Ryan Preece outlasted sleet, a soaked track, and a record number of cautions to win The Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium, claiming his first NASCAR Cup Series victory for RFK Racing in near-freezing conditions. The race, originally scheduled for Sunday, had been delayed twice by snow.

Sleet hit just after the halfway point Wednesday, prompting a temporary halt for wet-weather tires. Racing resumed on a slick track, only for a collision between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson to collect Kyle Busch. Spins, pit stops, and fueling delays extended the 200-lap race past Fox’s broadcast window, with the final 35 laps airing on cable.

Preece, who climbed through Northeast modifieds before joining Cup full-time in 2020, was emotional in victory lane: “Two years ago I didn’t think I had a job, I thought I was going back to Connecticut. I’m super, super, super emotional.” He thanked RFK co-owner Brad Keselowski for the opportunity: “It’s been a long road…years and years of grinding.” Preece joins Jeff Gordon and Hamlin as drivers who won The Clash before a points-paying victory, setting momentum for the Daytona 500.

William Byron finished second, followed by Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suárez in his Spire Motorsports debut. Hamlin recovered to fifth despite reinjuring a torn labrum suffered in a December house fire. Josh Berry and Austin Cindric advanced through Last Chance Qualifying, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Todd Gilliland missed the field despite helping clear snow from the grandstands.

The event, hosted at Bowman Gray for a second consecutive year after decades at Daytona, ranked among NASCAR’s coldest races, with temperatures hovering near freezing throughout the sleet-soaked showdown.