Who are the only 2 drivers to lead laps at Bowman Gray Stadium? All you need to know

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is officially over, thus kicking off the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. On that note, let’s take a look at the drivers who led laps in the 200-lap, exhibition-style event.

Safe to say that it ultimately came down to a Chase Elliott overkill. The driver of the No. 9 Chevy Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports led a race-high 172 laps.

Next, Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing led 28 laps, making it the second most among the Cup Series regulars. Tyler Reddick, who drives the No. 45 full-time entry for 23XI Racing, a North Carolina-based outfit owned by Hamlin and former NBA star Michael Jordan, also led a lap.

The night's main event started from 8 pm ET onwards at the historic quarter-mile in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was covered live by FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Notably, it paved the way for the official season-opening race, the famed Daytona 500.

This year will mark the 67th running of the annual Daytona 500. This iconic feature has been opening seasons every February since 1982. This year’s iteration of the crown jewel race will stream live on FOX with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM.

Elliott’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron, is the defending champion of the 500-miler. He currently drives the No. 24 full-time for the 18-time championship-winning organization in NASCAR’s premier series. However, Elliott has never won the Daytona 500 himself, so he is one of the fan favorites to win this year's bid.

NASCAR penalizes four drivers for unapproved adjustments to their cars

NASCAR sent four of its Cup Series drivers to the back of the pack for the 75-lap qualifying session, known as the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). As per the rules, the top two finishers in the LCQ would make the main event.

NASCAR labeled a few adjustments on the cars of Ryan Blaney, John Hunter Nemechek, AJ Allmendinger, and Cole Custer, as inappropriate. As a matter of fact, all four drivers had suffered various issues ahead of the main event. While Nemechek, Allmendinger, and Custer got their rides wrecked during the heat races, Blaney faced issues with his cooler.

Blaney was the only one among the four who managed to stay away from on-track incidents. He got to keep the 23rd starting spot in the final race as a provision for the highest point scorer to not qualify for the Clash.

Blaney is in his 10th season of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and his eighth driving for Team Penske. He won his maiden title in 2023, following a P2 finish at Phoenix Raceway. Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Camaro for Trackhouse Racing, won the championship race that year.