2025 NASCAR Cook Out Clash Odds and Predictions

On Sunday, February 2, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway with an exhibition race (non-points) that has all racing fans excited – the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray.

The Clash has been the official opener to the season since 1979. However, the difference between this year and the last few years is that this race has moved from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

This event marks the first time that NASCAR has raced at Bowman Gray since 1971. That year, Bobby Allison won the final race at this historic venue. Now, 54 years later, the Cup Series returns for an exciting exhibition to get us pumped up for the official start of the year – the Daytona 500 on February 16.

Currently, the usual cast of characters sit at the top of odds boards with Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano rounding out the Top 5 betting favorites.

As you recall, Logano won the 2024 Cup Series Championship which was the third of his career. This same group of Clash favorites are also at the top of the boards to win the 2025 NASCAR Championship.

With that said, let’s take a look at the latest Cook Out Clash odds, courtesy of the best sports betting sites, and make our NASCAR Cup Series predictions for this weekend’s exhibition race at the short track of Bowman Gray Stadium.

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Cook Out Clash Race Profile

For over 40 years, the Clash race was held at Daytona International Speedway and part of the festivities to kick off the new Cup Series season. From 2022-2024, NASCAR held the Clash at LA Memorial Coliseum as it was a short track just like historic Bowman Gray Stadium.

The North Carolina venue has hosted various levels of racing since 1939. It used to be dirt racing before the track was paved with asphalt in 1947. NASCAR’s first race at Bowman Gray took place in 1949 and lasted until 1971. Moving the Clash race to this venue is a testament to the sport’s history.

The Bowman Gray Stadium track has a lap distance of 0.25 miles, features no banking, and has been dubbed the “Madhouse.”

Sunday’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray exhibition race breaks down as follows:

• Lap Distance: 0.25 miles
• Total Miles: 50 miles
• Total Laps: 200 laps

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray is set to begin at 8:00 pm ET and will air live on FOX.

Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Format

Unlike the regular season points races, the Cook Out Clash has a very different format. 39 cars have entered the race, but only 23 will be eligible for the final event on Sunday night.

The 39 drivers will start off being divided into three practice groups of 13 each. Eventually, they will move on to four heat races with a 25-lap distance. Three heats will have 10 drivers each, while the fourth heat will feature nine drivers.

The top five drivers for each heat will advance to the main event – 200 lap Cook Out Clash race. The 19 drivers that didn’t advance to the main event race will compete in a Last Chance Qualifier race at a distance of 75 laps. The top two finishers will advance to the main event.

The 23^rd and final spot goes to the driver with the highest finish for the 2024 season but didn’t advance through the other opportunities.

For example, since Logano won the Cup Series last year, he would automatically be in the main event. However, if he qualifies through the heats or the LCQ, then Blaney would get the final spot since he was second in points last year.

Previous Clash Winners

Denny Hamlin is the defending Clash race winner, having won the event last year at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was the fourth Clash victory in his career, which ranks him second all-time. Dale Earnhardt holds the record for most Clash victories at six. The following is a list of the most recent Clash winners:

• 2024: Denny Hamlin
• 2023: Martin Truex Jr.
• 2022: Joey Logano
• 2021: Kyle Busch
• 2020: Erik Jones
• 2019: Jimmie Johnson
• 2018: Brad Keselowski
• 2017: Joey Logano
• 2016: Denny Hamlin
• 2015: Matt Kenseth

NASCAR Cook Out Clash Betting Odds

Check out the latest NASCAR Cup Series odds for Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray:

NASCAR Cook Out Clash Favorites

The following drivers are considered by oddsmakers to be the odds-on favorites to win the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray:

Kyle Larson +750

Kyle Larson not only enters this weekend’s festivities as the odds-on favorite to win the race, but he’s also the favorite to win the 2025 Cup Series Championship. Additionally, he’s also my favorite driver. So, I will be rooting for him this weekend and all year long. However, that doesn’t mean he’s going to win the Clash or the Championship. Last year, he was the favorite and failed to even make the Final 4. 

