NASCAR is back, and the season got its unofficial start with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The event was delayed several days due to historic snowfall, and ended up racing through rain and sleet as Mother Nature continued to throw curveballs at NASCAR.
But in the end, we saw something that's only ever happened twice before -- a driver won the Clash before actually winning a points-paying Cup race. Ryan Preece was emotional, and for good reason. As he said, "it's been a (expletive) long road" for him in NASCAR over the years.
