Posted on October 12, 2024October 13, 2024 by Cameron Richardson

Bank of America ROVAL 400

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | NBC | NBC Sports App | PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, Concord, North Carolina
Track length: 2.28 miles
Race purse: $8,056,677
Race distance: 109 laps | 248.52 miles
Stages: 25 | 50 | 109
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Starting lineup: Shane van Gisbergen to lead field to green Sunday
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: AJ Allmendinger, October 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Saturday belonged to Shane van Gisbergen at the Charlotte Roval as he won both poles for the Xfinity and Cup Series events. With a hot lap of 99.246 mph, the 35-year-old driver earned his first Cup Series pole by holding off playoff driver Tyler Reddick, who will start on the front row with him. AJ Allmendinger and a pair of Team Penske teammates below the elimination line in Joey Logano and Austin Cindric completed the top five in Sunday’s starting lineup.

Kyle Larson (sixth), Chase Elliott (seventh) and William Byron (10th) rounded out the group of playoff drivers entering Sunday’s Round of 12 elimination race with good track position. Chase Briscoe will start last among the playoff field in 25th.

Denny Hamlin struggled in both practice and qualifying, citing his car being “too loose” in the infield section of the course over the No. 11 team’s radio. He finished 23rd in practice and will start 18th on Sunday. | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Reddick, Elliott, Logano fighting for Round of 8 berths on elimination line

The big elephant in the room is how the reconfigurations in the frontstretch and on the transition to the oval will affect the racing this weekend, but the battle right on the elimination line is quite intriguing.

Regular-season champion Tyler Reddick, 2020 series champ Chase Elliott and two-time titleholder Joey Logano are seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, in the playoff standings with Elliott and Logano separated by 13 points for the final spot while the No. 45 driver sits just one point ahead of Elliott.

All three drivers could be considered title favorites with their postseason history or performance in 2024 but why this is such an interesting battle is that all three drivers are strong at the Roval. The trio all rank in the top five for average finish in the six-race history of the event, with Logano having the lowest among the three at a whopping 8.7 clip. Elliott is the only driver among the three to win at the Roval and he’s the only Cup driver with multiple wins at the oval/road-course hybrid.

If playoff history means anything, the No. 22 Team Penske driver is not getting eliminated Sunday. In every even year since the birth of the elimination format in 2014, Logano has made the Championship 4, which means one of Elliott or Reddick is trending toward a surprise bounce from the 2024 playoffs.

Knowing Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe’s willingness to take some big risks to maximize a result, both Elliott and Reddick need to keep the No. 22 in their sight or the writing could be on the wall for their quests for the Bill France Trophy.

History tells us…

A past champion gets eliminated Sunday. Since the introduction of the Roval in 2018, a past Cup Series champion has been eliminated in every race at the Charlotte road course whether the race was held in the Round of 16 (2018, 2019) or Round of 12 (since 2020). In order, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski all saw their playoff campaigns end in their respective years. Oh, and as mentioned earlier, Elliott and Logano are the last in and first out of the Round of 8 picture.

Elliott and Logano are more than capable of bucking that trend with their past performances at the road course, but with double-digit points for Logano to make up on those above him, it will be a tall task barring mistakes from any drivers that are in a comfortable position entering Sunday.

Defending series champion Ryan Blaney is 25 points to the good on his teammate, which could also put him within the trend’s dreaded reach this weekend.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

ZANE SMITH. Sure, some of Smith’s best results this year have come amid chaos, which is why I’m picking him here as a 130-1 long shot. However, the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team, led by crew chief Stephen Doran, has been exceptional on road courses this season.

