After a long offseason and four days of being snowed out, the NASCAR Cup Series finally returns to the track today. Running The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, 38 Cup cars will take to the tiny short track to attempt to qualify for the main event. After qualifying and the LCQ, 23 drivers will battle it out to prevail in the first race of 2026. Although The Clash can be overlooked, it is still exciting to see the offseason end. Every member of the team will pick the drivers who will perform the best. For this weekend, it is simple: pick the winner (and surprises of who is and is not qualifying). The season long standings kick off with Daytona. For today, check out the Pit Pass Network 2026 Predictions for The Clash.
The Clash Winner
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Zach Adams: Chase Briscoe
Andy Coffey: Ryan Blaney
Robert Cwick: Ross Chastain
Tiffany Faw: William Byron
Griffin Fuller: Christopher Bell
Robert Hill Jr: Ryan Preece
Cash James: Ryan Blaney
Terra Jones: Denny Hamlin
Gregory Latham: Ryan Preece
Mark Matthews: William Byron
Daniel Smith: Ryan Blaney
Jane Waldrop: Denny Hamlin
Marvin Wingfield: Kyle Larson
Surprise Driver to Make Main Event
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Zach Adams: Noah Gragson
Andy Coffey: Burt Myers
Robert Cwick: Zane Smith
Tiffany Faw: Ty Gibbs
Griffin Fuller: Riley Herbst
Robert Hill Jr: Riley Herbst
Cash James: Burt Myers
Terra Jones: Chad Finchum
Gregory Latham: Shane van Gisbergen
Mark Matthews: Ty Dillon
Daniel Smith: Erik Jones
Jane Waldrop: Kyle Busch
Marvin Wingfield: Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Surprise Driver to Miss Main Event
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Zach Adams: Christopher Bell
Andy Coffey: Joey Logano
Robert Cwick: Christopher Bell
Tiffany Faw: Connor Zilisch
Griffin Fuller: Ty Gibbs
Robert Hill Jr: Kyle Larson
Cash James: Riley Herbst
Terra Jones: Ty Gibbs
Gregory Latham: Chase Elliott
Mark Matthews: Alex Bowman
Daniel Smith: Joey Logano
Jane Waldrop: Bubba Wallace
Marvin Wingfield: Ross Chastain