"The atmosphere was awesome": Joey Logano credits NASCAR for executing successful 2025 Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray

NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano lauded NASCAR for its successful season-opening bid at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It also marked the return of Cup racing to the historic racetrack for the first time since 1971.

NASCAR visited the famed quarter mile for the last time before the long hiatus on August 6, 1971. Bobby Allison of the Alabama Gang won the feature, making it the 85th win of his career. However, the controversial win was approved only last year, weeks before Allison breathed his last.

Nevertheless, Logano was impressed with NASCAR’s efforts to bring the racing spirit back to Bowman Gray Stadium. Taking to Instagram, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion wrote,

“Props to @nascar for all their hard work executing this weekend’s #CLASH race at @bowmangraystadium. The atmosphere was awesome and the crowd was electric. Well done #NASCAR and shoutout to the fans who helped make this weekend a big success.”

Logano started the race seventh and ended up fourth. His teammate at Team Penske, Ryan Blaney, delivered a runner-up finish even after getting relegated to the back of the field following the LCQ. Both drivers will now prepare for the first points race of the year, the Daytona 600, scheduled for Sunday, February 16.

The crown jewel event will stream live on FOX with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports, is the defending champion of the 500-mile showdown.

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Joey Logano on whether the Cook Out Clash should return to Bowman Gray in the coming years

Many would say that bringing the racing action back to a less frequented track like Bowman Gray is a step in the right direction. Now that the officials know that the place is capable of packing energy, things could move around a bit when NASCAR enters its 2026 season.

But there is a problem with Bowman Gray that the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum did not have. Illuminating the same, Joey Logano said,

"It’s not a huge stadium, right? So you pack it out, and it looks good, and the energy is real. It’s not like you have this ginormous stadium and you get, you know, half or three quarters of it full, right? This is like, standing room only is kind of a — it’s a special feel.”

“It’s hard to get the ticket, which, you know, people want what they can’t have, right? A lot of people probably watched this on TV, and you weren’t able to get the ticket here, because there’s a limited quantity,” he added.

Even then, over 35,000 fans showed up over two days to watch the race (via Sports Business Journal). As per NASCAR, fans from “44 states, five countries, and three continents” purchased tickets to the major league event.