Ryan Preece won the NASCAR Cook Out Clash last night at Bowman Gray Stadium, finishing ahead of William Byron to take the exhibition race.

Quick Scoop

  • Event : 2026 Cook Out Clash (NASCAR Cup Series exhibition).
  • Winner : Ryan Preece, driving the #60 Ford for RFK Racing.
  • Runner-up : William Byron, who finished second after leading parts of the race.
  • Date : Race completed on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
  • Notable stat : The race had 17 caution periods and multiple lead changes.

How the clash unfolded

Preece started deep in the field but worked his way forward through traffic and incidents on a short, tricky Bowman Gray layout. In the second half, on wet-weather tires after rain and sleet, he took control of the race and showed strong pace on restarts. Over the final 15 laps, he pulled clear of Byron and crossed the line first to secure his first Clash victory.

Fans on racing forums describe it as a chaotic, caution-heavy night where surviving the mess was as important as outright speed.

Mini recap in list form

  1. Weather interruption mid-race led to a switch to wet-weather tires.
  1. Multiple incidents produced a record number of cautions for the event.
  1. Preece charged from 18th, grabbed the lead around Lap 156, and never let it go.
  1. Byron pressured him late, but Preece maintained a comfortable gap to the finish.

TL;DR: If you’re asking “who won the clash last night,” it was Ryan Preece in the 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, holding off William Byron after a wild, weather-hit race.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.