Josh Berry and Austin Cindric have officially qualified for the Cook Out Clash, set to take place Wednesday evening at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Both drivers, teammates under Team Penske, earned their positions by finishing first and second in the Last Chance Qualifier, securing starting spots at 21st and 22nd respectively for the 200-lap race. This qualification was crucial due to the intense competition for limited entry to the main event.
Dominant Performance by Josh Berry in Last Chance Qualifier
Berry, hailing from Hendersonville, Tennessee, took control of the Last Chance Qualifier early, seizing the lead on Lap 17 and maintaining a consistent advantage over his rivals throughout the 75-lap race on the quarter-mile track. By race end, he finished with nearly a half-lap lead, about seven seconds clear of the second-place finisher, demonstrating remarkable control and speed despite challenging restart conditions on the cold track surface.
Yeah, I feel good about it. Honestly, we just struggled a little bit on the restarts, cold temperatures, locking the left-front there, and got it locked up a little bit under AJ [Allmendinger] and washed him out, but once we were able to settle in and get some heat in the tires, I felt good about our car,
said Josh Berry.
I think we can make a few small adjustments and make it a little bit better, but obviously, you don’t have great track position starting in the back. It’s a long night when you don’t make the race, so I’m glad we were able to put both of our cars in.
Intense Battle for Second Place Decides Final Qualifier Spot
Behind Berry’s dominant lead, a fierce contest unfolded among Austin Cindric, Corey LaJoie, and AJ Allmendinger for second place, which would guarantee entry into the main event. The battle was marked by multiple laps of side-by-side racing and close-contact competition, capturing the essence of short track racing’s intensity. The decisive moment came in the last corners, where Allmendinger aggressively bumped Cindric’s car while attempting to overtake him on the inside lane.
Despite the contact, Allmendinger was unable to capitalize, allowing Cindric, driving the No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang, to hold onto second place and advance to the Cook Out Clash. The hard-fought qualification left LaJoie, who was substituting for the injured Brad Keselowski, just short of making the main event in third place.
That was about as fair as that could have gotten for a [Last Chance Qualifier],
commented Austin Cindric.
I appreciate Corey [LaJoie] racing hard. Obviously, we advanced in, but it’s a long road ahead, starting last with scuffs for the final here, but happy to get the Freightliner Ford Mustang in the show here and enjoy round two here at Bowman Gray.
It was like a game of chess at 50 miles an hour. You wanted to be the guy on the inside, obviously, but you don’t want to pass the guy because then he had the opportunity to get back to you,
LaJoie reflected.
I came up a little bit short. It was exciting. It was fun to be in the fight. I hadn’t been in a fight like that in a long time.”
Other Notable Race Performances and Penalties
AJ Allmendinger finished fourth in the Last Chance Qualifier, while John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top five. The rest of the top ten featured strong performances from Zane Smith, Noah Gragson, Ty Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Erik Jones. However, not all drivers had smooth runs; Michael McDowell faced a setback when NASCAR penalized him for illegally jumping the initial start by taking the lead on the outside lane. This violation resulted in McDowell, representing Spire Motorsports and originally starting on the front row, missing qualification for the Cook Out Clash after finishing 11th in the LCQ.
Upcoming Cook Out Clash Broadcast Details
The highly anticipated 200-lap main event will begin at 6:00 PM Eastern Time on FOX, bringing together the qualified drivers in a competitive race at Bowman Gray Stadium. With both Berry and Cindric entering the event from the back half of the field, the race promises to challenge their strategy and resilience on a short track known for its demanding racing environment.
