Ryan Preece has won the first race of 2026, winning the Cook Out Clash exhibition race on Wednesday night.

He becomes the third driver all-time to win the Clash before earning his first career Cup win, joining Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin.

The race served as the unofficial start of the 2026 NASCAR season as Cup Series drivers took the green flag at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The race was originally scheduled for Sunday, but winter weather caused it to be postponed.

The 200-lap race took place on the short track inside the stadium that hosts Winston-Salem State University football games. Twenty-three drivers, including Preece, participated in the main event, following a Last Chance Qualifier immediately before the Cook Out Clash.

While no points were awarded and the race has no effect on the season standings, there was prize money to be won (the total purse in 2025 was $3,002,500). The event also provided drivers a chance to get reacclimated to race conditions before the action shifts to Daytona International Speedway and the iconic Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

2026 NASCAR Cook Out Clash results

Ryan Preece
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe
Austin Dillon
Chris Buescher
Ross Chastain
Alex Bowman
Joey Logano
Josh Berry
Christopher Bell
Ty Gibbs
Carson Hocevar
Kyle Larson
Chase Elliott
Connor Zilisch
Kyle Busch
Shane van Gisbergen
Austin Cindric
Tyler Reddick
Bubba Wallace

Ryan Preece wins 2026 NASCAR Cook Out Clash

Ryan Preece wins the first race of the year in North Carolina.

Cars are allowed to refuel at lap 166

All cars were allowed to receive fuel during the 166 laps. While cars are there for a pit stop, they are not allowed to make any other adjustments, including new cars, etc.

The race has 35 laps remaining.

Carson Hocevar’s team was seen switching tires during the stop. According to the Fox broadcast, Hocevar’s car was forced to switch back to wet tires after the tires they were previously switched to were not considered eligible. Hocevar did receive a penalty for the adjustment.

Ryan Preece retakes the lead at lap 156

Ryan Preece retook the lead with authority during the 156th lap to move ahead of Shane van Gisbergen. Preece made a move inside of van Gisbergen. Preece has remained in the lead through lap 161.

Caution flag out for Kyle Larson

There was a delay in the action for a caution flag. Kyle Larson’s car stalled after running out of fuel during the 153rd lap. According to the Fox broadcast, the race has seen 152 green-flag laps but has also seen 133 laps that were under caution.

Short track, short tempers

Daniel Suarez was tailing Bubba Wallace during a restart and giving him the business. Wallace responded by slamming his No. 23 car into Suarez’s No. 7.

Carson Hocevar takes his first lead of the race

Lead changes have been minimal, but through all the cautions, stoppages, and restarts, it was Carson Hocevar who came out with the lead, and a sizable one at that.

It appears drivers are getting more aggressive in the middle of the pack as well. We’ve had several close calls and four-stacks going around corners already, which have nearly resulted in catastrophe. But cautions have been avoided entirely.

Small pile up on 122

The restart took longer than expected, but perhaps the weather is still playing a factor. Just 20 laps after the restart, that’s 5 miles of total track and we had our biggest collision of the night, a three-car trap that included Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Ryan Blaney.

Both Wallace and Cindric had already experienced minor spins earlier in the race. Their opportunities to return to the front of the pack just got harder.

Short stoppage

Just over halfway through the race (102 laps in), a short stoppage — expected to be ten minutes — has been called due to inclement weather. The rain has gotten serious enough that the drivers are suffering slippage.

The drivers will swap tires to rubber more suited for wet conditions and the race will resume shortly.

Kyle Larson loses lead

Despite leading for nearly the entire race, with Chase Briscoe trailing close behind, it was William Byron who would be the first person to take the lead from Larson. Larson has fallen back drastically, down to eighth.

The restart after a spinout from Austin Cindric gave Byron all the room he needed to take advantage. We’re on lap 83, closing in on halfway.

Bubba Wallace suffers minor spin out lap 53

It’s been a tough go for most racers so far. In fact, for many of the drivers, positions haven’t changed from where we started. However, we finally got our first real shakeup as a small bump caused Bubba Wallace to suffer a minor spin out.

The setback was nothing serious as Wallace was back in the race just moments later, but it was the first major shakeup in the race since it started. Kyle Larson remains out in front with a solid lead more than a quarter of the way through the race.

Moment of silence for Greg Biffle prior to race

Prior to Wednesday’s race, the crowd at Winston-Salem in North Carolina had a moment of silence in honor of Greg Biffle who died in a plane crash on December 18, 2025 in North Carolina.

The moment of silence was followed up with motivational speeches and a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner from officers in the Winston-Salem police department.

The race begins next.

What time is the NASCAR Cook Out Clash?

The 2026 Cook Out Clash is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. ET.

It will be preceded by practice sessions and qualifying beginning at 11 a.m. ET, a Last Chance Qualifier at 4:30 p.m. ET and a pre-race show at 5:30 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cook Out Clash on?

The 2026 Cook Out Clash will be televised nationally on FOX at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Practice and qualifying will be televised live on FS2 Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. The Last Chance Qualifier can be seen on FOX and HBO Max at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cook Out Clash?

The 2026 Cook Out Clash can be streamed on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app. All NASCAR races on Fox or FS1 can also be streamed on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Stream the Cook Out Clash on Fubo

How do drivers advance to the NASCAR Cook Out Clash

The 20 fastest drivers in qualifying will advance to the main event. The remaining 18 drivers will fight for two transfer spots in the Last Chance Qualifier. The top two finishers in the LCQ will advance to the main event, with a provisional reserved for the driver who finished highest in 2025 driver points that did not otherwise advance.

NASCAR Cook Out Clash: How to watch

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 4
Location: Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV channel: Fox
Streaming: FoxSports.com, Fubo

USC, LSU, Oregon, and Texas Tech are highlighted as winners of the recent college football recruiting cycle.
Penn State, Baylor, and Auburn are listed as losers, facing challenges from coaching changes and decommitments.
The transfer portal and NIL era have significantly changed roster management, making it difficult to retain recruiting classes.

Signing a great college football recruiting class is one thing. Keeping that class together for multiple years of development is another.

Based on how roster management has changed in the portal and NIL era, Bowl Subdivision programs will struggle to keep half of their signees in any given class on campus for the duration of their college eligibility.

In fact, a 50% hit rate would be superb. More than 4,000 players entered the portal this winter, representing about a quarter of the FBS.

But even as Indiana bucks history to win a championship behind a transfer-heavy roster, the key to success in the Power Four is to use transfers to augment a roster largely built and developed through traditional recruiting.

With this year’s recruiting cycle complete, let’s break down the biggest winner and losers from the second national signing day:

Winners

Southern California

USC signed the nation’s third-largest class with 35 traditional signees. Leading the way are a pair of five-star recruits in edge rusher Luke Wafle and tight end Mark Bowman. While over half of the class hails from California, the Trojans also inked two of the top four prospects out of Texas and two of the top eight prospects from Ohio. There are multiple freshmen in this group capable of adding immediate depth or even grabbing starting roles from the start, which should help USC climb the ladder in the Big Ten and compete for a College Football Playoff berth in 2026.

LSU

The Tigers’ transfer haul featured some of the best prospects in the portal in quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen. That’s only increased the hype heading into Lane Kiffin’s debut. The past month has also seen LSU add bodies up front via a pair of junior college linemen in Adrian Lamb and Jakolby Jones, completing a rapid overhaul of the offensive front. Lamb chose the Tigers over offers from SEC rivals Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina.

Oregon

No team signed more five stars than the Ducks’ quartet of offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, tight end Kendre’ Harrison, pass rusher Anthony Jones and wide receiver Jalen Lott. All four should find early playing time; Iheanacho is expected to start and Lott should land in a supporting role behind established starters Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart. The second signing period included two new additions in running back Brandon Smith and three-star defensive lineman Anthony Jones. Smith joins fellow four-star recruit Tradarian Ball in adding even more juice to an already impressive backfield while Jones will help replenish a defensive front that lost significant depth to the transfer portal.

Texas Tech

While known more for dominating the transfer portal, Texas Tech also signed the top-rated recruiting class in the Big 12, led by a pair of key signings – five-star edge rusher LaDamion Guyton and offensive tackle Felix Ojo. While Ojo should land on the two-deep as a freshman, Guyton is destined for a meaty role given the Red Raiders’ offseason losses on the defensive front – though Guyton won’t arrive in Lubbock until after the spring, shortening his adjustment period before the start of the regular season. Another newcomer capable of stepping right into the mix is wide receiver Chase Campbell, a key local recruit who joins a crowded but somewhat unproven rotation.

Losers

Penn State

James Franklin’s firing, Matt Campbell’s arrival and Franklin’s move to Virginia Tech combined to keep this transition class near the bottom of the Big Ten. And signing a smaller group isn’t a huge deal given the Nittany Lions’ transfer haul, which includes some high-profile carryovers from Iowa State in quarterback Rocco Becht and safety Marcus Neal. Campbell also pulled off a late recruiting coup in defensive lineman Elijah Reeder, who blossomed into one of the top edge rushers in this cycle. But the class is still short on star power with just a pair of four stars and no recruit who seems assured of playing a major role in 2026.

Baylor

Baylor was one of the big losers of the early signing period after losing offensive tackle Kole Seaton to Oklahoma State, four-star receiver Jordan Clay to Washington, four-star defensive lineman Jamarion Carlton to Texas and four-star defensive backs Jamarion Vincent and Jordan Deck to Michigan. That left the Bears around the top 70 nationally and near the bottom of the Big 12. They rallied to add two in-state recruits this past month in running back HD Davis and linebacker Jahiem Porter, but both are developmental prospects who combined for just one additional Power Four scholarship offer.

Auburn

Auburn and new coach Alex Golesh did sign five four-star recruits, more than five teams in the SEC. Leading the way is local edge rusher Jaquez Wilkes, who stuck to his commitment through the coaching change despite offers from many of the top programs in the Power Four. But the Tigers also suffered a rash of high-profile decommitments, losing safety Bralan Womack to Mississippi State, wide receiver Jase Matthews to Mississippi, edge rusher Hezekiah Harris to Tennessee and receiver Devin Carter to Florida State.

Forward Artemi Panarin is off the trade market and the free agent market.

The New York Rangers traded Panarin on Wednesday. Feb. 4 to the Los Angeles Kings, who signed the high-scoring winger to a two-year contract extension averaging $11 million a year. The Rangers received prospect forward Liam Greentree and conditional third- (2026) and fourth-round (2028) picks.

Panarin, 34, was the latest player to come off a list of what had been an impressive unrestricted free agent class. Kirill Kaprizov signed a record extension and has been joined by Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Martin Necas and Adrian Kempe.

Here are some of the top remaining pending unrestricted free agents:

Top remaining free agents

10. Anders Lee, New York Islanders

He has been the Islanders’ captain since 2018 and is good for 20-plus goals. He had 29 last season. Current cap hit: $7 million.

9. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer is 40. He’ll either re-sign with Washington or retire. He hasn’t indicated his plans. Current cap hit: $9 million.

8. Kiefer Sherwood, San Jose Sharks

He was the runaway leader in hits last season and is in second place this season. He also has 17 goals and was traded by the Canucks this season. Current cap hit: $1.5 million

7. John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Carlson is the Capitals’ all-time leader in scoring among defensemen and is a key to their power play. He’s the one who sets up Ovechkin’s one-timers. Current cap hit: $8 million.

6. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers

The goalie has won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles and two Vezina Trophies. He’ll be 38 next season. Current cap hit: $10 million.

5. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

The 39-year-old has expressed an interest in playing more and he’s making a case with 43 points in his first 40 games. He missed some time with an injury but has won three Stanley Cup titles in his storied career. Current cap hit: $6.1 million.

4. Darren Raddysh, Tampa Bay Lightning

The defenseman is having a breakout season with 17 goals and 51 points while filling in during Victor Hedman’s two injuries. Current cap hit: $975,000.

3. Rasmus Andersson, Vegas Golden Knights

The defenseman was traded to the Golden Knights this season by the Flames. He can provide offense with a 50- and a 49-point season. Current cap hit: $4.55 million.

2. Nick Schmaltz, Utah Mammoth

The forward keeps improving every year. The winger usually gets 20-plus goals and 60-plus points, and he’s already at 22 goals and 51 points this season. Current cap hit: $5.85 million.

1. Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres

The forward can score (two 36-goal seasons) and also kills penalties. He wants to stay in Buffalo and new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen wants to keep him. Current cap hit: $4.75 million.

Penn State men’s hockey star and projected top NHL draft pick Gavin McKenna has been charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and two summary offenses for disorderly conduct and harassment, according to court documents.

The charges — which were filed on Wednesday, Feb. 4 in Centre County, Pennsylvania — stem from what was reported to be an alleged altercation in downtown State College on Saturday, Jan. 31, hours after Penn State had lost 5-4 to Michigan State in overtime in a game at Beaver Stadium in front of a crowd of 74,575.

The aggravated assault charge is a first-degree felony for “attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference.”

The case is currently assigned to Magisterial District Judge Casey M. McClain in State College Borough. A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Penn State isn’t scheduled to play again until a February 12 matchup at No. 1 Michigan.

A Penn State spokesperson said to the York Daily Record, a part of the USA TODAY Network, that university officials ‘are aware that charges have been filed, however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment.’