For Larson, this will be his 10^th Clash race. In his previous nine appearances, Larson has six Top 5s and seven Top 10s. He’s tied for the third most Top 5 and fourth most Top 10 finishes among active drivers.

Larson also boasts of a 7.89 average finish in the Clash, but has never won the race. If he can win, he’ll be the 26th different driver to win this event.

The man himself, has competed at Bowman Gray Stadium in other racing circuits. He’s hoping that the fans live up to their reputation this weekend:

“I’ve been fortunate to win races with huge crowds and I’ve also won races with very small crowds. The ones with the big crowds, you definitely get into it more. I look forward to Bowman Gray and I hope the same crowd that shows up for modified races is there for us, too. You know, hanging over the wall, flipping us off and being rowdy.”

Christopher Bell +800

For Christopher Bell, this will be his third Clash start. In his only two appearances, both at LA Memorial Coliseum, Bell tallied an 8^th and 13^th result to give him a 10.5 average finish.

Bell is coming off his best year in the Cup Series. He scored career highs in 15 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, 11 stage wins and was in the Top 5 for the year, which marked his third straight Top 5 finish to a season.

After the season, Bell returned to dirt racing and picked up a win this year already. His short track racing, on asphalt and dirt, give the #20 car an edge of many others. Additionally, Bell’s trajectory puts him in line to compete for another Championship this year.

Chase Briscoe +800

One of the biggest offseason moves is Joe Gibbs Racing bringing in Chase Briscoe as their fourth driver. He replaces Martin Truex Jr. who retired after the conclusion of the 2024 season. Briscoe was with Stewart-Haas Racing but the team folded last year.

Briscoe joins a reputable list of drivers to compete in the #19 car including Truex, Carl Edwards and Cale Yarborough.

Briscoe won the Southern 500 last year and made the Playoffs on the final race of the regular season. Although he didn’t advance further in the postseason, Briscoe had a strong run last year and is poised for a big season with JGR.

This will be his third Clash race. His best result came last year when Briscoe finished seventh overall. Despite joining a new team, Kevin Harvick has gone on record picking Briscoe to win the 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray:

“Chase Briscoe, because I think that the Joe Gibbs cars have run well at these short tracks, and I think that he, along with a lot of other guys, has something to prove, and I think James Small is right there with him, so he has been good. He was very good as his teammate at SHR at this style of racetrack, and I just think that it could be a magical moment for him.”             

Denny Hamlin +800

As mentioned above, Denny Hamlin is second all-time with four career Clash wins. He won last year’s race along with victories in 2006, 2014 and 2016.

Hamlin fell short last year in his quest to pick up the first Cup Series Championship of his career. He did finish with three wins, 12 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s and three Poles. But the #11 car faded down the stretch of the postseason.

It will be interesting to see how Hamlin performs this year with a new crew chief. His former crew chief, Chris Gabehart, was promoted to JGR’s competition director.

Hamlin does have six Top 5s and 11 Top 10s in his 19 Clash appearances. This weekend marks his 20^th Clash start which would be the fourth most all-time.

The #11 car is definitely a Top 10 car this weekend, provided that he qualifies as expected. However, can Hamlin get one win closer to Earnhardt?

Joey Logano +900

The reigning Cup Series Champ is one of the best active drivers in the Clash. This will be his 17^th start in the race as he’s automatically qualified due to winning the title last year.

Logan has won the Clash on two occasions: 2022 and 2017. Additionally, Logano has nine Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, and a 7.8 average finish in his 16 previous starts.

If the #22 car can pick up his third Clash victory, it would tie him for third all-time with Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jarrett.

With that in mind, we can’t forget that last year Logano had a spat with Ty Gibbs following the Clash race. The two had issues on the track and it spilled over afterward. Despite seeming like a peaceful champion, Logano has been known to get involved in dustups.

To a milder extent, Logano has been going back and forth with the critics calling for a change to the current Cup Series Playoff format as many think that Logano didn’t deserve it. Of course, the three-time champ had to clap back at the critics:

“I can’t hear it because my trophies, they kind of, like, echo around me. The playoff system is very entertaining. It takes a lot to get through the 10 races to win the championship. … When the playoffs start, a lot of times you see teams that fire up. And we’ve been one of those teams, thankfully, and it’s worked out for us three times. But I don’t think that means you have to change the playoff system.”

