Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell recently sat down with stock car analyst Bob Pockrass for an interview ahead of the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. During the conversation with Pockrass, Bell opened up about the main concerns about the cold weather.
The short track has been under a snowstorm for the past week. The track has been covered with snow, making it difficult to run the stock cars. Following the conditions, Bell highlighted that brakes are the main concern due to the cold weather. He claimed all parts of the cars need time to warm up, and if drivers push too hard on the brakes, it could cause a problem.
Continuing further, Christopher Bell revealed that the first practice session will be the trickiest. He stated drivers need to take it slow initially, and after a few laps, when the car parts reach optimal temperature, the racing condition would feel normal.
Reflecting on that, the #20 Toyota Camry XSE driver explained:
“Certainly, you’ll want to make sure that you get the temperature in them slowly. And that can be really problematic even whenever we go to a normal-temperatured short track. You have to be careful of just hammering the brakes right whenever you get out there. So that’s certainly going to be a factor, at least whenever we first get on track.”
“I think once the race gets rolling, it’s not gonna be really any different at all from the on-track side of things once the cars get up to temperature, once the brakes get up to temperature,” he concluded.
NASCAR has rescheduled Sunday’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium to Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. The practice and qualifying session will begin at 11 a.m. ET. Followed by the LCQ scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET, the 200-lap main event will be covered live by FOX at 6 p.m. ET.
“Luck will have far less involvement”: Christopher Bell got candid about the Chase format
NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell sat down with Racer.com for an interview. During the interaction, Bell opened up about the governing body returning to the Chase format in the 2026 season.
The Chase format has made its comeback after 12 years of absence. The new format will focus on the last ten races of the season to decide the new champion. Meanwhile, the elimination-style format focused on the three elimination rounds and a one-race championship decider event.
Christopher Bell was a part of the playoff committee formed in 2024 and rooted for the Chase format. Following the change, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver feels positive about the change and explained:
“I think we’re in a spot now where luck will have far less involvement with who the champion is, and on-track results and performance will (have) a much greater impact than what it was in the past.”
The JGR driver Christopher Bell secured a spot among the top five drivers in the 2025 season. He clinched fifth place with his four victories, 13 top-five finishes, and 22 top-ten finishes last season. Additionally, he led 282 laps in his #20 Toyota Camry XSE in 36 starts.
Edited by Karan Yadav