Southern 500 sponsor elevates NASCAR presence with "historic weekend" deal

Renowned NASCAR partner Cook Out is set to sponsor the upcoming NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray, the debut race of the 2025 Cup Series season. Cook Out has already cemented its place in NASCAR last year with three significant race sponsorships, and the latest addition at Bowman Gray Stadium just added more sizzle to it.

Cook Out, a popular restaurant chain has been based in the Winston-Salem area since 1989. NASCAR's return to the Bowman Gray Stadium, situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2025 put things in place for the Quick Service Restaurant chain to come out and sponsor the inaugural race.

Last year, Cook Out sponsored the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway (in April) and Richmond Raceway (in August), respectively. Besides these, they also sponsored the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (in September).

As Cook Out and NASCAR added one more chapter to their celebrated partnership, Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Executive Vice President, Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer, hailed the association as "incredible".

“It is incredible to have Cook Out as part of this historic weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium," he added. "Their support takes it to the next level, and we look forward to working with them to make it a weekend that fans will never forget.” [via Jayski.com]

In addition to the NASCAR Clash at the Bowman Gray Cup Series race, Cook Out will also be involved in the Cook Out Madhouse Classic on Saturday, February 1. It is an invitation-only event and features the stars of Bowman Gray Stadium's modified division, including Bobby Labonte, a NASCAR Hall of Fame driver.

Cook Out's involvement with stock car racing extends beyond NASCAR, as Max Reaves, son of Cook Out co-owner Jeremy Reaves, will participate in the ARCA Menards Series East events this year. Besides being the sponsor of Cup Series races, Cook Out is also a proud sponsor of the NASCAR Youth Series, the series that actively sponsors drivers at the grassroots level.

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Cook Out co-owner conveys his thoughts about the NASCAR Clash partnership

The sun sets during the NASCAR Cook Out 400 race at the Richmond Raceway - Source: Imagn

As Cook Out stepped up to sponsor the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Winston-Salem on February 2, 2025, Jeremy Reaves, the co-owner of the restaurant chain, welcomed the racing community of Winston-Salem to join him at the NASCAR Clash and the invitation-only event.

"Cook Out loves Winston-Salem and loves racing,” Jeremy Reaves said. “We’re looking forward to bringing together our racing family and the Winston-Salem community this year with the Cook Out Clash and the Cook Out Madhouse Classic.”

Morris Reaves is another co-owner of the restaurant chain, which has extended its outlets to 340 locations across the United States. It has its outlets in over 100 cities. As of 2021, it has over 13,000 employees and an annual revenue of $125 million.