"They didn’t embarrass themselves” — NASCAR’s Ken Schrader reflects on the ‘favorite part’ from NASCAR’s return to Bowman Gray

NASCAR personality and motorsports legend Ken Schrader gave his opinion on last Sunday's Clash at Bowman Gray and remarked that the drivers taking part in the race "didn't embarrass themselves by running over each other". He also acknowledged that there were several yellow flags but recognized that they're implicit in the sport.

Schrader competed in the Cup Series from 1984 to 2013, winning four races and finishing in the top ten on 184 occasions. Nowadays, he co-owns a couple of speedways and races the Menards Series and sporadic dirt and asphalt circuits.

He spoke on Dirty Mo Media's Herm & Schrader podcast, where he also made the following comments to interviewer Kenny Wallace, another former NASCAR driver who is now a podcaster, regarding Sunday's race that opened the 2025 season.

"I liked everything about it; it was like old school, but the highest form of stock car racing; we got some damn good drivers and teams. They (the drivers) sure didn't embarrass themselves by running over each other continuously. Yes, there's yellows. Of course, there's going to be yellows. We're on a flat quarter-mile, running around a high school football field," Ken Schrader said on the Herm & Schrader podcast.

Kenny Wallace, who nowadays is a podcaster, a commentator for NASCAR Race Day and SiriusXM, and still competes in more than 60 dirt races a year, also agreed that the event looked good and felt right on national TV.

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NASCAR ratings spiked at Bowman Gray

On Sunday, February 2nd, The Clash at Bowman Gray race had an astonishing 3.08 million viewers, according to FOX. That is more than twice as much as last year's at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of NASCAR's biggest names said on his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, that while he enjoyed The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and hopes it returns for a second year, he would be cautious as to how many years he would have it there.

One of Bowman Gray's advantages versus The Coliseum is that it has a history in motorsports: its racing heritage began in 1947 to pave a quarter-mile dirt track, and in 1949, it hosted its first NASCAR race.

Other drivers, like Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, also praised the event and would like to have it back next year.

"I’m happy that it was a good show for everybody. Looking forward to hopefully coming back next year. I don’t see why you wouldn’t come back.” Ryan Blaney told Jerry Jordan.

“I hope we put on a good show. I hope they (fans) enjoyed it. Seemed like they were into it throughout the night. Yeah, seemed like a success," Elliott said via Kickin' the tires.