Smith has finished inside the top 20 at every road course in 2024 with his best result coming most recently at Watkins Glen (fifth). It’s been an impressive second-half run this year from the rookie, who has finished no worse than 23rd since Richmond, and in that span between the short track and this weekend, he’s scored three top 10s (Michigan, Watkins Glen, Kansas). Look for the No. 71 to be in contention for another top 10 on Sunday. | Roval odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Rumble strips changed: NASCAR, Speedway Motorsports institute change before race | Read article
• Revamped Roval: Read up on the changes to the Charlotte road course ahead of Sunday’s race | Read article
• Fantasy update: No surprises in mix of playoff and non-playoff drivers for your lineup | Read article
• Who’s in, who’s out?: Odds for playoff drivers fighting to survive at Roval | Read article
• Clinching scenarios: How Cup playoff drivers not already locked in can do so on Sunday | Read article
• Walk-off winners: Cup drivers to win elimination races to advance to next round | Photo gallery
• Bubble Watch: Which drivers need big points day on Sunday? | Photo gallery
• Catch-22: Why drivers will need to track two-time Joey Logano throughout Sunday’s race | Read article
• Inside the Race: How Charlotte Roval reconfiguration will change the racing | Watch video
• Crew rosters: See the full roster for every Cup Series team competing this weekend | Read article
• Active road-course winners: Chris Buescher is the most recent winner on a road course | Photo gallery
• Power Rankings: Next stop, Championship 4 for William Byron? | Photo gallery
• Road-course ringers: The winningest Cup Series drivers on left, right-turn circuits | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: How many Hendrick drivers will make the Championship 4? | Read article
• NASCAR Betting: Which road-course ringer is favored at the Roval? | Photo gallery
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s playoff race | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Use a mixture of playoff, non-playoff drivers in your Sunday lineup | Photo gallery
• Fantasy Update: Finding the right balance at Charlotte Roval | Read article
• Memorable moments: Races for the history books from Watkins Glen | Photo gallery
• Watkins Glen gladiators: Full list of Cup Series race winners | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Rewind with three Roval all-timers from the vault | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: New renders for the Charlotte Roval | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• AJ Allmendinger (2023) is the only non-playoff driver to win at the Charlotte Roval.
• Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won three of the four road-course races in 2024, all three by different drivers.
• The last two road-course winners got their first win of 2024.

Posted on October 12, 2024October 13, 2024 by Dustin Albino

From what was expected entering the Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, not much has changed. Sure, I’ve replaced a couple of non-playoff drivers in my lineup, but the teams that were expected to be up front in both categories … were.

Road-course powerhouse Shane van Gisbergen scored his first Busch Light pole award at the Cup level, while AJ Allmendinger continued his unbelievable track record at the new-look, 17-turn re-configuration. Add in the likes of Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson rising to the occasion on Saturday, and there are no real surprises in my lineup.

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Shane van Gisbergen

Starter 2: Tyler Reddick

Starter 3: AJ Allmendinger

Starter 4: Chase Elliott

Starter 5: Kyle Larson

Garage pick: Joey Logano

NEXT IN LINE: William Byron, Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace

RISING: Bubba Wallace continued his recent surge of performing better on road courses. The No. 23 Toyota ranked seventh in the second practice session on Saturday and advanced to the final round of qualifying. It was this race last year where Wallace turned in his best road-course effort to date. Don’t be surprised if he ups the ante on Sunday.

Who would have thought that Brad Keselowski would carry RFK Racing on a road course thus far at the Charlotte Roval? The No. 6 Ford advanced to the final round of qualifying for the second time this season on a road course (Chicago). With the reconfiguration and how drivers attack the Charlotte road course, it races similarly to a street course. Keselowski has just one top-10 finish in the last 22 road course events, so I’m keeping him out of my lineup. But the No. 6 car had a quality Saturday and it’s worth mentioning.

FALLING: It’s been a long time since Chris Buescher struggled this mightily on a road course. The No. 17 Ford ranked 23rd and 26th in the two practice sessions, respectively, and qualified 29th. Last month at Watkins Glen International, Buescher played strategy and sliced through the field from a 24th-place starting position to score his lone victory of 2024. Don’t count Buescher out, but take him out of your lineup.

