A winter storm dumped up to a foot of snow in North Carolina’s Piedmont region, again forcing the postponement of NASCAR’s cook-off at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This time it’s Wednesday, February 4th.
Originally scheduled for Sunday, February 1st, it was postponed to Monday, February 2nd. On Sunday, NASCAR announced it was moving the conflict to Wednesday.
advertise
Justin Swilling, the NASCAR executive who oversees operations for The Clash, said the decision to postpone was made after seeking input and guidance from officials in the city of Winston-Salem and the state of North Carolina.
“This decision has once again been made out of an abundance of caution for fans and participants traveling to the event venue,” Swearing said. “Getting everyone here safely is our key mission.
“(It) also gives us some extra time at the beginning of the week to make sure all the winter ice, snow, sleet and everything in between is cleared from all areas of the property.”
Eric Messer
On Wednesday, NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Fox Sports app. The Last Chance Qualifiers are scheduled for 4:30 p.m., followed by the cook-off at 6 p.m., both events will be broadcast live on Fox. All times are Eastern Time.
advertise
Parking lots will open at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, with off-site shuttle service starting at noon. Gates will open at 12:30 p.m.
Swilling recommended fans attending the event wear layers of clothing and bundle up for the cold weather. There will be some patio heaters, but no large heating stations.
Although temperatures stayed below freezing most of Sunday, Swilling said the sunshine helped. On Sunday, crews focused on the playing surface, which was “almost completely dry” by late afternoon.
“Probably 70 to 80 percent of the football field, and just a few more different pieces of equipment, we’ll be in a good position,” Swilling said. “It looks like we’re keeping the paint on the football field and all the sponsorship spots there. (Next) we’re going to focus on the NASCAR Cup Series garage area where efforts are underway to melt the remaining snow and ice on the surface.
Eric Messer
Advertisement
Swearing said “huge construction dump trucks” moved 40 loads of ice and snow away from the stadium on Saturday.
