Who Is On Top Of Our Preseason Driver Rankings?

Published: Fri, 01/30/26

Updated: Fri, 01/30/26

Frontstretch Newsletter: Jan. 30, 2026
Volume XX, Edition VIII

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What to Watch: Friday

For information on the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, see the Frontstretch Folio below.

- The Asian Le Mans Series has their second race weekend of the season at the Dubai Autodrome. Free Practice No. 1 is already complete.

Qualifying is scheduled for 12:40 a.m. ET tonight. Race No. 1 is scheduled to go green at 5:10 a.m. ET Saturday. Coverage will start around 4:40 a.m. ET on RACER+.

Race No. 2 coverage will start at 4:40 a.m. ET Sunday morning on RACER+. Remember that the final automatic bids to this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans will be earned after the race on Feb. 8.

- The Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park continue this weekend with the American Sprint Car Series and UMP Modifieds. Coverage will begin today and tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. ET on DirtVision.

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates on Bowman Gray!

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

(Photo: NASCAR Media via Sean Gardner of Getty Images)

All 2026 Clash Activity Moved to Sunday

Due to a forecast of snow for Saturday, NASCAR announced Thursday that the entire schedule for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray will be run on Sunday, weather and road conditions permitting.

Carson Hocevar Running Daytona Truck Race for Spire

Spire Motorsports announced Thursday that Carson Hocevar will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet in the Fresh From Florida 250 in Daytona with Best Buy and IKEA sponsorship.

Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography and NASCAR Media via Sean Gardner of Getty Images.

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Around the World in Motorsports: Jan. 30

- Riley Motorsports announced Thursday that they will field a BMW M4 GT3 Evo in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS in 2026 for Slade Stewart and Andy Lee. The BMW will feature the "Sparklefarts" scheme that is pink, purple and sparkly. It also depicts a unicorn.

Riley Motorsports has previously run the GT3 efforts of CrowdStrike Racing for George Kurtz in both GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and GT America powered by AWS. No word on if CrowdStrike Racing will continue in SRO America in 2026.

Stewart and Lee come to Riley Motorsports after previously racing in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America (with the aforementioned Sparklefarts scheme). The duo finished fourth in Pro-Am points last season.

Newsletter Exclusives:

Frontstretch Folio: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to return to the Piedmont Triad in order to kick off the 2026 season. Coverage of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray begins with NASCAR RaceDay at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Race coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET with the green flag around 8:15 p.m. ET. It can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray was dominated by Chase Elliott. By virtue of winning Heat No. 1, Elliott claimed the pole. From there, he led 171 of 200 laps to take the victory.

Elliott won by 1.333 seconds over Ryan Blaney, who started last after taking a provisional. Denny Hamlin was third, then Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: .253-mile oval, 200 laps (50.6 miles)
Banking: flat
Straightaways: ~330 feet, flat
Grandstand Seating: 17,000
Pit Road Speed:N/A
Pace Car Speed: 30 mph
Opened: 1938 (racing began in 1939, then restarted in 1947)

Website: http://www.bowmangrayracing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BowmanGrayStadium
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TALLADEGA

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Sunday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2

Qualifying: Sunday, Feb. 1, 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2

Last Chance Qualifier: Sunday, Feb. 1, 6 p.m. ET on FOX

Say What?!

"Bowman Gray is cool because it’s so short. It’s so small and the fans are right there on top of everything. It reminds me a little bit of the Summer Shootout and racing the legends cars. It’s a really tight bull ring and hard to get around there, hard to pass with these big heavy stock cars. But we made the most of it last year and I felt like the fans came out and supported it very, very well, so I hope they do so again this year." - Kyle Busch

"I’m curious to see what’s going to happen this weekend. It’s definitely going to be cold; it was cold last year but not that cold. For me, it’s not that different. As a driver, we fight the heat all the time so it’s a nice change to drive when it’s cold. From the race team perspective, there are a lot of factors on the technical side that the team will have to fight with to try to keep things going through some really cold temperatures. I hope we can get it in; it’ll be interesting what shakes out, but whenever they let us back in the race car, I am excited to get going." - Alex Bowman

"This might be the coldest race weekend I’ve ever experienced but that’s just another part of the Clash experience that will make it unique for the fans watching. It was an electric atmosphere last year, and I’m confident this year we can make the main event and get some momentum on our side heading into Daytona." - Zane Smith

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Today at Frontstretch:

2026 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings: Nos. 10-1

by the Frontstretch Staff

Monday at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have a recap and breakdown of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray (if it runs) and additional news.

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