Jumping on to the Cup scene over the last two years, Ty Gibbs has put together convincing performances on road courses. He finished fourth at the Charlotte Roval last season and has a pair of additional top fives while turning left and right in 2024. Gibbs was mired outside the top 20 in both practice sessions and qualified 19th. I’ve dropped Gibbs from my lineup, knowing his strategy will be chasing his first victory on Sunday. There are other drivers in the same boat that simply looked better during practice and qualifying.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Austin Cindric vs. Chase Briscoe: Cindric narrowly missed my starting lineup and, entering the elimination race 29 points below the bubble, the road-course ace is convinced he’s in a must-win scenario on Sunday. Briscoe is even further back in the standings at 32 points out and is fully chasing the win, believing that makes the No. 14 team’s strategy easier than if he were closer to the elimination line. Cindric has a better car this weekend — one that could potentially win the race.

Joey Logano vs. Daniel Suárez: We highlighted Logano’s impressive Roval numbers in Fastlane earlier this week. That speed translated to this weekend as he ended final practice in fourth and backed that fourth-place effort up in qualifying. Suárez was solid, hovering around 15th in both practices and qualified 13th. Sitting 13 points behind Elliott, who has two prior victories at the Roval, puts Logano in an interesting position from a strategy standpoint, but I’m sticking with the No. 22 Ford.

Chase Elliott vs. Tyler Reddick: Reddick missed his second consecutive pole at the Charlotte Roval by 0.057 seconds, but he was best in class among playoff drivers. However, Elliott bested Reddick in both practice sessions and qualified seventh. This seems like it’s about as even of a matchup as you could ask for, so I’m keeping Reddick as a slight favorite, who has outrun Elliott in three consecutive Roval races.

Alex Bowman vs. Christopher Bell: Based on Bowman’s statistics at the Charlotte Roval (top-10 finishes in all five starts), it might behoove you to keep the No. 48 Chevy out of your lineup. Plus, he’s on a postseason heater, scoring the most points through the first five races. I dropped him from my lineup, however, and believe Bell might move to the slight favorite in this matchup. Though Bowman did win the Chicago Street Race with the right strategy, Bell has been in the mix to win multiple road courses this season — and won here in 2022.

Posted on October 12, 2024October 12, 2024 by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. — Go for the win? Go for stage points? Is there a way to accomplish both goals and still advance to the next round of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs?

The answer likely depends on where your driver sits in the Round of 12 standings entering the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Eight drivers will advance — either via victory or points — to the penultimate segment of the postseason, while the bottom four drivers in points will be eliminated from championship contention.

MORE: Charlotte Roval lineup | Playoffs standings

Ryan Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, for example, sits sixth in the standings, 25 points above the elimination line. Stage points could prove pivotal to padding his cushion to the provisional elimination line, but many of the decisions made by Blaney and crew chief Jonathan Hassler will rely upon how others around Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford are faring.

“We’ve talked about all different scenarios, Jonathan and I,” Blaney said Saturday. “And you kind of see who you’re racing around, where you qualify, what points are up for grabs in the first and second stage. Just kind of realizing where you’re at, you know? So, all scenarios. And you kind of keep your mind open, you see how the race starts and kind of how it’s unfolding. But I think it’d be hard to throw away stage points unless you get in a funky scenario of, I’m not going to get any, or maybe I’m only going to get one in this stage, maybe we flip it then. So you just kind of have to have all plans and be ready to audible if you need to.”

Right at the bubble is 2020 Cup champ Chase Elliott, who sits 13 markers to the good entering a track at which he’s won twice and placed inside the top 10 four times in six starts. With a reconfigured course, he has treated his Roval preparation as if it’s a new course altogether. And while his seventh-place starting position will matter, so too will the raw speed a driver’s car will produce.

