Cup Series Preview

Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

Bowman Gray Stadium
Laps 200 Distance 51 mi Type short Coverage FS2 · 6:00 PM ET
0.25
MI
asphalt
Surface
Race Complete
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
6:00 PM ET
Band A · The Hook

Your watchlist, historical context, and race-week curiosities.

DID YOU KNOW?

David Pearson has won 3 times at Bowman Gray Stadium with a 5.0 average finish.

See David Pearson's full stats
LAST TIME HERE

Junior Johnson has led 978 laps at Bowman Gray Stadium — more than anyone else.

Junior Johnson's stats
Band B · The Story

The narrative arc, drivers to watch, and race-weekend color.

Band C · The Data

Schedule, predictions, entry list, track history, fantasy, and betting angles.

TV & Start Time

What channel is the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray on?

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray airs on FS2 on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 6:00 PM ET, broadcast from Bowman Gray Stadium. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule splits between FOX, FS1, TNT, NBC, USA, and Amazon Prime Video.

What time does the NASCAR Cup race start this race weekend?

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray ran on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 with a 6:00 PM ET green flag on FS2.

NR-Rating Track Rankings

NR-Rating Track Rankings
#DriverElo RatingLast Finish
1Kyle Larson
1656
P0
2Ryan Blaney
1648
P0
3Denny Hamlin
1623
P0
4Christopher Bell
1594
P0
5Joey Logano
1577
P0
6Chase Elliott
1575
P0
7William Byron
1550
P0
8Ty Gibbs
1544
P0
9Ross Chastain
1539
P0
10Brad Keselowski
1536
P0
NR-Rating: Elo-based rating from the NR-Rating prediction model. Higher = stronger at this track type.

NR-Rating Predictions

Last updated: Wed, May 13, 2026, 07:50 AM ET

# Driver Exp. Finish Win %
1 Christopher Bell Best in Field 6.8 18.6%
2 Chase Elliott 6.8 17.2%
3 Kyle Larson 8.3 16.2%
4 Denny Hamlin 8.6 15.2%
5 Chase Briscoe 8.6 12.4%
6 Chris Buescher 9.9 10.4%
7 Tyler Reddick 10.3 9.1%
8 Joey Logano 10.8 7.7%
9 Ryan Blaney 10.8 6.8%
10 William Byron 12.0 5.3%
11 Ryan Preece 12.6 4.6%
12 Brad Keselowski 12.6 3.9%
13 Ross Chastain 12.6 3.5%
14 Bubba Wallace 13.8 3.2%
15 Alex Bowman 14.0 3.0%
16 Kyle Busch 14.0 2.7%
17 Michael McDowell 15.6 1.7%
18 Ty Gibbs 15.6 1.7%
19 Erik Jones 17.0 0.9%
20 Casey Mears 17.0 0.8%
21 Daniel Suarez 17.1 0.8%
22 John Hunter Nemechek 18.0 0.6%
23 Shane van Gisbergen 17.7 0.6%
24 Austin Cindric 17.7 0.5%
25 Todd Gilliland 17.7 0.5%
26 Carson Hocevar 19.0 0.4%
27 A.J. Allmendinger 18.3 0.4%
28 Austin Dillon 18.3 0.3%
29 Josh Berry 20.1 0.3%
30 Zane Smith 20.4 0.3%
31 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 22.0 0.2%
32 Cole Custer 20.2 0.2%
33 Ty Dillon 23.1 0.1%
34 Noah Gragson 22.1 0.1%
35 Connor Zilisch 24.9 0.1%
36 B.J. McLeod 25.7 0.0%
37 Katherine Legge 27.3 0.0%
38 Riley Herbst 26.7 0.0%
39 Cody Ware 29.8 0.0%

Win probabilities reflect full-field Monte Carlo simulations. A 10% pWin means roughly 1-in-10 chance of winning — higher than most bettors realize for a 36-car field where the average driver has ~2.8% odds. Top 5 and Top 10 percentages similarly reflect simulated outcomes, not historical averages. Learn how the model works.

Predictions powered by NR-Rating model (MAE: 8.5 positions)

Prediction Scorecard

Go Bowling at The Glen: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P24

(1/5 top-5 hits)

38% top-5 hit rate across 11 races

Track Type Tendencies

short

Bowman Gray Stadium is a short track where driver skill and aggression take center stage. Passing requires contact, tempers run hot, and strategy around restarts and pit timing can make or break a race.

Short tracks historically produce the most lead changes and the closest finishes.

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