NASCAR at the Charlotte Roval: Bell wins, clinches Round of 8 entry; Larson, Cindric, Suarez, Reddick eliminated

The NASCAR Cup Series will whittle its playoff field from 12 to eight drivers this weekend at the Charlotte Roval. Chase Elliott, who has won two of the four races ever staged on the circuit, enters atop the playoff point standings just two points ahead of the inaugural race winner Ryan Blaney. Daniel Suarez comes into the weekend with the final playoff spot, 12 points ahead of Chase Briscoe.

Eight playoff drivers start in the top 10, led by Joey Logano and William Byron on the front row.

Here is everything you need to know for the Bank of America Roval 400:

Bank of America Roval 400 starting grid

1. Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford

2. William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

3. Daniel Suarez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

4. Tyler Reddick (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

5. Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford

6. Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford

7. AJ Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

8. Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

9. Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

10. Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

11. Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford

12. Cole Custer (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

13. Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

14. Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota

15. Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

16. Ty Gibbs (45), 23XI Racing Chevrolet

17. Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

18. Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

19. Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

20. Kyle Busch (18), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

21. Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford

22. Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

23. Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford

24. Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

26. Erik Jones (43), Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet

27. Joey Hand (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford

28. Ty Dillon (42), Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet

29. Noah Gragson (48) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

30. Corey Lajoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

31. Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford

32. Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford

33. Daniil Kvyat (26), Team Hezeberg Toyota

34. Mike Rockenfellerl (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

35. Loris Hezemans (27), Team Hezeberg Ford

36. Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

37. Josh Williams (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford

38. Conor Daly (5), TMT Racing Chevrolet

Top drivers and best bets for the Bank of America Roval 400

Elliott (+400) enters the weekend atop the points standings and is the betting favorite at BetMGM for the race win followed by emerging road racing ace Tyler Reddick (+600). Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson follows with +800 and part-timer AJ Allmendinger at +1,000

Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg suggests finding good mid-tier value in two-time pole-sitter Denny Hamlin (+1800) and Martin Truex Jr. (+2800) and is fading this season’s Sonoma road course winner Daniel Suarez (+1400).

NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings

1. Chase Elliott - 3,103

2. Ryan Blaney - 3,101

3. Ross Chastain - 3,097

4. Denny Hamlin - 3,090

5. Joey Logano - 3,087

6. Kyle Larson - 3,087

7. William Byron - 3,083

8. Daniel Suarez - 3,081

9. Chase Briscoe - 3,069

10. Austin Cindric - 3,069

11. Christopher Bell - 3,036

12. Alex Bowman - 3,015

Weather for the Bank of America Roval 400

The forecast calls for pretty much ideal fall conditions in Charlotte with highs in the low 70s and partly cloudy conditions. Tire degradation is always chief among concerns on road courses and will be this weekend, but with cooler temperatures, teams may be tempted to extend runs in an attempt to save a pit stop to gain track position.