“I think a lot of it is dependent upon not just qualifying but just how much pace we have or don’t have,” Elliott said. “That’s going to dictate pretty much how you call the race right there. So I think it’s really hard for me to sit here and tell you exactly what we’re going to do, and I have no idea how competitive we are going to be or not. You know, when we strike out on a weekend where you have intentions of being fast, if that’s the case, you’d like to get some stage points somewhere.

“I think in a perfect world, you try to get some stage points in the first stage. If you have a shot to win, you probably flip the second one and hope you’re in a position to take advantage of it. Anything short of being super fast, I think you have to take advantage of the stage points and just do your best on the finish.”

On the flip side of that bubble is two-time series champion Joey Logano, sitting 13 points behind Elliott for the final transfer spot. He was hesitant to speculate what Sunday’s strategy could look like for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, but the resounding takeaway was his affirmation that this a reasonable hill to climb.

“We need as many points as we can (get),” Logano said. “We’re definitely not out of it. Qualifying (will) help that for sure and probably help give us an idea of how we’re going to call the race, so we’ll know more after today. Yeah, I mean, 13 points is definitely doable. We can do that. We’ve got to race some of the best cars to do that, so it’s not going to be simple or easy, but it’s definitely doable.”

At the bottom of the standings pylon sits Chase Briscoe, who, at minus-32, finds himself in what he believes is must-win territory. Don’t mistake that for a state of woe, though.

“I think for us, it’s honestly better that we’re kind of in the position that we are, being 32 out or whatever it is versus 15,” Briscoe said, “just because if you’re 15 to even 20, that is doable. Where we’re 30, at least for us, we’re just looking at it as a must-win. You could maybe point your way in, but a lot of things would have to go your way. I think it honestly opens up a lot for us from a strategy standpoint of just going in with the approach of flipping the track position and everything else.

“So yeah, to be below the cut line is obviously unfortunate, but honestly, I would much rather it be 30-something points than 15 just because I think it makes it a little clearer of what you need to do from a strategy standpoint. And out of all the tracks in this round, this is the one where I feel the most confident to come and battle for the win, so hopefully we can do that.”

Posted on October 12, 2024October 12, 2024 by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. — New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen monopolized qualifying on Saturday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval — to say the least.

After winning the top starting spot for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the three-time Australian Supercars champion won a tight battle with playoff driver Tyler Reddick for the pole position in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

The Busch Light Pole Award was van Gisbergen’s first in the Cup Series, but it wasn’t secure until after Reddick made a last-ditch run to try to unseat the Kaulig Racing Chevrolet driver.

Van Gisbergen’s lap at 99.246 mph (82.704 seconds) held up, as Reddick earned the second grid position in his No. 45 23XI Toyota with a lap at 99.135 mph (82.796 seconds).

RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos

“What an amazing day,” van Gisbergen proclaimed after claiming his second pole of the afternoon. “I’m at a loss for words.”

Because the Bank of America ROVAL 400 is the elimination race for the Round of 12 in the series playoffs, van Gisbergen, making his 10th Cup start of the season, wants to avoid scenarios where he influences postseason outcomes.

“We’ve got to race respectfully,” he acknowledged. “There are a lot of playoff guys, but I’m here to win the race.”

In addition to Reddick, five other playoff drivers made the final round of time trials and will start from top-10 positions. Joey Logano was fourth and Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric fifth, in the top two Fords on the grid.

Kyle Larson claimed the sixth starting spot ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (seventh), a two-time winner at the Roval, and William Byron (10th), who already has clinched a berth on the Round of 8.

Non-playoff drivers AJ Allmendinger (third at 98.874 mph), Brad Keselowski (eighth) and Bubba Wallace (ninth) also will start from the top 10.

Allmendinger is the defending winner of this race. The driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet also has triumphed in each of his four Xfinity Series starts at the 2.28-mile, 17-turn hybrid road course, which has been reconfigured in Turns 6, 7 and 16.

Other playoff drivers will start as follows: Christopher Bell (12th), Daniel Suárez (13th), defending series champion Ryan Blaney (14th), Alex Bowman (17th), Denny Hamlin (18th) and Chase Briscoe (25th).

