In a deeply emotional moment, Ryan Preece found himself overwhelmed with tears and excitement as he celebrated his victory at the Cook Out Clash held at Bowman Gray Stadium. The event, known for its unpredictable nature, lived up to its reputation, having been delayed multiple days due to snowfall, and ultimately featuring a staggering 17 caution flags. The race concluded under challenging conditions with drivers on wet-weather tires, as a sudden sleet storm struck around the 100-lap mark.
Preece piloted his No. 60 vehicle to a hard-fought triumph over competitors William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Other notable finishers included Daniel Suarez in fourth, Denny Hamlin in fifth, followed by Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Alex Bowman rounding out the top ten.
Overcome with emotion, Preece reflected on his journey in Victory Lane, stating, “I don’t even know what to say. Honestly, it’s been a f****** long road. This is the Clash, but it represents so many years of hard work. I’m incredibly thankful for Brad Keselowski, Kroger, Coca-Cola, and all our partners. Just two years ago, I thought I was headed back to Connecticut without a job. I’m beyond emotional right now.”
With this victory, Preece joins the ranks of racing legends Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as one of the few drivers to win the Clash before securing an official race win.
As the race commenced, Larson and Byron teamed up to dominate the early stages, with Larson taking the lead initially. The first caution was waved on Lap 41 due to ‘weepers’, as melting snow seeped under the SAFER Barrier, creating hazardous conditions on the track.
Once back on track, Briscoe made a move to overtake Byron, breaking the Hendrick duo’s hold on the top positions. A chaotic chain reaction ensued when Logano collided with Chastain, causing a domino effect that ultimately sent Wallace’s No. 23 spinning.
Briscoe fought valiantly on the outside during the subsequent restart but soon fell back to third place. The first significant lead change occurred on Lap 71 when Byron surged past Larson, with Briscoe following closely behind.
As Larson began to lose ground, he eventually found himself in tenth position by the halfway mark. The next caution was prompted by Cindric, who spun out after contact with van Gisbergen, who expressed his frustration over the radio, indicating that the incident was retaliation. He also had words for former teammate Suarez, stating, “I guess he’s thrilled he’s no longer my teammate. Now he can hit me.”
These former teammates found themselves in more confrontations as the race progressed. Following the halfway break, Suarez was vocal about his intentions to confront Wallace, asserting, “I’m going to kick his f***** ass. And tell the #97 I’m coming for him.”
Byron eventually lost his lead to the JGR duo of Briscoe and Gibbs, with Gibbs taking command just before the halfway break. As the competition caution came, Gibbs led the pack comprising Briscoe, Byron, Blaney, and Hocevar.
During the interruption, sleet began to fall, prompting NASCAR to stop the race and equip all cars with wet-weather tires. After a brief delay, the race resumed.
Upon restarting, drivers struggled to find traction as they navigated the slippery track. It wasn’t long before chaos erupted again, resulting in spins involving Hamlin, Larson, and Preece.
The next restart was smoother, with Briscoe taking control. Cars began to explore high lines close to the wall in search of speed. However, Josh Berry, who had previously claimed victory in the Last Chance Qualifier, crashed into the wall, necessitating another caution.
A subsequent caution was issued for an incident involving Cindric, which briefly obstructed the track. Hocevar seized the lead on the next restart, sliding ahead of Briscoe.
While engaging for the lead, Hamlin spun out in front of them, leading to yet another caution. Previous incidents had involved Gibbs and Blaney, but NASCAR refrained from waving the yellow flag as they managed to keep moving.
The next restart was intense, but the following caution was triggered when A. Dillon spun. On the ensuing restart, Van Gisbergen muscled his way into the lead while Elliott spun out.
Once again, the inside driver gained an advantage, with Preece overtaking SVG for the lead. However, chaos ensued as Logano and Hamlin spun out, followed by Gibbs who lost control after contact with Zilisch in the pack. Hocevar was among those affected, sustaining damage to his right-front fender.
SVG opted for the inside row and maintained his lead during the next restart. For the first time in several laps, the race settled into a single-file formation, but Larson reported running out of fuel.
As the track began to dry, SVG seemed to lose his edge, allowing Preece to take charge. Another Hendrick driver, Elliott, also ran out of fuel, leading to a restart where Briscoe inadvertently sent SVG spinning, resulting in a multi-car incident involving Zilisch and Wallace.
With just 35 laps remaining, NASCAR called all cars to pit road to ensure they had sufficient fuel. Both Hocevar and Reddick attempted to switch to slick tires, but NASCAR quickly informed them it was prohibited.
Preece held the lead as Byron began to close in. With 20 laps to go, Wallace appeared to intentionally spin Hocevar. On the restart, Blaney advanced to second, while Larson collided with Gibbs and Busch, resulting in a crash in the middle of the field.
In the final sprint to the finish, Byron made a desperate attempt to catch Preece, but ultimately fell short as the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford secured Roush’s first pre-season Clash victory since 1999.
