NASCAR News: Ryan Preece survives rain, sleet and snow to win Clash

Ryan Preece stormed to victory in the Cook Out Clash on a rain-soaked Wednesday night at Bowman Gray Stadium, overcoming treacherous winter weather and a record-breaking 17 cautions in the chaotic 200-lap feature.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Piloting his No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, the Connecticut native seized the lead for good on Lap 156 after surviving multiple early incidents. Preece ultimately led 46 laps, outlasting 23 of NASCAR’s top drivers on the historic 0.25-mile track amid relentless contact and slick conditions.

The event, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed due to historic snowfall in North Carolina and rescheduled for Wednesday. Ty Gibbs held the lead at the planned halfway break on Lap 100, but a fresh wave of sleet extended the stoppage, forcing teams to switch to Goodyear’s wet-weather tires.

Racing resumed on Lap 101, with Chase Briscoe surging past Gibbs on the outside. However, the slick surface sparked immediate trouble: Denny Hamlin lost control and slid into polesitter Kyle Larson, spinning Larson into the Turn 4 SAFER barrier while Preece spun in the aftermath.

Grip issues persisted as drivers battled the challenging conditions. Josh Berry, who earned his spot via the Last Chance Qualifier win, slid into the outside SAFER barrier on Lap 119, suffering right-front damage that triggered another caution. Just two laps after the restart, fellow LCQ advancer Austin Cindric lost traction for the second time, blocking the track and collecting Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney and Larson.

More spins followed: Hamlin went around again on Lap 139 while attempting to pass Alex Bowman in Turn 4. On the Lap 140 restart, Austin Dillon spun off Hamlin’s front bumper through Turns 1 and 2.

Carson Hocevar shone in the wet, muscling his No. 77 Chevrolet to the front for 18 laps. But disaster struck on Lap 144 when Ty Gibbs spun in Turn 1, directly into Hocevar’s path. The impact shredded Hocevar’s front end, dropping him to the rear. He spun once more on Lap 181 after trading paint with Bubba Wallace, who sent him sliding down the frontstretch into Turn 1.

Road-course specialist Shane van Gisbergen adapted well to the chaos, leading twice for a total of 15 laps. Late in the race, however, contact from Briscoe spun him in Turn 3, also collecting Trackhouse Racing rookie teammate Connor Zilisch.

The mayhem began even before the wet tires came into play. The first caution flew on Lap 54 under dry conditions when Wallace spun in Turn 3 amid a chain reaction. Blaney, running directly behind, lifted early but was bumped by Ross Chastain, who had been nudged by Joey Logano. Wallace took the brunt, pitting and losing his midpack position.

Despite the nonstop drama, Preece’s resilience paid off, delivering a hard-fought win in one of the most unpredictable Clashes in NASCAR history.

Related Article: NASCAR News: Larson to start from pole in tonight’s Cook Out Clash

Ryan Preece Quotes

Q. Ryan, wild night it was here for the Clash. Ryan Preece, you have worked your entire life to be in Victory Lane in a Cup Series race, and you get it done tonight in all kinds of conditions. How did you make that happen?

RYAN PREECE: I don’t even know what to say. To be honest with you, it’s been a (expletive) long road. It’s the Clash. But man, it’s just been years and years of grinding.

I’m just super thankful for Brad Keselowski, Kroger, Coca-Cola, all our partners, Bam, break open the pappy. Jack Roush, the Fenway Group.

Two years ago I didn’t think I was going to have a job. I thought I was going back to Connecticut (tearing up). I’m just super, super emotional.

Q. We can appreciate that and the hard work. Let’s talk about the race tonight. Some of that short track experience playing off?

RYAN PREECE: Just a good group. Yeah, we had a really good car. I felt like we were fighting adversity all day, trying to come from the back. We got a lot of good spots. When we were putting rain tires on, man, this is as much of a mental game as it is everything anything. I felt pretty beat up.

We had a couple restarts go our way. Before you know it, you’re in the front two rows, then the claws just come out.

Man, I can’t thank Kroger, Coca-Cola, all our partners, every single one, Celsius, Tad Geshickter and Jodi Geshickter, Bam Marketing. I’m speechless, man. That last two laps, I’m speechless.

2026 Cook Out Clash Results