Logano, Suárez, Cindric and Briscoe start the event below the current elimination line for the Round of 8.

Van Gisbergen fastest in practice

NASCAR Cup Series drivers got their first taste of the reconfiguration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, with those participating in Group A and Group B getting a pair of 20-minute practice sessions.

RELATED: Roval reconfiguration reaction

After both sessions concluded, van Gisbergen topped the leaderboard at 98.604 mph.

Austin Dillon (98.343 mph), Ryan Blaney (98.304 mph), Joey Logano (97.988 mph) and AJ Allmendinger (97.969 mph) rounded out the top five.

MORE: Practice 1 results | Practice 2 results

Carson Hocevar (97.964 mph), Bubba Wallace (97.944 mph), William Byron (97.817 mph), Kyle Larson (97.792 mph) and Chase Elliott (97.725 mph) completed the top 10.

Contributing: Staff reports.

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Reid Spencer

In common sports parlance, the “hot corner” typically applies to third base on the baseball diamond.

But the new configuration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course — notably, Turn 7 — has the potential to produce action that’s equally torrid.

That particular corner, which leads back onto the banking on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, is a flat, 180-degree hairpin. NASCAR Cup Series drivers universally agree that the new turn will give them an additional passing zone.

How passing in Turn 7 is accomplished provides the potential for chaos, with “dive-bombs” and hard braking expected to be the order of the day.

WATCH: Cup cars take on new Roval layout | Drivers offer thoughts on reconfig

“It will certainly be different for sure,” Denny Hamlin said Saturday at the track, site of Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, MRN Radio). “As time goes on, everyone is going to adapt their style to a very similar style, as we do on most tracks.

“It’s inviting to go in there and dive-bomb, and that will get rewarded sometimes, and sometimes it won’t. It’s the same track for everyone; someone is going to win, so you just hope you are it.”

Hamlin enters Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 fourth in the standings, 30 points above the elimination line for the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. But that may not be a cushion sufficient to guarantee advancement.

“If I don’t have a horrible day, yes,” Hamlin said of his position. “But I’ve had horrible days here. I feel better about it than I did with five to go at Talladega, certainly. I think that I just have to do my part in all of this. That starts (Saturday) and goes on to (Sunday).

“I just need to do my job to the best of my ability, and if so, then we will be fine. If not, we will see how it all stacks up, but 30 points — if you would have asked me before Talladega (the second race in the Round of 12), would you be all right with 30 points to the good going to the Roval, I would have said yes.”

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Staff Report

During a meeting with NASCAR Cup Series crew chiefs on Thursday, NASCAR officials clarified procedures surrounding its Damaged Vehicle Policy for the rest of the 2024 Cup Series season.

Officials will operate the policy following the same guidelines used in the Oct. 6 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway. In simplest terms, if a vehicle has flattened tires and appears able to continue but cannot be driven back, the car will be towed back to its pit stall, allowing the team to change tires and assess and repair its damage under the allotted seven-minute timeframe.

MORE: Charlotte Roval schedule | Playoffs standings

Confusion surrounding the DVP rule came into play most recently at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 29. In a Lap 1 incident exiting Turn 2, Josh Berry‘s No. 4 Ford was struck in the right rear and sent into a slide. Damage appeared minimal, but under the previous officiating of the DVP, Berry’s Ford was deemed out of the race and ineligible to be towed to the pit stall because he was unable to continue after contact, ending his race.

One week later at Talladega, a 28-car pileup in the closing laps resulted in numerous damaged cars stranded with flat tires at the entrance of Turn 3. Playoff contenders Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe both incurred damage but were towed back to their stalls to allow for repairs.

The clarification comes at the midpoint of the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, with the Round of 12 elimination race on deck at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Staff Report

NASCAR Cup Series spotter Eddie D’Hondt will move to the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet with driver Justin Haley starting in 2025, he announced Friday on social media.

