“The crowd loved it”: NASCAR influencer hypes much anticipated Clash at ‘The Madhouse’

NASCAR kicked off its 2025 season with a visit to Bowman Gray Stadium for the Clash. Saturday night’s heat races set the stage for the Last Chance Qualifier and the highly anticipated 200-lap main event on Sunday, February 2.

NASCAR influencer Taylor Kitchen took to X (formerly Twitter) to convey that the crowd loved the Cup Series action. She added that the heat races provided a glimpse of why the quarter-mile oval is aptly named "The Madhouse".

"Just catching up with the heats before a day full of travel. The crowd loved it & we got to see why they call it “The Madhouse”. The LCQ and main event today should be interesting…" her post read.

She also shared a video of the crowd reacting to the Modified race.

"The vibes at ‘The Madhouse’ seem immaculate. The fans are loving this:"

Another influencer Eric Estepp wrote on X, that "Madhouse" was already living up to its reputation in the heat races. He described the heat races as a nice little appetizer for the main event.

"6 laps into 2025 and the Madhouse is already doing Madhouse things." he wrote.

"The heats were a fun teaser. Nice little appetizer for tomorrow," he added in another tweet.

Heat races 1 and 4 provided plenty of drama, with veteran driver Kyle Busch showing his frustration at Justin Haley just six laps into the season, with NASCAR having to intervene over the radio. Crowd favorites Burt Myers and Tim Brown received plenty of cheers from the spectators and will get another shot in the LCQ.

Chase Elliott won the first heat race, with Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, and Tyler Reddick winning the following heat races. Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson failed to secure a spot in the Clash on Saturday, but the former is assured of making the race with the provisional entry. Larson has to finish inside the top two in the last-chance qualifier to advance into the Clash.

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Kyle Busch jokes about NASCAR greenlighting fights in the infield

Kyle Busch during practice for the Clash at Bowman Gray at Bowman Gray Stadium - Source: Imagn

Apart from its rich history, the quarter-mile oval at Bowman Gray Stadium is infamous for its fights in the infield, with drivers often chasing each other to exchange fists.

In a press conference, Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch joked that NASCAR will allow Cup Series drivers to exchange fists in the infield, and has already given a list of drivers who are supposed to face off each other.

"We already met in the NASCAR hauler and they gave us the list of who is supposed to fight who. I can't disclose that. Stay tuned." he was quoted as saying by Matt Weaver on X.

Busch has qualified for the main event and will start 13th on the grid. The 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier is scheduled for this Sunday, February 2, at 6:40 PM ET, with the 200-lap Clash scheduled for 8:20 PM ET, later in the evening.