Ryan Blaney +1000

The 2023 Cup Series champ was just 0.33 seconds short of winning a second straight title as he finished second to his Team Penske teammate for the 2024 Cup Series Championship.

Despite coming up short, Blaney still had a strong season with three wins, 12 Top 5s, and 18 Top 10s. He also showed an incredible amount of poise and resolve as he faced postseason elimination on multiple occasions last year.

Blaney and Logano helped lead Ford to 12 wins in the final 24 races last year. That also included five Playoff victories and the Top 2 drivers at the end of season standings.

Blaney has three Top 5s and four Top 10s in his seven Clash appearances. His best result came last year when the #12 car finished third in the Clash race at the LA Memorial Coliseum.

Needless to say, Blaney and Logano have Team Penske and Ford looking like a legitimate contender to not only win another Cup Series Championship, but to also win the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray this weekend. Both drivers are locks to qualify for the race and demonstrate why they’ve won three championships in a row.

The Best NASCAR Cook Out Clash Betting Value

The following drivers are my picks for the best betting value in the Cook Out Clash based on their current season’s stats and their previous success at Bowman Gray Stadium:

Kyle Busch +1400

For the veteran driver, this weekend’s Clash marks his 19^th career appearance. Busch is one of seven drivers with two wins at the Clash as he won in 2012 and 2021. The latter victory was on the Daytona road course.

Now, we all know by now that Busch is coming off a very disappointing 2024 season. He failed to win one race, which ended a 19-year streak of at least one Cup Series victory. Of course, that was a NASCAR record.

Busch also had career lows with five Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, and 230 laps led. In fact, he scored his worst ever points finish last year when he was 20^th. And, his 18.3 average finish was the worst result since his rookie season in 2005.

Despite the terrible 2024 season, Busch and crew chief Randall Burnett did pick up three wins in 2023, which was their first year together. So, if the #8 car, and Richard Childress Racing as team, can find competitive speeds then this team could get back to the Playoffs.

He will need it because this is a contract year for Busch. If the veteran driver wants a contract extension, then he needs at least one win along with another Playoff appearance. Near-wins won’t count this season. It’s checkered flags and results or Busch could end up out of RCR and his HOF career will be in jeopardy.

Brad Keselowski +2200

Like Busch, Brad Keselowski is another veteran driver needing to produce in 2025. Yet, unlike Busch, Keselowski did pick up one win last year and made the Playoffs. He’s the proven leader for RFK and a former Cup Series champ. So, that leadership is expected to be on display this year.

That display could come this weekend as Keselowski makes his 11^th start in the Clash. He won this race in 2018, and has had success in short track racing over his career. Like Busch, Keselowski is a multi-time Cup Series winner at short tracks like Bristol and Martinsville.

In his previous 10 Clash starts, Keselowski has three Top 5s, six Top 10s, and a 10.7 average finish. If he can win this weekend, then Keselowski will become the 13^th different driver to win the Clash more than once and he would give RFK racing it’s second victory all-time.

I expect Keselowski to have a consistent ride in 2025, where he flies under the radar but puts up solid numbers and makes the Playoffs once again. And, I expect this success to begin on Sunday as he ends up contending for the Clash victory.

The Top Cook Out Clash Longshot

Erik Jones (+15000) is my choice for the top longshot to win the Cook Out this weekend. Before you guys lose your minds, take a deep breath and continue reading.

Jones won this race in 2020. He also has two Top 5s, four Top 10s, and an 11.3 average finish in six Clash appearances. If he can shock the sport with a win this weekend, it would mark the first victory of Legacy Motor Club which is owned by Jimmie Johnson who won the Clash twice. Jones has an excellent mentor with the HOF driver Johnson.

Additionally, the team believes in Jones, which is why they signed him to a multi-year extension last August. At the time of the signing, Johnson made the following comments:

“Erik is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR. I’ve had the chance to race against him and have had a chance to watch him drive for other teams and the Club. I admire his talent and am glad we will have him race for us for the upcoming years. Erik will be a key to helping us turn our program around and we look forward to giving him the tools he needs to go out on Sundays and race for wins and eventually a championship someday.”