D’Hondt currently spots for the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for Josh Berry. With SHR’s impending closure and Berry’s next move signed to join Wood Brothers Racing next season, D’Hondt will stick with crew chief Rodney Childers in a pivot to the No. 7 Chevrolet.

MORE: Cup standings | Key players in 2024-25 Silly Season

As the result of a trade between Spire and Rick Ware Racing, Haley joined the No. 7 team starting at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 29 and signed a multiyear deal with the team. D’Hondt also announced his shift to Spire on a multiyear basis.

Before joining SHR for the 2024 campaign, D’Hondt spent the prior 12 years at Hendrick Motorsports spotting for both Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott, collecting 18 victories and the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Elliott.

In two races since joining Spire Motorsports with current crew chief Ryan Sparks, Haley has wheeled the No. 7 Chevrolet to a 33rd-place finish at Kansas and a seventh-place result last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Steve Luvender

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

Steve Luvender: 782
Dustin Albino: -69
r/NASCAR Community: -92
Cameron Richardson: -144

Race 32 of 36: Charlotte Roval

A huge crash last week at Talladega Superspeedway made for not only playoff implications but also had an impact on 36 for 36. Second-place player Dustin Albino needed a solid day, but his pick of Daniel Hemric was among those taken out by the massive crash, earning him just one point. The NASCAR subreddit community pick of Noah Gragson earned 12 points from a 25th-place finish, while Cody Ware earned 25 points for Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson.

The final road-course race of the year will challenge our pickers next. Keeping in mind, it’s also an elimination race for the Round of 12, will players go for a safe bet or swing for the fences?

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 7, Justin Haley

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 31, Daniel Hemric (1 point)

Total season points: 713 (second place)

Dustin: Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my Talladega pick earned me a whopping one point. Hemric spent a good chunk of the race inside the top 10 but was involved in the 27-car melee. Full transparency — I strategically held off on using Corey LaJoie, knowing that he’s improved a considerable amount on road courses. But then an unconventional driver trade between Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing occurred last month. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because Haley is a proven competitor on road courses, finishing runner-up in the inaugural Chicago Street Race. He also rounded out the top five in the 2022 Charlotte Roval race.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 16, AJ Allmendinger

Steve’s pick last week: No. 15, Cody Ware (25 points)

Total season points: 782 (first place)

Steve: Back at the Chicago Street Race in July, it took great restraint not to use my No. 16 pick when Shane van Gisbergen raced to defend his 2023 win. I suspected that the Roval was a better bet with AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel, who’s nothing short of otherworldly when it comes to this track. The defending race winner has a 100-percent win rate in the Xfinity Series — four for four — and I’m hopeful he delivers another big day on Sunday.

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 9, Chase Elliott

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 15, Cody Ware (25 points)

Total season points: 638 (fourth place)

Cameron: The No. 54 of Ty Gibbs was the initial plan for the Charlotte Roval, but with only a 13-point gap above the elimination line, I’m going with the 2020 Cup champ as he’ll need to go for as many points as possible in the first two stages. Elliott is the only multi-time winner in the six-race history at the oval/road course hybrid. He also holds an average finish of 8.2 entering Sunday’s race, which is third best among active Cup drivers. The only outlier among Elliott’s Roval results is a 20th-place run in 2022 after being spun in the closing laps.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 54, Ty Gibbs

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 10, Noah Gragson (12 points)

Total season points: 690 (third place)

Redditors have spoken, and Ty Gibbs has been voted the NASCAR subreddit’s community pick in this week’s voting thread. Here’s what they had to say:

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “Gibbs here. He’s a really Good road racer, and excels at the rovals especially (beat Cindric in his first start on the Daytona RC)”

u/miangro: “He’s going to go for the win. Reddick and Blaney probably going for stage points.”

u/Dont_hate_the_8: “I say Gibbs. He’s solid on RCs, and no other track on the schedule left jumps out at me for him.”

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Seth Sharp

Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.

Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before this Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

2018 Bank of America ROVAL 400:

Changes came to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2018, as the usual autumn affair on the oval was exchanged for a road-course configuration inside of the track.

The annual October oval event had been a staple on the schedule since the track debuted in 1960. The fresh new configuration brought a breath of excitement to the North Carolina venue, as the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs now had some new twists and turns for the first time.

To top off the anticipation, the race was the first elimination race of the playoffs. Following the race, the playoff field was set to be cut from 16 drivers to 12.

Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch won the first two races of the round, punching their ticket to the second round and allowing them to be relatively stress-free heading into the race at the Roval.

All 16 playoff drivers finished in the first 19 spots at Richmond Raceway the previous race, creating a tight battle for those drivers looking to continue their championship push. Ten drivers were separated by just 27 points, with the uncertainty of the new course looming.

The top 15 fastest qualifiers were littered with playoff drivers, as Kurt Busch put his No. 41 Ford on the pole for the race.

Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney won the first two stages of the race, while Martin Truex Jr. was collected in an incident involving Keselowski. Both drivers were able to continue.

Fast forward to the final 10 laps, and a restart with six laps remaining changed the entire landscape of the inaugural event.

Keselowski made a mistake entering the first turn, setting off a 14-car incident that involved multiple playoff drivers. This brought out the red flag as track workers cleaned up following the chaos.

Truex Jr. had control of the lead, as Jimmie Johnson followed him in second place. Johnson was in a spot to advance but was not safe, barring an unfortunate event. Johnson decided to race for the victory anyway.

Johnson made a move on Truex as the two came to the checkered flag, as both drivers spun. This allowed Blaney to pass both drivers and capture the victory. Johnson was able to get his car going rather quickly and bring it home in eighth position.

The race for the victory wasn’t the only battle going on, as Larson and Aric Almirola were in a tight battle for a spot to advance. Larson’s dramatic final moments on the final lap ended up pushing him into the second round and knocking out Johnson in the process.

The Busch brothers, Keselowski, Blaney, Truex and Larson all moved on, while Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola and Alex Bowman joined them.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

2019 Bank of America ROVAL 400:

The second annual NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte Roval turned out to be yet another thriller.

Chase Elliott looked to be the most dominant car throughout the first half of the race, leading two times for 28 laps. That was until a spin just after halfway involving the No. 8 car of Daniel Hemric changed everything.

Well, almost.

On the ensuing restart, Elliott locked up his breaks heading into Turn 1 and sailed into the tire barrier, seemingly ending his chances at a victory. The incident sent Elliott to the pits and back to 37th in the running order.

What followed was an incredible march through the field for the driver from Dawsonville, Georgia.

A handful of cautions helped Elliott stay close, eventually leading the final six laps and winning the race by just over three seconds.

Another driver who came up clutch was Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Alex Bowman, who started the race at the back of the field. He needed to utilize a backup car after a practice crash.

Bowman entered the race in a heated battle to advance to the next round of the playoffs and promptly started the weekend out strong by qualifying second, behind another teammate, William Byron.

His run to the front wasn’t without excitement and controversy, as he spun on the first lap and later made contact with the No. 43 car of Bubba Wallace.

Bowman’s second-place finish prevented Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch from advancing, while Erik Jones also failed to make the cut into the second round.

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

2021 Bank of America ROVAL 400:

2021 looked like Kyle Larson’s world and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers were just living in it.

Larson, in his first year driving the No. 5 car for Rick Hendrick, lit the world on fire throughout the first 26 races on the schedule.

He won in his fourth start with the team at Las Vegas and later on notched three straight victories at Charlotte, Sonoma and Nashville. He almost made it four-in-a-row, if not for a last-lap flat tire at Pocono.

Overall, throughout the first 31 races of the season, Larson had visited Victory Lane six times while adding six second-place finishes and two-thirds.

Larson struggled at Talladega to a 37th-place finish but still entered the race at the Charlotte Roval in a comfortable spot to continue his quest for his first Cup Series championship.

