NASCAR, Speedway Motorsports replace rumble strips prior to Sunday’s race

Following feedback from drivers and a review of data, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports replaced the blue rumble strips in Turn 16 prior to Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. On Saturday night following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the blue, 4-inch tall rumble strips were replaced with red-and-white stripes that measure 2.25 inches tall, shortened to lessen the violence of impacts over the curbs entering the frontstretch chicane. The new strips were painted blue, and the rules will not change for today's Round of 12 elimination race. MORE: Starting lineup | Sunday's schedule

After Saturday’s practice for the Bank of America Roval 400, drivers vocalized concerns of how abrupt the curbing felt from behind the wheel. Sections of the track's layout were reconfigured ahead of this year's running of the road-course-oval hybrid, including the frontstretch chicane.

"Running over that feels like you get a concussion every lap, basically, if you hit them," 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. said. "So yeah, not much fun."

Kyle Busch, a two-time series champion, affirmed Truex's assessment, noting comparisons to and contrasts from the previous configuration of the Watkins Glen International "Bus Stop" chicane. Prior to the 2024 season, that section of curbing caused jarring impacts lap after lap. Changes were made ahead of September's race following the collection of mouthpiece data from drivers. "Here, I think it's a sharper, faster hit," Busch said Saturday. "But it's one versus the old Bus Stop at Watkins Glen would be three of them going through there, you know what I mean. It's more violent here." Policing of the rules specific to track limits note in part:

• Vehicles must run on the full course at all times.
• Going straight at the chicane(s) may result in a stop-and-go penalty.
• In the closing laps of the race, if there is not enough time to assess a pass-through penalty, a post-race time penalty of 30 seconds will be assessed to the vehicle's total time.