Charlotte playoff race 101: Stage breaks are back, restart zone relocated, more
Since its inception in 2018, the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course has annually delivered postseason drama. That drama has amplified since moving to the Round of 12 elimination race in 2020.
Are back-to-back walk-off victories at the Roval on tap, or do the current top eight hold serve to set the semifinal round in the Cup Series Playoffs? Before the answer is revealed Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), get a look at who has the best chance to save their season, as well as trends to watch, Goodyear tire info and interactive ways to follow all the action this weekend.
RELATED: See paint schemes for Charlotte Roval | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race
ROUND OF 12 UPDATE 📊
Six spots are still up for grabs ahead of Sunday’s Round of 12 finale. William Byron (Texas) and Ryan Blaney (Talladega) have already earned their spot into the next round via wins, and Denny Hamlin appears to be well on his way to the Round of 8 as he enters Charlotte 50 points above the elimination line.
Last year’s Roval winner Christopher Bell is in a much-improved spot compared to last year as he holds a 22-point advantage over the elimination line. A trio of stout road-course drivers in Chris Buescher (+19), Martin Truex Jr. (+17) and Kyle Larson (+15) sit just below Bell.
The final transfer spot is separated by a mere two points between Brad Keselowski and Tyler Reddick. As a three-time winner on road courses, Reddick owns the clear advantage over the 2012 Cup champion heading into the weekend.
Bubba Wallace (-9), Ross Chastain (-10) and Kyle Busch (-26) failed to capitalize at Talladega, and all three will have an uphill battle to climb as none of the three has proved to be formidable on the Roval. Of those three, Wallace owns the best average finish at the road course with a 20.4 mark. Qualifying will be key for the trio to try to gain points back on Sunday.
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
Stage breaks return to a road course this Sunday at Charlotte after the rest of the road-course events in 2023 were run without cautions at the end of stages. The two stage cautions are scheduled for Lap 25 and Lap 50, with the checkered flag on Lap 109.
The GEICO Restart Zone is also updated for the Charlotte Roval. It will be moved to the final chicane before the start/finish line on the 2.32-mile layout. In the previous five Roval events, the initial start and restarts fired off from a portion of the oval track that‘s used as a run-off area on all other laps.
Goodyear brings the same tire used at all road-course races this season. Cup teams will be issued one set for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional seven for Sunday’s race.
NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.
Along the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components, to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front-bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— All five races at the Roval were won by drivers under the age of 30.
— Hendrick Motorsports drivers won three of the fives races at the Roval.
— A playoff driver has won all five Roval races.
— The driver who led the most laps won only one of the five Roval races.
(Via Racing Insights)
CLASSIC CHARLOTTE ROVAL RACES 🎥
2018: Blaney wins inaugural Roval race amid final-lap chaos | WATCH
2019: Chase Elliott wrecks, recovers to win at Roval | WATCH
2021: Larson wins; Elliott, Harvick rivalry comes to a head | WATCH
2022: Christopher Bell scores walk-off win to reach Round of 8 | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, Oct. 7
— Noon ET: Practice (Moves to USA at 12:30 p.m., PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
— 1 p.m. ET: Qualifying (USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
Sunday, Oct. 8
— 2 p.m. ET: Bank of America ROVAL 400 (NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Charlotte
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There‘s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn‘t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which resets for the playoffs. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $10,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
PLAYOFFS GRID CHALLENGE 🏆
During the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, fans have the opportunity to compete in The Playoffs Grid™ Challenge presented by Ruoff Mortgage. Fans can enter by visiting The Playoffs Grid™ Challenge page and registering for a free NASCAR.com account before filling out a bracket. From there, choose from a list of playoff-eligible drivers round by round, and you‘re on your way to compete for prizes!
How to play: Playoffs Grid Challenge
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
