laps each.
• The top-five finishers from Heat races fill the first 20 of 23 spots for the Main event with the winner of Heat 1 on the pole, winner of Heat 2 in 2nd, Heat 3 in 3rd, Heat 4 in 4th.
SUNDAY February 2, 2025
• The remaining cars compete in a 75 lap last chance race, the top 2 finishers advance to the main event.
• The 23rd spot goes to the highest driver from 2024 driver points standings that is not already in the main event.
• 200 lap Main event with 23 cars.
• Only green flag laps count during the Heats, LCQ and Main (no overtime in the Heats and LCQ but the Main must finish under green)
- Halfway break at Lap 100 in Main event.
Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
Sunday, February 2
8 p.m. ET
The Purse: $3,002,500
TV: FOX, 6 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 50 miles (200 laps), Stage Break: Lap 100
How To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:
-Saturday, February 1 — Clash Qualifying (FS1, MRN & SiriusXM from 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. ET)
-Saturday, February 1 — Clash Heat Races (FS1, MRN & SiriusXM from 8:30 p.m. — 9:30 p.m. ET)
- Sunday, February 2 — Clash Last Chance Qualifier (FOX, MRN & SiriusXM at 6 p.m. ET)
-Sunday, February 2 — Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray (FOX, MRN & SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET)
Facts and Stats:
In total, 21 active drivers have finished inside the top-10 in the Clash: Joey Logano (12), Kyle Busch (12), Denny Hamlin (11), Kyle Larson (7), Austin Dillon (6), Brad Keselowski (6), Alex Bowman (5), Chase Elliott (4), Erik Jones (4), Ryan Blaney (4), William Byron (4), AJ Allmendinger (2), Daniel Suarez (2), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2), Tyler Reddick (2), Chase Briscoe (1), Chris Buescher (1), Christopher Bell (1), Cole Custer (1), Ross Chastain (1) and Ryan Preece (1).
· Joey Logano and Kyle Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in Clash top 10s with 12 top-10 finishes each.
By The Numbers: The Clash
.013 — Closest Margin of Victory in seconds by Kyle Busch over Tony Stewart in 2012, the closest margin of victory in the Clash.
.058 — The second closest Margin of Victory in seconds in the Clash by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011.
.080 — The third closest Margin of Victory in seconds in the Clash by Dale Earnhardt over Sterling Marlin in 1995.
1 — Fewest laps led by a winner, one and it has occurred nine times — Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983–84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004), Kevin Harvick (2009) and Erik Jones (2020) — all at Daytona International Speedway — Kyle Busch (2021) at Daytona International Speedway Road Course.
2.75 — Best average finish in The Clash — Dale Earnhardt holds the best average finish of any driver with multiple starts.
3 — Number of different venues the Clash event has been previously held at — Daytona International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway Road Course, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
4 — Most Clash wins by an active driver — Denny Hamlin (2006, 2014, 2016 and 2024).
4 — Number of drivers to win the Clash from the pole or first starting position — Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987), Ken Schrader (1989) and Denny Hamlin (2014 and 2024).
5 — Number of drivers who have won the Clash event in their first appearance — Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006.
6 — Most Clash wins all-time by a driver — Dale Earnhardt, the series leader (1980, ’86, ’88, ’91, ’93, ‘95).
7 — All-time fewest starters in the field for the Clash (1981).
12 — Most number of starts before winning the event — Martin Truex Jr (2023).
14 — Highest number of different leaders in a Clash event (2009, Daytona International Speedway).
19 — Most consecutive starts in the Clash by an active driver — Denny Hamlin (2006–2024).
22 — Highest number of wins by a manufacturer in the Clash — Chevrolet.
22 — Most consecutive starts in the Clash by a driver — Jeff Gordon (1994–2015).
27 — Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history.
28 — Number of lead changes in the 2011 Clash event, highest number since race began in 1979.
47 — Most laps led by the winner of a Clash event — Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008 at Daytona.
84 — Most laps led by a driver that did not win the Clash event — Ty Gibbs in 2024 at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
197.802 mph — The fastest average speed of the race for the Clash — in 1987 at Daytona International Speedway and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.
GFT AI Race Predictions for The Clash — As an exhibition race, we will only be using The Clash to test our data feeds and prepare our models to establish Driver Rankings and Race Predictions for the Daytona 500 on February 16.
As a reminder, here are the final driver rankings after the 2024 Championship race in Phoenix:
