“Bumper cars otw”: Fans react as Chase Elliott headlines NASCAR’s major announcement for 2026

Chase Elliott brings NASCAR's major announcement of hosting the Cook Out clash at 'the madhouse' for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The event at Bowman Gray Stadium marks the return and homecoming of the Cook Out clash, as the fast-growing restaurant chain was founded in the Winston-Salem area. The venue will host the non-points season-opening exhibition race for the second consecutive year, as part of the NASCAR Cup Series event, which will be broadcast by FOX Sports.

The 2025 format for the event featured a 200-lap race where Chase Elliott clinched the victory in front of a power-packed crowd. The event returned to the venue after a wait of nearly 54 years, and it is expected to be a sell-out crowd for the 2026 season as well. The Bowman Gray Stadium has been an integral part of NASCAR history as weekly sanctioned race meets began on the grounds in 1949 and continue to this day in the spring and summer months.

Fans reacted to this news on social media:

"Bumper cars otw."

Richard Grieco

@JoeGrizzley2

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Bumper cars otw

"Cool to see the 2025 cup champion helping with this commercial." One fan wrote.

"This was great. Can't wait for next year. Go Chase!" Another fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions:

Solo Martes

@S0L0Martes

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It looked dope the first go around. 👍🏽

"When I tell you I hit renew seconds after this dropped! Gotta see my boy @StenhouseJr make the feature this year!" One fan wrote.

"I just purchased my ticket! & I will be there for some more fun! :)" Another fan wrote.

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Here's what Chase Elliott had to say after winning the 2025 Cook Out Clash

The winner of the 2025 Cook Out clash, Chase Elliott, led the announcement of NASCAR heading back to the Bowman Gray stadium for the next season. Elliott dominated the race this year, leading 171 of the total 200 laps during the race.

The driver claimed his first victory in the Clash, which returned to this venue after a long gap of 54 years. Elliott spoke of the historic track and the special feeling he experienced during the post-race interviews.

"This environment is special. This is a place that has a deep history in NASCAR. I think they deserve this event, truthfully. I hope we didn’t disappoint. It was fun for me at least, and we’ll hopefully come back here one day.” Chase Elliott said via NASCAR.com.

Chase Elliott received a challenge from only Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney over the course of the special race. He led the first 96 laps of the race before Denny Hamlin took the lead for a brief period. Hamlin ended up finishing third while Blaney finished second.

Chase Elliott is currently ranked second in the NASCAR Cup Series for this season. The Hendricks Motorsports team driver has scored a total of 619 points and clinched his first victory of the season in Atlanta a week ago.