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.

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
Pit stalls: TBD
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 three wins in five 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

Race-day staples ✅

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

• Bubble Watch, presented by Xfinity: Where drivers stack up | Elimination line battle
• Paint Scheme Preview: Remarkable schemes for the Roval | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Briscoe, Cindric locked together facing elimination | Updated driver rankings
• NASCAR betting: Is Kyle Larson the favorite to win here again? | Underdogs, value bets
• Fantasy Fastlane: All eyes on drivers chasing points | Must starts, sleepers
• Backseat Drivers: Which drivers will be eliminated? | Hear the debate

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• No. 24 team: Appeals panel amends penalty to $100,000 and no points | Read more
• Penalty: No. 4 team issued L2-level penalties after Talladega; team appeals | Read more
• Alex Bowman: Ruled out for Charlotte Roval race, faces playoff elimination | Read more
• Inside the Race: Steve Letarte, Todd Gordon dive into pit strategy at the Roval | Watch the segment
• Cody Ware: Out for Roval race, JJ Yeley set to fill in Sunday | Read more
• ‘Dinger returns: Allmendinger taking over No. 16 full-time in Cup Series in 2023 | Read more
• ICYMI: Catch up on all the latest Silly Season news | Track driver moves, team changes
• Drive for Diversity: Advance Auto Parts named official partner of Diversity Combine | Read more
• NASCAR International: Get to know the NASCAR Mexico Series | Read more
• Pocono Raceway: Track set to renovate paddock area, Victory Lane | Read more

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• BetMGM: Public likes Kyle Larson to repeat at the Roval | See the breakdown
• The Action Network: Are these Ford drivers the best bets for Sunday? | Expert betting insight
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | New rules for playoffs
• Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Right back at the Roval ✨

There have been four races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course — see some of the history. 

• Pace at the front: Top 10 laps leaders at the Charlotte Roval | See who’s on top
• Last year: Kyle Larson stays on fire at the Roval, makes big comeback | Read 2021 race recap
• Race Rewind: Watch Larson outrun the field to the finish | Remember this?
• Clutch when it counts: Drivers to advance to next round on points in elimination race | See them here

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• The Roval has been in the playoffs every year since 2018 and has been the final race of a round all five years.
• The Stage 1 winner finished outside the top 10 in all four Roval races.
• The longest green-flag stretch at the Roval was 31 laps in 2018.
• Chevrolet won the last 11 road course races, the record for most consecutive road course wins by a make.
• Stage 2 has been caution free in all five road-course races this season.

Say what? 🎙

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

• “The Roval is always crazy and obviously we need to get our program better on road courses, but we have somewhat of a cushion there to survive the day and make sure we do the things we know how to do and stay out of trouble. We should be fine, but you never know. You could have a winner from the bottom four and everything changes. We‘re going to do everything we can to fight to keep our season alive.” — Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “This is a big, double-header weekend for us. On Saturday in the Xfinity Series, we will be going for four in a row. We are locked into the next round of the playoffs, so it does take a little bit of pressure off everyone. Then on Sunday, we‘re hoping to sweep the weekend. The Roval is my favorite track on the NASCAR circuit, so I‘m definitely looking forward to this weekend.” — AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Xfinity and Cup)

• “Progress is what we‘re really looking for — progress with the car on road courses and progress with my own performance. I spent a lot of time in the Ford simulator this week logging laps on the Roval to get familiar with the track again. We‘ve had some good road-course days this year and some bad ones. With the Roval, you have to have a mix of both speed and handling.” — Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford