The future of the Clash, a surprisingly good run at Bowman Gray Stadium and more chatter from Sunday's exhibition race.

It’s not hyperbole to describe Sunday night’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium as an unequivocal success. That was the overwhelming consensus of race fans and competitors alike after Chase Elliott outlasted hard-charging Ryan Blaney to win the season-opening exhibition race for the first time.

NASCAR experimented by moving The Clash to Bowman Gray this year and by all accounts it was a smashing success. The race itself was excellent and the reaction from everyone around the event was exceptionally positive.