The twists and turns of the new 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte Motor Speedway road course and oval combination will be a sight to see for fans, but a race full of unknowns for drivers and teams.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will line ’em up for the first time on the brand-new circuit for the Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the Round of 16 finale of the Playoffs. It’s the perfect storm of pressure to move further in the postseason, mixed with the anxiety of tackling what’s sure to be a riveting event.
Though there’s one driver who won’t be sweating it, more so than all the rest.
That’s Kyle Busch.
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Sure, like Busch, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. really don’t have much to worry about since they’re locked into the Round of 12. Add Kevin Harvick to that list once he merely starts the race and you have four competitors out to win the inaugural event or potentially crash out trying without cause for concern.
But Busch came out of the gate swinging, rocketing to the top of the speed charts during Friday’s opening practice session, hustling the No. 18 Toyota around the course for the fastest lap at 106.397 mph.
In Saturday’s early practice, Busch posted the fifth-fastest time at 104.753 mph, and his lap in the final session landed him 11th on the board at 104.382 mph.
Busch also posted the fastest lap times in both the morning and afternoon sessions during testing back in July. Witnessing July’s test sessions firsthand with the full collection of drivers, Busch’s art of attacking the road course was visually apparent.
A bit of work lies ahead for Busch to get to the front in Sunday’s race after a 14th-place qualifying effort, a tougher task than usual as finding the best places to pass will pose the biggest challenge with all 40 cars on the course at once for the first time. As long as he can stay out of trouble, the speed Busch has shown throughout the weekend should help that cause.
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Coming off his seventh win of the 2018 season at Richmond, Busch has a wave of momentum on his side. He’s also shown road-course prowess at Sonoma and Watkins Glen throughout his career, with two wins apiece at each track and average finishes of 16.2 and 9.4, respectively.
Gaining as many stage points and playoff points is always a top priority, and Busch isn’t in dire straits to collect them with the cushion he built during the regular season.
With all that in mind, Busch can go all out for the win without much consequence. And when “Rowdy” has a fast car and nothing to lose, it’s always scary for the competition.