The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff is reaching a critical juncture as the remaining 12 drivers prepare for the next round of cuts. After a chaotic race at Talladega, which saw a massive late wreck shake up the standings, the title contenders now face the unpredictable Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (Roval) for the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday.
The field of 12 will be trimmed to eight after the 109-lap elimination race, setting the stage for the final four-race dash to the championship. The Roval, notorious for its unpredictability, has seen some of the most chaotic and exciting races on the schedule, and this year promises to be no different, especially with some alterations to the Turn 1 end of the oval course.
Out of the six Roval races held so far, five have been won by drivers currently in the playoffs. Chase Elliott has won twice, while Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson each have one victory. All four drivers are currently in the top eight in points, making them strong contenders for advancement.
Blaney, despite a wreck at Talladega that left him with a 39th-place finish, holds a 25-point cushion going into the Roval. His strong performance at Kansas the previous week has kept him in a good position, despite the bad luck at Talladega.
“Finished behind those guys, but we did a great job at Kansas a week prior to kind of put (us) in a good spot on points with some of those having issues at the end,” said Blaney, the 2018 Roval winner. “So not in a bad spot this weekend.”
No playoff driver had a better day at Talladega than Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. Despite entering the race just 11 points above the cut line, Hamlin survived the chaos and moved up to fourth place in the standings, now 30 points above the cut line. He avoided the “Big One” — a 28-car wreck — and secured a 10th-place finish, putting him in a strong position going into the Roval.
“I was a mile and a half away from the wreck when it happened,” Hamlin said. “I feel happy about it. I mean, ultimately, if you would have said I’d be where I’m at, I would have certainly took it before this race happened.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Austin Cindric’s day took a turn for the worse. After leading 29 laps at Talladega and showing potential to win, Cindric triggered the massive wreck when his No. 2 Ford was turned by Brad Keselowski, who was hit by Penske teammate Joey Logano. Cindric finished 32nd and remains 11th in the standings, 29 points behind the cut line.
With Cindric, Logano (-13), Daniel Suarez (-20), and Chase Briscoe (-32) all sitting outside the top eight, they will need a strong performance or “Roval magic” to advance to the Round of 8.
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