Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (⏰ 2 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, NBC Sports App | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at the Roval, the second playoff-elimination event of the 2022 campaign.
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Where: Concord, North Carolina Approximate start time: 2 p.m. ET | Weekend schedule TV/Radio: NBC, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule The purse: $7,262,080 Forecast: Sunny with a high near 77 degrees, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker Race distance: 109 laps | 252.88 miles Stages: 25 | 50 | 109 Pit-road speed: 40 mph Caution car speed: 45 mph Grand Marshal: UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis Roval 101: Get the full lowdown Starting lineup: Where drivers will start Sunday Cars to the rear: No. 1 (unapproved adjustments), No. 6 (unapproved adjustments), No. 10 (engine change), No. 17 (unapproved adjustments), No. 27 (unapproved adjustments), No. 50 (unapproved adjustments), No. 78 (multiple inspection failures, plus pass-through penalty after the start) Pit stalls: Where drivers will pit on Sunday Playoff grid: Print yours now Key things to watch 🔑 Big story line It's tense, it's unpredictable, it's the Roval. This race has provided its share of drama through the years, especially as it pertains to the Cup Series Playoffs. With seven spots in the Round of 8 up for grabs, teams will need to put together their best performance of the season while avoiding mistakes, acing strategy and maximizing every chance at earning points — much easier said than done. It is no secret that the Round of 12 was perhaps the most difficult three-race stretch in the entire playoffs. If you can advance through this unpredictable round, you have a much better shot at controlling your destiny moving forward. The 2022 Cup Series champion won't be crowned on Sunday, but for four title hopefuls, their chance to reach the pinnacle of stock-car racing will end with the checkered flag. Which stars will shine the brightest Sunday? | Full playoff standings | Bubble Watch Who's hot? Who's not? A few drivers have been stellar at the Roval, including 2021 winner Kyle Larson. But as we all know, Chase Elliott still deserves to be considered the "driver to beat" each time the series heads to the challenging Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Elliott is the all-time winner here with two wins in the four races since its inception and has led laps in each of the last three races. He has also scored valuable stage points in all but one of the stages, a remarkable feat. Elliott is locked into the Round of 8 via his Talladega win. But as Larson proved a season ago, there is no limit to momentum when chasing a championship. Look for Elliott to continue his remarkable 2022 season on Sunday. Surprisingly, Ross Chastain has struggled at the Roval in his career. In three starts he has never finished better than 22nd and has never led a lap. Chastain is in solid standing heading into Sunday, but if he fails to run well early, other drivers could put pressure on the No. 1 team in the final Stage. Looking on the bright side, boosted by Trackhouse Racing, Chastain's road-course performances have been much improved this season and they are arguably one of the top three teams to beat on this track type. Ending this Charlotte Roval slump on Sunday would provide a confidence boost for Chastain and company moving forward. Breaking down the Roval's winding turns Driving under the radar Not many people had Chase Briscoe carrying the mantle for Stewart-Haas Racing in just his second full-time season in the Cup Series. But entering Charlotte just below the elimination line, Briscoe has a very good opportunity to advance to the Round of 8 and become a legitimate championship contender. He also has another thing on his side: momentum. Entering Sunday, Briscoe's fifth-place result at Texas Motor Speedway and 10th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway proves he can be consistent even in the most challenging rounds. With issues and misfortune happening to title contenders almost every week, that consistency can carry him a long way. In a season full of underdog stories, Briscoe has a chance to write the best one of them all. Saturday's sessions Joey Logano has been sneaky good at road courses throughout his career, managing solid finishes and consistently impressive points days. Well, Saturday kicked off another road-course event for the No. 22 team in the best way possible by earning the Busch Light Pole Award. Logano's pole achievement is the 25th of his career and a statement of how in form he and his team have been so far in these playoffs. Logano was also fourth overall in practice, trailing AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric and William Byron, the last of whom has the most career laps led at the Roval. Allmendinger rocketed to the top of the board with just a four-lap run at a best time of 81.732 seconds at 102.188 miles per hour — still a far cry from Logano's blistering 80.755-second time in qualifying. 'Dinger has four wins in six starts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course when including his Xfinity Series results. He will start seventh. | Full practice and qualifying recap | Ross Chastain spins into the barrier [caption id="attachment_369153" align="aligncenter" width="922"]