Why is NASCAR inspection at Charlotte and not Bowman-Gray? Kenny Wallace explains

NASCAR's exhibition race Cook Out Clash this weekend will move to the oval short track in Bowman-Gray Stadium for the first time. The race was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the last three years.

However, the inspection for the Clash will take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway instead of the quarter-mile track in Winston-Salem. Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace recently explained the size restrictions of the race venue as the reason for the same, answering a fan's question on X.

"The @NASCAR inspection is massive with several tents and lazers 😁 to measure the cars. There’s not enough room at Bowman Gray," Wallace wrote.

The Clash at Bowman-Gray marks the unofficial start of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Before the main race on February 2, the inspection will begin on Thursday, January 30, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Part of the pre-race inspection includes the Optical Scanning Station (OSS), which was added in 2018. The machine checks the car’s body and chassis with cameras and projectors to create a 3D image, comparing the car to its design.

Wallace further spoke about the topic during the latest episode of "Coffee with Kenny."

"Bowman Gray is where NASCAR will race this week, but the track is small, and the area can't handle the modern-day tractor trailers...Once the cars are inspected, they’re tagged...NASCAR will start inspecting the cars at Charlotte, then load them onto the trailers for the trip up to Bowman Gray," Kenny Wallace said (04:05 onwards).

The car haulers will move to Bowman-Gray on Friday, January 31 and the practice and qualifying for the main race will start the following day.

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Where is the NASCAR Cook Out Clash post-race inspection?

NASCAR teams need to pass an inspection before every race. The inspection process has five stations that check the car parts, measure the body, and scan the chassis with a final safety check. The races also include a similar post-race inspection where the top three cars are checked. The cars are inspected without the templates and go straight to the height and weight checks, with more leeway due to race damage.

Fox Sports' Bob Pokracss shared that the post-race inspection for the Cook Out Clash will take place at the Bowman-Gray instead of the Research & Development Center in Concord.

"Post-race would be done at-track. My guess is they can do weights and measures at-track. The big pre-race scan equipment isn’t in Bowman Gray. If team has to fix car after heats, would tech at R&D center on Sunday morning," Pockrass wrote.

The first points race for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled for February 12.