The NASCAR Cup Series playoff field will be cut down from 12 to eight this weekend as the tour shifts to the treacherous Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
The Roval – a unique facility that utilizes about 95% of CMS’s traditional 1.5-mile dogleg oval, the track’s infield section and two artificial chicanes – has hosted a playoff cut-down round each season since it joined the calendar in 2018. On two occasions the winner of the event has gone on to claim the Cup Series crown – Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in 2020 and Kyle Larson in 2021.
This year Larson and another HMS teammate, William Byron, enter the Roval weekend on the positive side of the cut line with Byron already guaranteed a spot in the Round of 8.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Bank of America Roval 400:
Bank of America Roval 400 TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
SaturdayNoon-1 p.m.: Practice (USA after 12:30 p.m., NBC Sports app)1-2 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports app)
Sunday2-5:30 p.m.: Bank of America Roval 400 (NBC, NBC Sports app)
Bank of America Roval 400 details
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2.28-mile, 17-turn hybrid course) in Concord, North CarolinaLength: 109 laps for 248.52 miles (400 kilometers)Banking: Oval turns – 24 degrees | Oval straights – 5 degreesStage lengths: Stages 1-2 – 25 laps | Stage 3 – 592022 winner: Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings
1.William Byron – 3,135* (-)2.Ryan Blaney – 3,078* (-) 3. Denny Hamlin – 3,107 (+50)4. Christopher Bell – 3,079 (+22)5.Chris Buescher – 3,076 (+19)6. Martin Truex Jr. – 3,074 (+17) 7.Kyle Larson – 3,072 (+15) 8. Brad Keselowski – 3,059 (+2)______________________________ Cut line9. Tyler Reddick – 3,057 (-2)10. Ross Chastain – 3,050 (-9)11.Bubba Wallace – 3,050 (-9) 12.Kyle Busch – 3,033 (-26)*Clinched entry in Round of 8
Bank of America Roval 400 top drivers and best bets
Elliott has won two of the five races on the Roval and seven of his 18 career wins have come on road courses so it's not a surprise that he enters with the best odds (6-to-1) of anyone in the field according to BetMGM. The three drivers with the next-best odds are all in the playoffs comprising Tyler Reddick (+700), Byron (+725) and Larson (+800).
Best odds to win• Chase Elliott +600• Tyler Reddick +700• William Byron +725• Kyle Larson +800• Michael McDowell +1000
Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week on the betting forecast and likes a pair of playoff drivers with middling odds in Christopher Bell (+1400) and Chris Buescher (+2000). In terms of longshots, Bromberg notes Ross Chastain (+3000) will have plenty of motivation to get to the front as he enters the weekend nine points on the wrong side of the playoff cut line.
Bank of America Roval 400 entry list
It being a road course race, there are several specialists in the field. Chandler Smith will pilot an extra Kaulig Racing entry, driving the No. 13 car this weekend. Andy Lally hops back into the No. 15 Rick Ware car for the third time this season, the ride usually occupied by J.J. Yeley. Mike Rockenfeller will drive the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet, which recently has been driven by Craftsman Truck Series competitor Carson Hocevar after Noah Gragson was released in August. Josh Bilicki will pilot the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford usually driven by B.J. McLeod for the ninth time this season.
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAustin Cindric (2), Team Penske FordAustin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing ChevroletKevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing FordKyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletBrad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing FordCorey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports ChevroletKyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing ChevroletChase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletAric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing FordDenny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaRyan Blaney (12), Team Penske FordChandler Smith (13), Kaulig Racing ChevroletChase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing FordAndy Lally (15), Rick Ware Racing FordA.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing ChevroletChris Buescher (17), RFK Racing FordMartin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaChristopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaHarrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing FordJoey Logano (22), Team Penske FordBubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing ToyotaWilliam Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletJustin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing ChevroletMichael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports FordZane Smith (38), Front Row Motorsports FordRyan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing FordMike Rockenfeller (42), Legacy Motor Club ChevroletErik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club ChevroletTyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing ToyotaRicky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing ChevroletAlex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletCole Custer (51), Rick Ware Racing FordTy Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaTy Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports ChevroletJosh Bilicki (78), Live Fast Motorsports FordDaniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Bank of America Roval 400 weather
Conditions should be pretty optimal for racing with no chance of rain forecast and daytime high temperatures in the upper-60s and low-70s. That should produce track temperatures warm enough to get the tires in the ideal operating window, but cool enough to prevent oil from seeping up and making the surface more slippery.
