Josh Berry and Austin Cindric claimed the final two spots in NASCAR's preseason exhibition race by finishing 1-2 in the last chance qualifying heat at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.
The Clash was originally scheduled for Sunday and twice postponed because of a snowstorm that blanketed North Carolina and pushed the non-points event to Wednesday.
Berry ran away with the win in the heat race in the No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing, a team affiliated with Team Penske. Cindric had a much tougher task as he raced side-by-side for over 15 laps with Corey Lajoie for the second transfer position.
Lajoie was the injury replacement driver for Brad Keselowski, co-owner of RFK Racing, who is healing from a broken leg suffered in a fall in December. He held his own against fellow Ford driver Cindric, in a Penske entry, as the two jostled back-and-forth for second.
AJ Allmendinger as they came to the checkered flag gave Cindric a shove in the hopes of moving both Cindric and Lajoie out of his way so that Allmendinger could take the final spot. The move instead pushed Cindric firmly ahead of Lajoie for the final spot in the 200-lap Clash at the historic short track.
Bowman Gray is hosting The Clash for the second consecutive year. It was held at Daytona International Speedway for 43 years from its inception in 1979 through 2021, then moved for three seasons to a temporary track inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Among those who missed making the field for The Clash were Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Todd Gilliland, who both spent a day this week shoveling snow out of the grandstands at Bowman Gray to help NASCAR prepare the facility.
Kyle Larson, the reigning Cup Series champion, will start the The Clash from the pole alongside Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, the two-time defending Daytona 500 winner.
Denny Hamlin, who had an emotionally traumatic rollercoaster of an offseason, will start sixth in his first time in a car since he dramatically lost the Cup title in November. Hamlin revealed before the race that he re-injured a torn labrum that was surgically repaired ahead of the 2025 season when he slipped in the debris from the December house fire that killed his father and critically injured his mother.
He said he'd hold off on repairing it until the end of this upcoming season.
“I don’t think that it ever healed properly," Hamlin said. "Took a little fall at my mom’s house, going through all the rubble and stuff, and just didn’t feel right. Got it rescanned and retore it again.”
Teams report to Daytona International Speedway next week for the Feb. 15 season-opening Daytona 500. Qualifying for the pole is next Wednesday and the rest of the field will be set via a pair of Thursday races.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Kyle Larson looks on prior to NASCAR's The Clash preseason auto race at Bowman Gray Stadium, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — It's Manchester City vs. Arsenal in the English League Cup final.
The current top two in the Premier League will go head-to-head at Wembley Stadium next month after City beat Newcastle 3-1 on Wednesday to complete a 5-1 win on aggregate in the semifinals.
Both City and Arsenal are still in contention for a clean sweep of trophies this season. The League Cup is the chance to lift the first piece of major silverware this term and to potentially inflict a psychological blow in the race for the title.
“We’re here to win trophies and we give our best every day to reach these finals and win the silverware,” City forward Omar Marmoush - who scored two goals on the night - told Sky Sports.
Arsenal currently leads the standings by six points ahead of second-place City. Both teams are through to the round of 16 in the Champions League and and fourth round of the FA Cup.
The League Cup final is on March 22.
Two first-half goals from Marmoush at the Etihad effectively finished off Newcastle in a semifinal where City led 2-0 from the first leg. Tijjani Reijnders added another before the break.
Newcastle scored a consolation through substitute Anthony Elanga and prevented what looked like being a rout after the first 45 minutes.
Arsenal booked its place in the final with a 1-0 win against Chelsea on Tuesday to seal a 4-2 aggregate victory.
The final will continue the recent rivalry between the clubs, which has seen City beat Arsenal to the title in 2023 and '24. On both occasions Arsenal had led the way before being overhauled.
Mikel Arteta’s team is ahead again this season and aiming to win the title for the first time since 2004.
The League Cup would be Arteta’s first major trophy since his debut season as Arsenal manager when he won the FA Cup in 2020.
He was formerly Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City and victory in the final would see him finally beat his former colleague to a major trophy.
Guardiola, meanwhile, will get the chance to win a 16th major trophy since taking over at City in 2016 and his fifth League Cup.
City is looking to win it for the ninth time and move within one of Liverpool’s record haul of 10 in the competition.
Arsenal has won the trophy twice - most recently in 1993.
This year’s final will be a repeat of 2018, when Arteta was part of Guardiola’s coaching team as City triumphed.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
-mu9-, left, and Manchester City's Abdukodir Khusanov fight for the ball during the English League Cup semifinal soccer match soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's Omar Marmoush celebrates after scoring during the English League Cup semifinal soccer match soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates their second goal during the English League Cup semifinal soccer match soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
Manchester City's Omar Marmoush celebrates after scoring during the English League Cup semifinal soccer match soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's Omar Marmoush celebrates after scoring during the English League Cup semifinal soccer match soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
