NASCAR's pre-season exhibition race known as 'The Clash' continues to face a major obstacle in the form of winter weather. As crews clear the track and surrounding area of snow and ice, another system is set to move into the area just in time for the race weekend.
This new storm is expected to dump four to eight inches of snow and will cause temperatures to plunge into the low 20s with feel like temperatures in the single digits.
"Out of an abundance of caution," NASCAR has decided to cancel all on-track action for Saturday. There was supposed to be practice, qualifying, and several heat races with Sunday reserved for the last-chance qualifier and main event.
Instead, that will take place on Sunday, with the exception of the the heat races as qualifying will set the lineup for the main event. Additionally, Modified and Sportsman support races as part of the 'Madhouse Classic' will be rescheduled for a later date.
With no heat races, the top 20 qualifiers will go directly to the main event while the rest are moved to the LCQ to fight over the final few positions on the grid.
'The Clash Preview' at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Event Center is still scheduled to take place on Friday, running 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST, per track officials. However, 'The Clash Fan Fest' will no longer be open this weekend.
New Clash at Bowman Gray schedule
Practice & qualifying: Sunday, 2-4pm EST (FOX SPORTS 2)
Last-chance qualifier race: Sunday, 6pm EST (FOX)
The Clash main event: Sunday, 8pm EST
Even if the race goes as scheduled for Sunday, it will be frigid and crews will likely have to clear several inches of new-fallen snow from the short track. AccuWeather projects a high of 28 on race day and a low of 11. The wind chill could bring the feel like temperature down into the single digits.
The National Weather Service forecast for Winston-Salem, North Carolina, says there could even be up to one foot of snow between Friday and Saturday, but most predictions put it in the four to eight inches range.