That sounds like an owner and a team looking to become contenders in the Cup Series and using Erik Jones as their primary driver to accomplish these championship goals. Could we see this renewed confidence and improved tools lead Jones to his second Clash victory?

NASCAR Cook Out Clash Predictions

When it comes to short track racing, that takes a special kind of skill set to win. All of the favorites, along with my value plays, are definitely skilled short track drivers. However, this also means it’s going to be more difficult to make our NASCAR picks for this race.

As you can see with the odds, we have six drivers with odds ranging from +750 to +1000. In fact, we have 10 drivers with odds ranging from +750 to +1600. It feels like we’re talking about a Daytona or Talladega race where a dozen or so drivers can win on the unpredictable super speedways.

It’s rare that a driver can win the race two years in a row. So, I’m ruling out Hamlin despite the #11 car still having a chance to contend. I give his teammates Briscoe and Bell more of a chance to win.

However, I’m not ready to crown Briscoe a winner like Harvick did. I need to see how Briscoe performs in a JGR car first. But I do really like his chances this season to be a Playoff contender.

Although JGR has 12 Clash victories, I actually like Hendrick Motorsports get their first win since Jimmie Johnson won in 2019.

Last year, Hendrick had two drivers in the Top 6 for the Clash. In 2023, Hendrick had two drivers in the Top 5. And, in 2022, HM had two drivers in the Top 6. So, as you can see, Hendrick has come close all three years on the short track of LA Memorial Coliseum.

I think we finally see Hendrick breakthrough and that will be due to Kyle Larson picking up his first Clash victory. However, don’t rule out Bowman as he has three Top 6 results which includes a 5.0 average finish at LA’s races. Byron had three Top 10s at LA Coliseum as well. 

Bet: Kyle Larson (+750)

NASCAR Cook Out Clash Prop Bets

The following NASCAR Cook out Clash prop bets are courtesy of Bet365:

Winning Manufacturer

• Chevrolet (+140)
• Ford (+150)
• Toyota (+275)

The first four years of this race were won by Oldsmobile and Buick. However, those two manufacturers, along with Pontiac, no longer compete in the Cup Series.

Chevrolet holds the record for most Clash wins with 21. Yet, they haven’t won since 2019. Ford is second with 10 all-time wins and last took the checkered flag in 2022. Toyota has eight wins and has four victories in the last five years, including two in a row.

With that said, I’m feeling good about Chevrolet’s chances this weekend. I think Larson wins the even, or one of his teammates. But Chevy has a strong representation this weekend and should end Toyota’s reign.

Bet: Chevrolet (+140)

Team of Race Winner

• Joe Gibbs Racing (+200)
• Hendrick Motorsports (+275)
• Team Penske (+450)
• RFK Racing (+900)
• Richard Childress Racing (+1000)
• 23XI Racing (+1200)
• Trackhouse Racing (+2000)
• Spire Motorsports (+2500)

Joe Gibbs Racing holds the record for most wins with 12, which includes four of the last five. In fact, they’ve won seven of the last 11 Clash races.

Hendrick Motorsports sits third with seven victories, but hasn’t won since 2019. Team Penski has five wins and will look to get Joey Logan back into the winner’s circle like in 2022. Richard Childress Racing is second all-time with eight wins.

As for the winner this weekend, you can see that I’m riding with Hendrick Motorsports. I think they want to get off to a fast start this year and definitely have the team to do win.

Bet: Hendrick Motorsports (+275)

Winning Car Number

• Over 19.5 (+110)
• Under 19.5 (-140)

I like the Under 19.5 option for this NASCAR prop bet. Check out the drivers that we get with this option: Larson (5), Keselowski (6), Busch (8), Elliott (9), Hamlin (11), Blaney (12), Buescher (17), and Briscoe (19).

That’s three of the Top 5 odds-on favorites along with both of our value plays. That’s also a healthy representation across all three manufacturers and five different racing teams.

Bet: Under 19.5 (-140)