The 18-year-old McKenna, a freshman, is widely viewed as one of the top picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. He is rated by NHL.com as the No. 1 prospect in the draft.

The Whitehorse, Yukon native has a team-high 21 assists and 32 points this season, as well as 11 goals, for Penn State. The Nittany Lions are one year removed from their first Frozen Four appearance and are No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports college hockey rankings with an 18-8 record.

Last year, McKenna was named the player of the year in the Western Hockey League while playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers, whom he led to a WHL championship. The six-foot, 170-pound left winger was also named the Canadian Hockey League player of the year after recording 173 points in 76 games between the regular-season, playoffs and Memorial Cup. The then-17-year-old McKenna became the third-youngest CHL player of the year, behind only Sidney Crosby and John Tavares.

He committed to Penn State last July during an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” According to a report last year from ESPN, McKenna earned a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal from Penn State that’s ‘in the ballpark’ of $700,000.

Further acknowledging a mistake made, the Dallas Mavericks took another step to undo the infamous Luka Dončić trade.

The Mavericks have reportedly shipped the headliner of that deal, forward-center Anthony Davis, to the Washington Wizards.

The deal generates interesting implications, so how do we make sense of what this means? Here are grades for the Mavericks-Wizards Anthony Davis trade:

Anthony Davis trade grades

Washington Wizards

This really is intriguing. Washington has been in a rebuild for the better part of the last decade, but coach Brian Keefe has shown this season that he can get flashes of production from an incredibly young roster. In fact, the team’s starting lineup during a Jan. 24 loss against the Hornets had an average age of 20.64 years, the youngest average age of a starting lineup since the NBA began tracking that data in 1970-71, according to Elias.

But the Wizards have won only 13 games, tied for fewest in the East. This was a team that desperately needed steady, veteran leadership, yes, but is this the most effective way to elevate the team out of a rebuild? Paired with the trade that shipped Trae Young to Washington, the Wizards now have a pair of veterans with 14 combined All-Star selections. But there’s some significant risk here.

Davis played just 29 games for the Mavericks since the February 2025 trade and has faced constant injury concerns throughout his career. In fact, he’s currently sidelined with a left-hand issue and appears to be a few weeks away from a return. Similarly, Young is out with a sprained right knee and bruised quadriceps.

For these deals to be fruitful, Davis and Young need to be healthy and available. But they also have to gel. The Wizards rank dead last in net rating (-10.7) and second-to-last in both offensive rating (109.3) and defensive rating (120.0). Young is a defensive liability. Davis (20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game) should provide stability on both ends.

Keefe will need to get Davis, 32, and Young, 27, to buy in and lead Washington’s young players. This was certainly a team that needed to make calculated moves. But if it doesn’t work, the Wizards could continue to find themselves at the bottom of the standings.

One way the Wizards mitigated some risk in this deal is that none of the draft picks they traded were their own. So if Washington remains in the lottery, those picks will stay with the team.

Grade: B

Dallas Mavericks

It was clear the fit with Davis was never seamless. Perhaps, in an alternate universe in which star point guard Kyrie Irving doesn’t tear his anterior cruciate ligament, the Mavericks could’ve sustained the post-Dončić era.

But that’s not reality and the Mavericks are paying for the sins of former general manager Nico Harrison. Interim co-GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi made this deal to make the best of a tough situation. The franchise saw the recent stellar play of 19-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg and understood that it needs to build around him. This is something that is going to take years. It’s not an enviable position, and the draft picks coming back seemingly won’t be top-of-draft selections.

Despite moments of competitive play, Dallas has lost five consecutive games and probably understood that a pathway toward the play-in picture was doubtful. The Mavericks are sitting at 19-31 and seemingly believe that it’s better to admit a mistake than compound it. Put another way: the Mavericks considered Davis to be a sunk cost, especially considering that he was set to make $112.6 million through the 2026-27 season, with a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.

This does provide some financial flexibility for Dallas to be more aggressive with its roster construction.

Dallas also holds its own 2026 first-rounder. This is a draft loaded with talent at the top, so the Mavericks could even package their new draft capital to move up and target a player of their choosing.

Davis was barely playing for the Mavericks. Dallas at least squeezed as much value as possible out of him.

Grade: C+

LIVIGNO, Italy – Mary Carillo will host NBC’s 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony coverage after original host Savannah Guthrie stepped down, as her mother Nancy remains missing.

Carillo and Terry Gannon, who was originally Guthrie’s co-host for the ceremony, will anchor the show, which starts at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6.

