NASCAR Clash winner Ryan Preece has strong opinion on future race site

Gannett-Daytona Beach News-Journal ^ | February 5, 2026 | Ken Willis

[WhiteHatBobby0701]

Long before he won NASCAR’s preseason Clash Wednesday night, Ryan Preece had plans to race at New Smyrna Speedway before next week’s Daytona 500 and its preliminaries.

But in the afterglow of his longshot victory, he seized the opportunity to heap big praise on the “phenomenal” half-mile Samsula track, where Preece will be racing Late Models and Modifieds in the coming days during the annual World Series of Asphalt Racing.

The post-race topic turned to the Clash’s potential future at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., which has been host to the past two Clashes. NASCAR hasn’t talked about potential venues for 2027 and beyond, but after this week’s winter-weather issues, a potential move southward would obviously be part of the discussion.

[WhiteHatBobby0701]

NASCAR's Cook Out Clash winner thinks Winston-Salem is too cold. The Clash, he says, should move to New Smyrna and be part of the World Series of Asphalt Racing, which is currently ongoing. The races include numerous Pro Late Model, Super Late Model (numerous national tours), Northeast-style Modifieds ("Tour Type," including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season opener), and other local divisions. Preece was out the door at 2:15 AM after his Clash win for the trip to New Smyrna, which he made before 10 AM to participate in the Super Late Model and Tour Type Modifieds (including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour).

Modifieds are very popular in the Northeast and part of the snowbird tour start.