The qualifying session for the NASCAR Bowman Gray Cook Out Clash was compressed to a single day on Wednesday at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, due to repeated snow delays originally pushing the event from a planned two-day schedule. Without traditional heat races, drivers were divided into three groups, with combined times from these groups establishing the starting lineup for the 200-lap main event on the quarter-mile oval.
Each qualifying group was further split into two subgroups to accommodate all the drivers. The fastest 20 competitors from this combined effort will secure their spots in the Cook Out Clash, with the Last Chance Qualifier offering the final two positions through a 75-lap race. Additionally, the highest-ranked driver in the 2025 points standings not yet qualified will also advance to the main event.
Details of Group One Qualifying Participants
Group One was divided into two subgroups. Group A featured Cole Custer in the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet, Ty Dillon piloting the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, Noah Gragson driving the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Riley Herbst in the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota, Ryan Preece with the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, Chad Finchum in the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford, and Burt Myers behind the wheel of the No. 50 Team AmeriVet Chevrolet.
Group B consisted of A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, Todd Gilliland driving the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Zane Smith in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Connor Zilisch with the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet, and Daniel Suarez piloting the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
Composition of Group Two Qualifying Drivers
In Group Two’s first subgroup, Ty Gibbs drove the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Corey LaJoie was behind the wheel of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, Kyle Busch raced the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Michael McDowell drove the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Carson Hocevar operated the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Erik Jones competed in the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota, and John Hunter Nemechek handled the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota.
The second subgroup featured Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Austin Cindric driving the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, Austin Dillon in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Josh Berry with the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, Chris Buescher piloting the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford, and Cody Ware racing the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet.
Competitors in Group Three Qualifying Sessions
Group Three included two separate sets as well. The first subgroup featured Joey Logano driving the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Tyler Reddick behind the wheel of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, Ross Chastain operating the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Bubba Wallace racing the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, and Shane van Gisbergen driving the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
The second subgroup comprised Kyle Larson in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Denny Hamlin piloting the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, William Byron driving the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Christopher Bell with the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
Fox will broadcast live coverage of the Last Chance Qualifier starting at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Cook Out Clash main event at 8:00 p.m. ET. These races will decide the final grid order and highlight the competitive racing around Bowman Gray’s famed oval.
