Bowman Gray Stadium
| The Madhouse | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Auto racing oval (1939–present) | |||||||||
| Location | 1250 South Martin Luther King Drive Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27107 | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST) | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°4′58″N 80°13′20″W / 36.08278°N 80.22222°W | ||||||||
| Capacity | 17,000 | ||||||||
| Owner | City of Winston-Salem (1938–present) | ||||||||
| Operator | NASCAR (auto racing) Winston-Salem State University (gridiron football) | ||||||||
| Broke ground | February 23, 1937 | ||||||||
| Opened | May 1, 1938 | ||||||||
| Major events | Current: NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash (2025) Myers Brothers 250 (1958–1971) | ||||||||
| Website | bowmangrayracing | ||||||||
| Oval (1937–present) | |||||||||
| Surface | Asphalt | ||||||||
| Length | 0.250 miles (0.402 km) | ||||||||
| Turns | 4 | ||||||||
| Race lap record | 0:14.161 ( Chase Elliott, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, 2025, NASCAR Cup Series) | ||||||||
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Bowman Gray Stadium is a multi-use sports facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The complex consists of a 0.25 mi (0.40 km) paved oval short track and a gridiron football field. The complex has held various major events since its opening in 1938, including NASCAR-sanctioned events and college football games for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Winston-Salem State Rams. Bowman Gray Stadium is owned by the city of Winston-Salem and operated by both NASCAR and Winston-Salem State University for events.
Built during the Great Depression, Bowman Gray Stadium opened in 1938, hosting football games and festivals in its first year. Auto racing made its first appearance the year after. After a short-lived attempt, racing was revived in 1947 when the dirt track around the football field was paved under promoter Lou Franco. Two years later, businessmen Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins took over the stadium's racing promotions under the sanctioning body of NASCAR, with racing becoming a mainstay after NASCAR's rise in popularity. Over the following decades, the stadium's condition declined steadily. In 1990s and 2000s, a series of renovations were made to the stadium, improving its amenities and condition. In the 2020s, further renovations to the stadium were made, leading to the return of the top-tier NASCAR Cup Series after over 50 years of absence.