Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, found the perfect way to start his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season; win the first race of the year by leading 171 of 200 laps at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem this past Sunday.

Chase Elliott claimed NASCAR's first checkered flag of 2025 on Sunday night in Winston-Salem, winning the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium for his first victory in the Cup Series' preseason event.

Chase Elliott started Sunday's race out front, and that's where he stayed for much of the night. Elliott finished in first place, taking home his first ever Clash win. He led 171 of 200 laps, while last year's winner, Denny Hamlin, led for 28 laps.

Elliott started on the pole and led 171 of the race’s 200 laps Sunday night in the first Cup race at the historic Winston-Salem venue since 1971.

After leading 171 laps, there wasn’t much else that Chase Elliott could have done on Sunday night in the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray. So, how did he do it? It definitely didn’t hurt that the Most Popular Driver had the fastest car of the weekend.

NASCAR returned to its roots with a fight-free preseason exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium and a popular victory with Chase Elliott winning The Clash on Sunday night. Elliott won his heat Saturday night to start from the pole and essentially dominate on the quarter-mile track where NASCAR's Cup Series last raced in 1971.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott celebrates after winning the Cook Out Clash on Sunday night at Bowman Gray Stadium. In front of more than 15,000 fans, it was a show that NASCAR wanted and it delivered even though it was just a preseason All-Star race. Elliott wound up leading 171 of the 200 laps.

Chase Elliott won the unofficial opener to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Elliott started Sunday night’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on the pole and dominated the race. He drove away from Ryan Blaney over the last 20 laps as just 12 of the 23 cars that started the main event finished on the lead lap.