Five to Watch: Getting Roval-ready with Charlotte story lines

Year 2 of the Roval Era at Charlotte Motor Speedway has arrived, and though it's not all-new, the uncertainty and propensity for drama still rate as high probabilities. With postseason implications in the balance, here are five story lines to follow for Sunday's Bank of America Roval 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

CAN ANYONE STOP THIS MAN? Martin Truex Jr.'s headway keeps rolling into the Roval, with two consecutive Monster Energy Series wins and a free pass into the next postseason round on the No. 19 team's side. His recent road-course prowess indicates a 3-for-3 start to the NASCAR Playoffs might not be that far-fetched. Truex has finished first or second in five of the last six road-course events. An engine issue in Saturday's final practice will increase the degree of difficulty: His Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will drop to the rear of the field for the start. "We didn't qualify well here last year. We found our way to the front," Truex said. "It's going to be a lot about strategy and having a good car on the long runs."

WILLY B. GOOD: William Byron netted a season sweep of pole positions at Charlotte with an unconventional double -- one Busch Pole on the 1.5-mile oval for the Coca-Cola 600 in May, then Friday's peerless qualifying run on the 2.28-mile Roval circuit. His qualifying speed has been a strong asset, with five poles this season, but he's still searching for his first big-league win. "Qualifying is a different beast and you're just trying to go fast for one lap," Byron said. "The race, as a whole, a number of things add up for the win."

NEW BEND TO BACKSTRETCH: The redesigned chicane on the oval's backstretch should provide an extra passing opportunity in the hard-braking zone, but the new section has already provided some consternation in the days leading up to the main event. Drivers pushing the limits of the more methodical Turns 11 and 12 will have to serve a stop-and-go penalty. "I honestly think it's more of an opportunity to make a mistake now than it was before as crazy as that is," said Clint Bowyer, who'll start fifth. "We went from one extreme to the other – very narrow, got to slow the car down a lot. You're asking a lot out of your car, your equipment to go that fast into that slow of a chicane."

PLAYOFF PERSPECTIVE: Like last year, the Charlotte road course occupies an elimination date in the NASCAR Playoffs calendar, meaning four of the 16 drivers will be knocked out of title contention after the checkered flag. Also like last year, the jockeying around the playoff bubble is tight. In 2018, 19 points separated seventh through 14th places; this season's bubble features just a 26-point gap from ninth to 15th. Only Erik Jones (16th) is in a must-win position after the team's disqualification last weekend at Richmond Raceway.

SERVING UP SURPRISES: Last season's inaugural Roval event cooked up a dilly of a finish, with Ryan Blaney rising from third place to a sudden victory after a last-lap tangle between front-runners Truex and Jimmie Johnson in the frontstretch chicane. But trouble spots lurk everywhere on the 2.28-mile circuit, with little run-off area around the 17 turns and the likely potential for a race-altering moment. "The front straightaway there is crazy. Turn 1 is crazy. Turn 2 is pretty crazy," Bowyer said. "Turn 3 there’s a really good opportunity to wreck there. Turn 4 is a little bit uneventful. Turn 5 is another crazy opportunity to wreck. I don't know if you're catching my drift, but there's a lot of opportunities to make a mistake and end your day."