This weekend, the heat is on for Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe who enter below the cut line, with Chase Elliott on the playoff bubble as NASCAR returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway for yet another Round of 12 elimination race on its infield road course. And if the playoff heat isn't enough of a challenge, the series added another challenge for drivers — a slightly different look to the ROVAL.
At first, the layout looks about the same. Drivers will follow the same course for the first part of the lap, but things change after Turn 5. Instead of taking a right, the straightaway has been extended towards a new Turn 6. This section includes some elevation change where drivers will lose the ability to see some of the cars in front of them until they reach the crest of the hill.
Drivers will have to slow for Turn 6, but not enough to make passing a real possibility. However, that will change dramatically entering the incredibly tight left-hander at Turn 7. It's basically a 180-degree turn as drivers completely change direction onto the banked oval. When desperation hits on late-race restarts, this could become calamity corner with aggressive drive-bombs up the inside. We've seen something similar at the tight Turn 1 at COTA, which isn't even in the playoffs. The final chicane also has a notable alteration, creating a sharper apex for the drivers to navigate at Turn 16.
Suarez is one of the drivers entering this race in the red, and he's spent a lot of time in the simulator preparing for the changes. "This Roval race is going to be different for sure," he said in the weekly team advance. "I think the changes to the track will create passing zones. Right now, our work is in the virtual world. We are doing this on a simulator. Nobody has been running laps in real life. So we are going to find out what these changes mean on Saturday."
His teammate Ross Chastain, who earned pole position in the last road course race at Watkins Glen, expressed some concern over how the elevation changes will affect visibility. "From the pictures I've seen, it's definitely changed," he said. "There's some elevation change and it is blind. You can see a car, I believe, but the track falls away steep enough that you can't really see it. It gives me a little bit of anxiety because I can't see the road in front of me. I'll wait to see how it looks in real life but mentally I'm preparing to not be able to see the track in front of me."
Kyle Larson sees equal opportunities for passing and chaos on Sunday, who also ran some laps in the simulator this week. "The changes to the track create another passing zone but could also create chaos if drivers make late moves there."
His Hendrick teammate on the bubble is approaching it like it's a completely new race track. "That section (Turns 5-7) of the track is going to change the entire flow of the lap there, so I’ve been kind of approaching it as a new track with my preparation," said Elliott. I’ve spent some time in the simulator, just trying to really memorize the track and where the little bumps are. Typically those track scans are pretty good. I think that’s probably one of the best things about the simulator is that a driver can go and get familiar with the track layout; surface content, roughness, so on and so forth. It’s really about all I feel like I can do until we get some time on-track.”
Speaking on the front-stretch chicane, Noah Gragson adds it will change the way drivers approach the final turn. "We’re going to have to find different braking markers into there and see if we can push it more or less. I’m assuming you’re going to have to slow down more with them bringing that curve out."
Carson Hocevar earned his career-best finish at Watkins Glen, placing third. He sees the changes as an advantage for drivers like him who don't have as much experience at the track. "The reconfiguration and layout change has taken a little bit away from the guys who have experience there," explained the leading Cup rookie. "It allows us to approach it with an open mind and no preconceived notion on how the track should be. On the flip side, the guys who have run there before have a couple major areas of the track in which they have to change their approach. Hopefully it takes them a little bit to forget the old and figure out the new while I am catching up on the other areas of the track!"
Ryan Blaney is in a fairly comfortable position, 25 points above the cut line. He also won the inaugural race at the Charlotte ROVAL after the leaders crashed into each other just short of the line. The reigning Cup champion sees a lot more opportunities for passing into Turn 7 and the final chicane. "I think you opened up a passing zone in seven," said Blaney. "It’s gonna be kind of a dive bomb central corner, for sure, just the way it’s shaped, so that will be interesting to see how it races.
"You’re gonna have to drive that corner very differently if you have pressure or not behind you, and, honestly, I think the front-stretch chicane is gonna be a slower corner, so I feel like you might have some more out-braking potential there. I think it’s good they changed it up. Whenever you add passing zones, that’s good for a race. It’s the same for everybody. It’s gonna be different for everyone and just who can adapt to it the quickest.”
His Penske teammate Austin Cindric is in a difficult position after being wrecked from the lead at Talladega. He will likely have to go for the win at the Roval. Regarding the fronstretch chicane, he says the changes are "taking away your runoff and the ability to have a mistake and maybe kind of just cut the curb. I think the curb strikes are gonna be a lot more aggressive with the car, believe it or not. They’re already pretty aggressive, but I don’t think how useable the curb is, I think is gonna be taken away because you’re essentially making the curb even more perpendicular to the track than it already is. The approach angle is gonna be a lot different."
A new challenge awaits. 😏#BofAROVAL | #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/B6YZchHqAH
— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) October 7, 2024
