Pumped Preece!
- alexjarvis83
- Feb 7
- 4 min read
The CookOut Clash:
Ryan Preece captured the checkered flag in the 2026 CookOut Clash from Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday evening. The win is Preece's first win of any kind in the NASCAR Cup Series and comes at the start of the season. He said he would need to make the best of it, as he does not have any 2027 plans locked in yet. The win was also the first win for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing since the playoffs of the 2024 season.
Preece held off some hard chargers and was a hard charger himself at times throughout the night to capture his first win in the CookOut Clash. The race was pretty straightforward to start the night, and in the first 100 laps, it looked like it was going to be a Hendrick showdown of William Byron v. Kyle Larson. However, Mother Nature had different plans for the second half of the race, as she had all week, delaying the start from Saturday to completion on Wednesday evening. As the skies opened with rain and sleet to start the last 100 laps, NASCAR shifted to "wet weather mode" and had teams change from Goodyear slicks to treaded Goodyear tires. At this point, all hell broke loose. I'm not sure what the longest green-flag stint was in the second half of the race, but it couldn't have been much more than 20 laps, if that. It did, at times, produce some exciting moves, and it gave us leaders like Shane Van Gisbergen (odd to see on a short oval). It also provided a multi-groove Bowman Gray Stadium. But with caution laps not counted, it devolved into an event that lasted much longer than it should have. Drivers are making boneheaded moves, not understanding the limits of their cars in wet weather, and running out of gas because of the number of caution laps. (NASCAR did bail out everyone on that front.) Yet, as we approached the end and the track started to dry a bit, it was game on. Ryan Preece made his way to the front (with some hard charging and a smidge of luck), and drove his ass off to the checkered flag. A win he earned, deserved, and needed, and that was evident in his celebration and victory lane comments, where we heard at least six "f bombs," one of which was right into the mic as Regan Smith asked him about the win. Granted, some are pearl-clutching because of his language, but I loved it because of the pure, raw emotion his win elicited from him. NASCAR needs more drivers who show their passion, love, and emotion as competitors at the highest level of stock car racing.
A few things I am excited about for 2026. One, the return of the Chase for the Cup. The playoffs had their moments, few and fleeting, but they had their moments. To return to some sort of "normalcy" in determining our champions brings me great joy for the future of our sport. Two, the return of RAM (and likely soon, Dodge) to NASCAR. For over a decade now, we have heard NASCAR say another manufacturer is coming back. Oddly enough, they started saying that when Dodge/RAM left, and they're the "new" manufacturer in town. Either way, it's nice to see some new energy and excitement coming to NASCAR. Kaulig Racing seems best prepared to take this on, and I have high hopes for them. Their Race for the Seat YouTube Series was solid, and their All-Star truck will also bring in some top talent. Lastly, there is no more charter lawsuit. NASCAR and 23XI/FRM settled on day eight of their trial to give the teams a little more money and "evergreen" (permanent) charters. It is aggravating that it took so long to reach this settlement, but it's done, it's over with, and now all parties can focus on improving the sport for decades to come.
Next up, we head to Daytona Beach, Florida, to get the season officially underway with each of the top three national touring series' first races of the year at Daytona International Speedway. It's a busy week as the festivities officially kick off on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. on FS1 with time trials for the Daytona 500 to set the front row and line up for the America 250 Duel Races. The Duel races go green on Thursday evening, with Duel 1 starting on FS1 at 7 p.m., and Duel 2 at approximately 8:45 p.m. Friday evening sees the Craftsman Truck Series season kickoff with the Fresh From Florida 250 getting underway at 7:30 p.m. on FS1. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has its season start on Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. on The CW with the United Rentals 300. And the headliner of the weekend, the Daytona 500, gets underway on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. on FOX.
Now, without seeing any real action, it is hard to predict how the season will start. But below are my best guesses for Daytona weekend.
Daytona Picks:
Trucks = Corey Lajoie
O'Reilly = Justin Allgaier
Cup = Chase Elliott
Allgaier, Lajoie, Heim, and CSmith race their way into the 500 via qualifying and the duels
I'll also do my best to pick a champion for each series. With the points system being shaken up, no more playoffs, and back to what should have never left, The Chase, this does present some challenges, as for the last decade we have had the playoffs/elimination rounds to determine our champion. But I think the Chase format will lead to these drivers being crowned champions of their respective series.
Champion Picks:
Trucks = Ty Majeski
O'Reilly = Justin Allgaier
Cup = Denny Hamlin
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