Cup Series drivers embracing history and reputation of Bowman Gray

Kevin Harvick was in the middle of calling practice for the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium with his FOX Sports counterparts when he couldn’t help making an observation.

“Everything about this is cool,” Harvick said.

NASCAR Cup Series cars took to the quarter-mile in Winston-Salem for the first time since 1971 with practice, qualifying and four heat races Saturday night. There was a little bit of everything throughout the night with the drivers who started from the pole driving away, contact within the field, and drivers trying to figure out how to wrestle their machines around tight quarters.

Regardless of whether things were going well or not, drivers still appeared to be having a good time. Although the Clash is an exhibition event, its setting at a historic track like Bowman Gray Stadium, which is nearby for many, was a hit.

“I was here 15 years ago — more than that,” Chris Buescher said. “I raced a Legends car here, and it was cool then. It was really cool. I’m not going to lie, the track was tight in a Legends car, and it’s surely small now. But through the years, the history of this place, to be back here in a Cup car, we’ve all seen the Madhouse show and we know all about what goes on here.

“I’ve come up here as a fan and watched more fingers fly than I thought were actually in the stands. So, it’s got a lot of character to it and surely it’s making it a lot of fun.”

The tight confines of Bowman Gray Stadium leave plenty of room for tempers to flare. Here it’s A.J. Allmendinger getting turned. Sean Gardner/Motorsport Images

A few hours before cars hit the track, drivers and teams were given a chance to do a track walk. The crowd had thinned for the time being after the Modified race, but plenty remained in their seats to cheer and heckle drivers. When cars were on the tracks, fans continued to passionately tell drivers how they felt.

Bowman Gray was showing out like it’s known for.

“It’s really special,” Austin Dillon said. “I remember leaving Truck races on Friday night, flying home, and be excited to come to Bowman Gray on Saturday night and sitting in the beer garden and watching the wrecks and the race that happened around the wrecks. I always enjoy coming up here; it’s 15, 20 minutes from my house now. I came early (Saturday) to watch practice for the Modifieds and then some of the race. It’s exciting.

“It’s really cool to see my grandfather (Richard Childress), how happy and excited he is. The start of RCR was kind of right here — selling peanuts in the grandstands to buying his $10 taxicab and running races. He was talking about wrecking in Turns 1 and 2, and he had calcium in his rear left tire trying to make the car turn. And when he hit, it sprayed powder all through the air and stuff, and everybody wrecked behind him.”

Kyle Busch joked that NASCAR had called drivers into the hauler to give a script of who is supposed to fight who. Not that a script is needed for tempers to flare at Bowman Gray. It comes with the territory, and Busch, ironically, was one driver who showed his displeasure Saturday night during the heat race when he pushed the rear bumper of Justin Haley for multiple laps under caution after getting spun.

There will be 200 laps of opportunity for fun and frustration in Sunday night’s main event.

“I ran here 20 years ago or so in Bandeleros, so it’s nice to be back,” Ryan Blaney said. “I think the reputation of this place, a lot of passionate people around the area that love Bowman Gray and a track that’s really historic. I think it’s a good race for this Clash. You have the ability to move this race around to different parts of the country, so that’s nice.”