It wasn’t any surprise that Larson ended the race in Victory Lane, the third time in 2021 that he ended a road-course event in the same spot.

The race saw a rekindling of a new rivalry between Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott, which in turn saw Harvick miss being one of the eight drivers to advance into the next round.

Harvick made contact with Elliott, sending him into the wall. Later, he locked up his front tires before hitting the wall and ending his chances of advancement.

The other drivers who saw their championship hopes dashed at the Roval included Larson’s teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman, as well as Christopher Bell.

This set up to have Larson, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Elliott, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski battle it out over the final four races of the season in hopes of hoisting the Cup Series trophy.

Larson continued his dominance and cemented himself as the championship frontrunner by winning the following two events at Texas and Kansas before ending his season at Phoenix with a victory and his first title.

Posted on October 10, 2024October 11, 2024 by Official NASCAR Release

NASCAR has joined a powerful new campaign in conjunction with national sports leagues that encourages sports fans across North America to take a ‘#Timeout Against Hate. Premiering today, the campaign and ad spot features 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney alongside other famous coaches and athletes and was developed by Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS).

#Timeout Against Hate spotlights the various sports figures calling a “timeout,” turning the common sports gesture into a national call against hate. The new spot anchors the first-of-its-kind campaign, which was designed to unite major sports leagues, its commissioners, and star athletes to champion the fight against all hate.

The campaign was inspired by and created from a closed-door meeting between FCAS founder Robert Kraft and major sports commissioners earlier this year as an opportunity for each league to take a larger, active role in propelling the fight against all forms of hate.

The meeting included Steve Phelps, NASCAR President, and top league executives including Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball (MLB), Don Garber, Major League Soccer (MLS), Adam Silver, National Basketball Association (NBA), Cathy Engelbert, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Roger Goodell, National Football League (NFL), Gary Bettman, National Hockey League (NHL) and Jessica Berman, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

The historic moment marked the first time all commissioners came together collectively in-person, signifying the importance of this mission.

“This is an unprecedented show of unity among sports leagues in the fight against hate and we’re proud to be part of this important effort,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR President. “NASCAR is committed to doing its part to actively stamp out hate in its many forms and this new campaign represents the continuation of that spirit.”

“The ‘#Timeout Against Hate’ campaign represents a powerful convergence of sports icons and leaders who are committed to fighting hate in all its forms,” said Robert Kraft, Founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. “In sports, we call a ‘timeout’ when things are heading in the wrong direction and right now, in our country, hate is winning, and we need to change the momentum. Bringing together the commissioners of North America’s major sports leagues for this campaign is a historic and crucial step in our fight against all hate. By uniting under a common cause, we amplify our message and demonstrate that the power of sports extends beyond stadiums, arenas and fields, and into our communities. This initiative is a call to action for everyone to join us in creating a world where hate is met with a unified stand for empathy, understanding, and respect.”

In addition to Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang, the new spot includes the following sports legends and rising stars:

39-time Grand Slam winner and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, Billie Jean King
NBA analyst and four-time NBA Champion, Shaquille O’Neal
President of Adidas Women’s Basketball and three-time WNBA champion, Candace Parker
Los Angeles Chargers head coach, Jim Harbaugh
Milwaukee Bucks coach, Doc Rivers
USWNT Olympic Gold Medalist and Gotham FC center back, Tierna Davidson
Columbus Crew head coach, 2023 MLS Champion, Wilfred Nancy
Former New York Yankees manager and four-time World Series Champion, Joe Torre
Edmonton Oilers forward and 2024 Western Conference Champion, Zach Hyman

The #Timeout Against Hate campaign will make its broadcast premiere Thursday as part of Amazon’s Thursday Night Football programming between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. In addition to broadcast, the campaign will be visible on other digital platforms, social media, and on out of home billboards featuring the bespoke #Timeout hand signal to reach Americans across the country.