The Cup Series continues today as it visits the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. The Roval first opened in 1971 and has hosted NASCAR annually since 2018. The current configuration is a 17 turn, 2.280 mile layout that utilizes both the infield and the high banks at Charlotte. This track has been a part of the playoffs since its inception and has always had a flair for the dramatics (Johnson vs. Truex, the Christopher Bell walk off, the Chase Elliott wreck and win, the list goes on) and with new looks to turns 5-7 and 16-17, drivers will no doubt be laying it all on the line once again to keep their championship hopes alive. Following this race, the four lowest ranking drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs, setting up the Round of 8 to begin next weekend in Las Vegas.
To win today, drivers will undoubtedly need to manage their equipment. With lots of beating and banging, with elevation changes from the infield to the high banks and of course, the turtles, drivers will need to take care of their car if they want to go the distance. As we saw during yesterday’s Xfinity Series race, fresh tires are a game changer. Drivers will want four, fresh Goodyears at each and every possible opportunity they have. Track position is king, but if you’re on older tires or you have a poor handling car, it won’t make much of a difference. Finally, with four drivers at risk of seeing their championship aspirations come to an end, they may become more desperate as the race goes on to keep their season alive. Don’t be surprised if there are a lot of late race cautions and don’t be surprised if a driver below the cutline throws a Hail Mary late and creates some carnage as a result.
The Bank of America ROVAL 400 was first held in 2018 and has produced a solid list of winners in its short existence, including Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and A. J. Allmendinger, just to name a few. Chase Elliott has the most wins in this race, as he is the only driver to win this race more than once, while Chevrolet has won four of the six races.
Last year’s edition was won by A. J. Allmendinger, who led a race-high 46 laps on the way to his third career Cup Series victory. William Byron and Kyle Busch were the highest finishing playoff drivers, finishing second and third, while Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano rounded out the top 5. Polesitter Tyler Reddick finished sixth after leading 27 laps.
Coverage of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 can be seen on NBC, with pre-race beginning at 2 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 2 :30 PM EST.
A winner just one week ago at Talladega, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has put together a solid year, with one win, three top 5’s and six top 10 finishes. Stenhouse has won four Cup Series races, with each of them coming on a superspeedway. Stenhouse will be doing a 180 this week as they return to the Roval. Road courses are not a specialty for Stenhouse, although he is proficient at making right turns on ovals. The Charlotte Roval has vexxed Stenhouse in his career, as his best finish here is 17th, accomplishing the feat in both 2019 and 2020. Stenhouse finished 34th in this race last season and has had minimal luck on road courses this season, with his miraculous 6th place finish in the Chicago Street Race serving as his only top 20 finish on a road course. Stenhouse rolls off from 24th this afternoon and will undoubtedly return back to his Wreck ‘em Ricky ways, as I predict he will once again finish outside the top 16 in this race.
Let’s be honest. Austin Cindric has been underwhelming since joining the Cup Series. In 121 career starts, Cindric has two wins, eight top 5’s and 19 top 10’s while driving the #2 car for Roger Penske. To add insult to injury, his teammates have won the championship each of the past two years (Joey Logano in 2022, Ryan Blaney in 2023). Cindric is in the playoffs this year thanks to his victory at World Wide Technology Raceway, which he can credit to Blaney, who ran out of gas coming to the white flag, thereby gifting the victory to Cindric. At this point, Cindric is playing with house money, so why not him? Cindric won five times in the Xfinity Series on road courses and has a pair of top 5’s and an octet (that’s eight for those of you who are mathematically challenged) of top 10’s on road courses in the Cup Series, so he knows a thing or two about finding success in this style of racing. His best finish at the Roval was a 21st place finish in 2021, but he will start today’s race inside the top 5 thanks to a terrific qualifying effort. Sitting 29 points below the cut line, Cindric is essentially in a must win situation. But if he can get some stage points early and if other drivers run into issues, he may have an alternative path to make the Round of 8. Expect the #2 car to make some noise this afternoon on the way to a top 10 finish.
We all know I hold this driver in high regard. The King of the Road for the longest time, A. J. Allmendinger has proven to be mortal with the arrival of noted road course expert Shane Van Gisbergen. That being said, Allmendinger still has a Hall of Fame resumé when it comes to road courses, with 14 of his 20 career Cup Series and Xfinity Series wins coming on road courses. Allmendinger’s stats at the Roval? Fucking phenomenal. In the Xfinity Series, four wins, a runner-up showing yesterday and 96 laps led in five starts. In the Cup Series, one win, two top 5’s, three top 10’s and 75 laps led in four starts. The defending winner of this race, Allmendinger has been underwhelming in his Cup Series starts this season. Allmendinger does have a trio of 6th place finishes on the campaign (Daytona 500, COTA and Sonoma), but he also has nine finishes outside the top 20 to go with those highlights in 14 starts. Allmendinger is always a threat to win on a road course, no matter the odds, and is showing he came to play his weekend, having top 5 pace in both practice sessions before ultimately qualifying in third place. He may not have race winning speed today, but never count out the Dinger, as he will be in the mix all day and log another top 10 finish.
It feels like a sucker bet, but how can you legitimately justify not picking Shane Van Gisbergen for the win on a road course? Winning in his NASCAR debut last season at the Chicago Street Race, Van Gisbergen has proven his skills in the Xfinity Series this season, logging three more wins at Portland, Sonoma and Chicago, as well as top 5 performances at Atlanta, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and the Roval. In his limited Cup Series schedule this season, Van Gisbergen nearly notched win #2 before being passed on the final lap by Chris Buescher at Watkins Glen. Other than that, it’s been an underwhelming year for Van Gisbergen, finishing inside the top 15 just one other time in nine starts. Van Gisbergen has had highs and lows so far this weekend, winning the Pole for both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series races before finishing a disappointing third in the Xfinity Series race after a bad pit call late in the race put him at a tire disadvantage to the rest of the field. Fortunately for Van Gisbergen, he’ll have another chance at it in the Cup Series today, as he showed great speed in the practice sessions before earning his first Cup Series Pole. Give me the Thunder from down Under, the Fearless Kiwi, the Auckland Raider himself (okay, I’ll see myself out), Shane Van Gisbergen, to put on a clinic from the Pole and earn his second career Cup Series victory!
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