The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray will mark NASCAR’s return to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Known for its highly passionate and often opinionated fanbase, the upcoming exhibition-style event is one of the defining features of this year’s calendar, coupled with the sport’s visit to Mexico later in the year. Thus a special event such as this calls for a special trophy for its winner.
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Named the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy, the trophy honors late NASCAR legend Bobby Allison who won the 1971 race at the famed bullring-style venue under controversial circumstances. Allison’s win was not credited to him until 2024 due to a post-race ruling at the time.
“Few drivers are as engrained in the history of Bowman Gray Stadium than the legendary Bobby Allison,” said Justin Swilling, NASCAR’s Project Manager for the upcoming event.
Allison being credited with this victory also took the Hall of Famer to fourth on the all-time wins list, further solidifying its importance in NASCAR history. Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest active NASCAR team helped the governance design this year’s trophy by providing photographs of previous trophies awarded to drivers at the venue.
“We reached out to Wood Brothers Racing, who shared photos of previous NASCAR Cup Series trophies awarded to Bowman Gray Stadium winners. And when the Wood Brothers suggested we name the trophy after such a legendary figure in Bowman Gray Stadium history as Bobby Allison, it made perfect sense,” elaborated Swilling.
The 2025 edition of the trophy is designed by American memorabilia manufacturer Jostens. Standing 31 inches tall, the final piece is handcrafted in wood and metal with custom gold metal columns accenting a 24-karat gold, hand-polished car, and the Cook Out Clash logo.
Jostens has also gone ahead and designed a classic 25-inch-tall trophy for the Cook Out Madhouse Classic, complete with laser-cut aluminum and wood details.
The event consists of 200 laps of racing action at the extremely close-quarters short track, with drivers beating and banging for position as the crowd roars at the top of its voice. Sunday, February 2, 2025, will see the event go live from the venue at 8:00 pm ET.
It remains to be seen if Joey Logano, winner of the inaugural Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum can repeat his feat, or another driver can stamp their authority at Bowman Gray this time around.
