WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Mother Nature appears ready to throw a full-body block on NASCAR’s plans this weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium, with the latest weather models hinting at snow, cold and general Piedmont mischief aimed squarely at the Clash.
The forecast has turned the opening weekend of the 2026 season into a chess match — or maybe checkers, depending on how icy the board gets — and NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer is the guy holding every piece. Whether that means racing as soon as the snow clears, punting the whole thing to next weekend to protect ratings and attendance, or trimming the show down to just the main event, the call runs straight through Sawyer’s desk.
That includes deciding if fans get the full Bowman Gray experience — Sportsman, Modifieds, heat races and all the beautiful chaos — or a streamlined “get-it-in-and-get-home” special. Either way, Sawyer is the showrunner here, calmly weighing safety, spectacle and common sense while the weather tries to steal the spotlight.
Sawyer has long been one of NASCAR’s steady hands, and weekends like this highlight why. While the forecast throws haymakers, NASCAR’s leadership has stayed transparent, communicative and proactive, working through contingencies instead of hiding from them. It’s a strong start to 2026 — not because the weather cooperated, but because the decision-making has.
NASCAR deserves credit for pushing hard to race at Bowman Gray, a place that defines short-track grit even when the thermometer disagrees. If the Clash runs, it’ll be because NASCAR fought for it. If it waits, it’ll be because the sport put fans, teams and the product first.
Either way, Elton Sawyer remains the man in the tower — part race director, part meteorologist, part snowplow operator — trying to get the season started while winter makes one last, very loud argument.
If there’s a show, it will be in the hands of Sawyer.
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