Nancy Guthrie has been missing for an unknown amount of time from her Arizona home. A Feb. 1 911 call reported her absence. Authorities believe she ‘was taken.’ TMZ and a local CBS affiliate reported that their news outlets received ransom notes, but authorities have not verified their authenticity.

Savannah Guthrie hosted the Thanksgiving Day parade in November and was part of the opening ceremony coverage two years ago at the Summer Games in Paris.

‘Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time,’ an NBC spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement on Feb. 3.

NBC has its talent resources spread heading into the weekend. The network is airing Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, with Mike Tirico – the typical Olympics primetime host – on the call. His presence in northern California, along with others capable of performing the job such as Maria Taylor, complicated matters for NBC.

Tirico will travel to Milan and anchor the primetime coverage from there after the Super Bowl.

Carillo lived for two years in Milan as a child, according to NBC. She hosted three closing ceremonies, the most recent being Rio in 2016. Shaun White will be in the booth for the parade of athletes, as previously announced.

On Wednesday, Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) announced it signed Pickens to the league’s first NIL deal. As part of the partnership, the ace will help raise awareness about the AUSL through marketing and social media posts. The pro softball league says the signing is a ‘strategic move’ to connect college softball to the pro level.“When I was growing up, I didn’t really see [pro] softball … I watched the Olympics, but outside of college, I didn’t really think there was an option to go pro,” Pickens said via release. “It’s been just a few years, and now everyone’s dream is to go to AUSL and continue their softball career.”

Pickens made college history last season when she threw the fastest pitch ever recorded.

On March 24, 2025, Pickens threw a 78.2 mph pitch against Arkansas. It broke a previous record held by Monica Abbott. Two months later, on May 24, 2025, the Tennessee pitcher broke her own record with a 79.4 mph pitch to Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm. Pickens finished her junior season with Tennessee with a 25-11 record, 306 strikeouts and a 1.17 ERA.The Lady Volunteers’ season begins on Thursday, Feb. 5, against BYU in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. The 2026 season for AUSL begins June 9, 2026.

It’s finally time to start your engines, NASCAR fans.

The 2026 season begins Monday night when Cup Series drivers take the green flag for the Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The race was originally scheduled for Sunday, but winter weather caused it to be postponed.

The 200-lap race will take place on the short track inside the stadium that hosts Winston-Salem State University football games. Twenty-three drivers will participate in the main event, following a Last Chance Qualifier immediately before the Cook Out Clash.

While no points will be awarded and the race has no effect on the 2026 season standings, there is prize money to be won (the total purse in 2025 was $3,002,500). The event also provides drivers a chance to get reacclimated to race conditions before the action shifts to Daytona International Speedway and the iconic Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

Bubba Wallace suffers minor spin out lap 53

It’s been a tough go for most racers so far. In fact, for many of the drivers, positions haven’t changed from where we started. However, we finally got our first real shakeup as a small bump caused Bubba Wallace to suffer a minor spin out.

The setback was nothing serious as Wallace was back in the race just moments later, but it was the first major shakeup in the race since it started. Kyle Larson remains out in front with a solid lead more than a quarter of the way through the race.

Moment of silence for Greg Biffle prior to race

Prior to Wednesday’s race, the crowd at Winston-Salem in North Carolina had a moment of silence in honor of Greg Biffle who died in a plane crash on December 18, 2025 in North Carolina.

The moment of silence was followed up with motivational speeches and a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner from officers in the Winston-Salem police department.

The race begins next.

What time is the NASCAR Cook Out Clash?

The 2026 Cook Out Clash is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. ET.

It will be preceded by practice sessions and qualifying beginning at 11 a.m. ET, a Last Chance Qualifier at 4:30 p.m. ET and a pre-race show at 5:30 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cook Out Clash on?

The 2026 Cook Out Clash will be televised nationally on FOX at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Practice and qualifying will be televised live on FS2 Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. The Last Chance Qualifier can be seen on FOX and HBO Max at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cook Out Clash?

The 2026 Cook Out Clash can be streamed on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app. All NASCAR races on Fox or FS1 can also be streamed on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Stream the Cook Out Clash on Fubo

How do drivers advance to the NASCAR Cook Out Clash

The 20 fastest drivers in qualifying will advance to the main event. The remaining 18 drivers will fight for two transfer spots in the Last Chance Qualifier. The top two finishers in the LCQ will advance to the main event, with a provisional reserved for the driver who finished highest in 2025 driver points that did not otherwise advance.

NASCAR Cook Out Clash: How to watch

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 4
Location: Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV channel: Fox
Streaming: FoxSports.com, Fubo