
If you thought “The Madhouse” was just a catchy nickname for the chaotic, fender-bending short-track racing at Bowman Gray, think again. Because on Sunday night, the madness wasn’t confined to the track—it was alive in the stands, in the deafening roar of a sold-out crowd packed into every available inch of space. And that madness hit a fever pitch when NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott, put on a short-track clinic, leading 171 of 200 laps to win the NASCAR Clash preseason exhibition race.
After taking the checkered flag, Elliott soaked in the atmosphere, standing near the start-finish line as the crowd erupted.
“First off, just thanks, everybody, for coming out,” he said, his words nearly drowned out by the chaos. “Y’all made for a really fun environment for us. We don’t race in stadiums like this. So it’s just really cool. Appreciate y’all making that moment special for me and my team. This is awesome.”
What started as a clash of titans turned into a battle of the best, but the real story wasn’t just the racing—it was history being rewritten at Bowman Gray Stadium. For the first time since 1971, NASCAR’s top-tier series returned to the place where stock car racing was forged in fire and fenders. The fans showed up in force, the drivers delivered, and the old stadium proved it still had a few tricks up its sleeve.
From the drop of the green, Elliott was in control. He started from pole and, by lap 40, was already lapping the backmarkers like they were stuck in traffic. It looked like a one-man show—until lap 78, when William Byron was unceremoniously turned by Todd Gilliland, triggering a caution that stacked the field back up and gave Denny Hamlin his opening.
At lap 97, Hamlin muscled his way to the front, turning the race into a dogfight. By the halfway mark and the scheduled 8-minute break, Hamlin led, Tyler Reddick sat second, and Elliott had been shuffled to third. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney had clawed his way from dead last—23rd on the grid—to 10th, proving that while Bowman Gray may be tight, it’s not impossible to move forward.
When racing resumed, Hamlin held the lead—for a little while, anyway. By lap 125, Elliott had taken it back, and from there, he slammed the door shut. He crossed the line 1.3 seconds ahead of Blaney.
“Yeah, that was fun. That was a blast,” Blaney said. “The car was really good, especially the first half and the second half. Being able to get to 2nd, then race hard with Chase there, who’s going to save more tire. I just didn’t quite have enough right rear at the end to make a move on him.”
Hamlin hung on for third. Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five.
“I just didn’t do very well on that restart there, and kind of lost the bottom,” Hamlin admitted. “Chase (Elliott) took advantage of it. Once you get the lead, it is a lot easier to hang on to it. I thought that they were just a little better that second half than we were, along with the 12 (Ryan Blaney) was as well. We just have to get a little bit better.”
Before the main event, Kyle Larson had to fight his way in the hard way—through the last-chance qualifier. After a lackluster heat race on Saturday, he found himself in serious jeopardy of missing the show altogether. But when the green flag dropped, Larson wasn’t messing around. He charged from 10th to the lead by lap 30, but this being Bowman Gray, nothing comes easy.
The LCQ saw nine cautions, and on lap 61, a wreck involving Burt Myers and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. brought out a red flag. That put Erik Jones in the mix, and for a moment, it looked like he might steal the spotlight. Jones, who hadn’t led a single lap in 2024, suddenly found himself credited with the top spot. He even held it for a grand total of four laps—right up until lap 65, when Josh Berry and Larson tried to force it three-wide. Jones, unfortunately, was the odd man out, sent spinning and out of contention.
Berry briefly grabbed the lead, but five laps later, Larson took it back and never let go, securing his spot in the main event. Berry, meanwhile, hung on for second, clinching the final transfer position and likely earning some approving nods from his new bosses at the Wood Brothers.
Once in the feature, Berry finished 13th, while Larson ended up 17th. That main event had 7 cautions, and while there may have been some bruised egos, no fists were thrown and no angry shouts exchanged.
As for the future of this wild experiment? If Sunday night’s packed house and riotous energy were any indication, NASCAR’s Clash at Bowman Gray has just punched its ticket for a return trip.
“Well, y’all deserved it,” Elliott told the fans. “I hope it was a good show for you. This environment is special. This is a place that has had deep history in NASCAR. I think they deserve this event truthfully. I hope we didn’t disappoint. It was fun for me at least. We’ll hopefully come back here one day.”
And if they do, one thing’s for sure—The Madhouse will be ready.
- Stranger Things Levels of Drama in the Daytona Duels - February 13, 2025
- Photos: NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway Wed. Feb 12, 2025 - February 12, 2025
- Photos: NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Friday Feb. 7, 2028 - February 7, 2025