It will be extremely cold in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this week as NASCAR Cup Series teams prepare for the exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium to unofficially kick off the 2026 season.
Cup Series cars will hit the track for the first time in 2026 on Jan. 31, a day when the high temperature in Winston-Salem will only be 25 degrees, per AccuWeather. That will drop down to 11 degrees Saturday evening during practice and the heat races for the Clash.
On Sunday, the high temperature will climb just above freezing at 34 degrees, with temps dropping through the evening during the Last Chance Qualifier. The Clash is currently scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET green flag on Feb. 1.
How cold weather could affect cars
On Monday, Cup Series crew chief Rudy Fugle, who calls the shots for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, went on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss how the cold temperatures could affect the racing product at Bowman Gray…