What to Expect at the Charlotte Roval
What is 12 will soon become eight after the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at the Charlotte Roval, the sixth and final road course race of the season. Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott locked up spots in the Round of Eight after wins in New Hampshire and Kansas. Now, 10 drivers will fight for the final six spots at 3 p.m. EST Sunday. While some drivers are in the playoffs and need a good day, others could play spoiler and take the win themselves.
Stage Points Will Be Crucial for Drivers Near the Cutline
Around the cutline, Chase Briscoe sits 21 points above, and Joey Logano is 13 points to the good. Below, Ross Chastain needs to gain 13 points, while 23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick need to gain 26 and 29 points, respectively. These drivers, even though a win would be the ideal scenario, would benefit significantly from stage points. Sometimes, drivers pit before the stages end to start at the front of the next one, but by doing so, they give up potential points. A maximum of 20 stage points can be earned in a race, which means that Logano and Chastain could be flipped entirely by the time the final stage begins. Across all races at the Charlotte Roval, Reddick averages a finish of 7.8, and Logano averages 8.6, which are the best of drivers near the point bubble.
Road Course Ringers Won’t Move Over
New Zealand native Shane Van Gisbergen has dominated the road courses, winning four of the five this season. Last season, he qualified on pole at the Charlotte Roval and came home seventh in his first race at the track. Of every road course he has raced on in the Cup Series, he has won at the track in either his first or second start. With how good Van Gisbergen is on road courses, he should qualify and race well again at the Roval.
The other ringer to look out for is AJ Allmendinger, who has been the best in the Next Gen car at the Roval. Allmendinger has raced in five of the seven Roval races and has an average finish of 11.2. He has raced in all three Next Gen races at the track, in which he won in 2023, and has averaged a finish of 3.7. Allmendinger is the only driver to average a top-five finish in the Next Gen car at the Charlotte Roval and has led the most laps with 84. If push comes to shove, it might end up being Van Gisbergen or Allmendinger who moves someone. After all, they are solely going for the win, not a spot in the Round of Eight.
