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.

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.

NASCAR returns to its roots Sunday with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, which last played host to a Cup Series event more than 50 years ago. After three years on a temporary short track at the Los Angeles Coliseum, NASCAR has moved The Clash to the 0.25-mile track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, known as “The Madhouse.”