Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe can be on fire this weekend as they go below the cut line, and Chase Elliott can be within the playoffs as NASCAR returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway for an additional Round 12 elimination race in his field goalkeepers. And if the playoff heat isn't enough of a challenge, the series has added one other driver challenge – a rather different look than ROVAL.

At first, the layout looks kind of the identical. Drivers will follow the identical course for the primary a part of the lap, however the situation will change after Turn 5. Instead of turning right, the straight has been prolonged towards the brand new Turn 6. There are some changes in altitude during this section, which is able to mean drivers will lose the flexibility to see some cars ahead them until they reach the highest of the hill.

Drivers might want to decelerate before Turn 6, but not enough to make overtaking an actual possibility. However, this changes dramatically if you enter the incredibly tight left-hander Turn 7. It's essentially a 180-degree turn as drivers completely change direction onto the banked oval. When desperation flares up late within the race after a restart, it could turn into a disaster corner with aggressive power bombs aimed inwards. We saw something similar within the tight first corner at COTA, which isn't even a playoff. The final chicane has also modified noticeably, making a sharper apex for drivers to navigate through Turn 16.

Charlotte Motor Speedway road course layout

Photo: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Suarez is considered one of the drivers starting this race within the red and has spent numerous time within the simulator preparing for the changes. “This race at Roval will definitely be different,” he said in the course of the team's weekly introductory meeting. “I feel the changes to the track will create passing zones. Currently, our work takes place within the virtual world. We do it on a simulator. No one ran laps in real life. So we'll discover what the changes mean on Saturday.”

His teammate Ross Chastain, who took the pole within the last road course race at Watkins Glen, expressed some concerns concerning the impact of changes in altitude on visibility. “From the photos I've seen, it's definitely changed,” he said. “There is some elevation change and he is blind. I think you can see the car, but the track drops so steeply that you can't really see it. It worries me a bit because I can't see the car” The road ahead I'll wait to see what it is going to appear to be in real life, but I'm mentally preparing myself for not having the ability to see the track in front of me.

Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Rheem – Chasing a Cure Ford Mustang, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Huk Performance Fishing Chevrolet Camaro, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Discount Tire Ford Mustang, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Chevrolet Camaro, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Discount Tire Ford Mustang, Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Interstate Batteries All Battery Center Toyota Camry

Photo: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images

Commenting on the front stretch chicane, Noah Gragson adds that it is going to change the way in which drivers approach the ultimate corner. “We'll have to find different braking markers there and see if we can push it more or less. I assume you'll have to slow down more when they come around that corner.”

Carson Hocevar achieved his career-best result at Watkins Glen, ending third. He sees the changes as a profit for drivers like himself who don't have as much experience on the track. “The reconfiguration and change of layout relieved some of the workload on the players who have experience there,” explained the leading Cup debutant. “This allows us to approach it with an open mind and without preconceived notions of what the track should look like. On the other hand, the guys who have already run there have a few main areas of the track where they need to change their approach. I hope it will take them some time to forget the old and come up with new ones while I catch up in other areas track!”

Ryan Blaney is in a reasonably comfortable position, 25 points above the cut line. He also won the inaugural race on the Charlotte ROVAL after the leaders collided with one another just before the finish. The reigning Cup champion sees many more opportunities to advance into Turn 7 and the ultimate chicane. “I think you opened up the passing zone in the seventh,” Blaney said. “It will certainly be form of a dive bomb due to its shape, so it is going to be interesting to see the way it races.

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Discount Ford Mustang Tire

Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

“You're going to must take this corner completely otherwise if you’ve got the pressure behind you or not, and to be honest I feel the chicane stretched on the front can be a slower corner, so I feel like you possibly can have just a little bit more out- I feel it's good they modified it . If you add overtaking zones it is going to be good for any race. It can be different for everybody.

His Penske teammate Austin Cindric is in a troublesome spot after losing the lead at Talladega. He will likely must fight for victory on the Roval. As for the front chicane, he says the changes will “take away your ability to bounce and your ability to make a mistake, or perhaps just cut the curb. I feel curb hits can be far more aggressive with a automobile, consider it or not. They are already quite aggressive, but I don't think how useful the curb can be. I feel it is going to be removed because you’re principally making the curb much more perpendicular to the track than it already is, it is going to be completely different.”

While competitors battled for stage points, the Chevrolets of Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain passed Ryan Blaney just seconds from the finish. Bowman filled the outlet in the center as Blaney moved back, but when the bumpers connected within the all the time treacherous triangle, Blaney's automobile lurched sideways. The No. 12 Penske Ford bounced off Shane van Gisbergen's door before shooting across the track, striking Chastain's No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Both cars crashed on lines eight and ten. Their race got here to an end and each drivers ended the day equally disillusioned.

“We obviously dropped back quite a bit in track position; I got stuck in lane 4 and it just killed us,” Bowman explained. “Overall, I'm a bit disillusioned with myself. I often made bad moves and broke number 12 [Blaney] just with a foul push. Of course, I used to be just attempting to push him to assist our line on the stage and I just hit him within the flawed spot.

“I hate that I did it. I hate that I made bad decisions and didn't do a superb job today. Frustrated because we had a extremely good Ally Camaro today. The team did a extremely good job and naturally we had moments where we were really good, but when it comes to execution I made too many mistakes and put us in too many bad moments. Of course I hate that I ruined the opposite guys' days too.

Blaney, who’s the defending Cup Series champion, finished thirty ninth and Chastain, who won last weekend at Kansas, finished last. Bowman continued to play and eventually finished sixteenth on the list. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Thanks to an enormous crash within the closing laps, things weren't too dire for Blaney. That leaves Talladega 25 points above the cut line to Bowman's 26.

“48 just ran me over”

Blaney, very frustrated with Bowman, didn't mince his words concerning the incident after he was released from the infield care facility.

“I don't know if he ever picked me up and just drilled me from like three car lengths away,” said Blaney, who ended up only two points shy of the elimination zone. “Worst possible place to do it, so it's pretty stupid of him and he ends up getting away scot-free as usual. This is the end of the day.”

Blaney continued: “I had a sense the eighth was going to occur [Blaney] he would reach out and help Chevy. Of course he wasn't going to assist me, so we ended up inside. I didn't think it was terrible. We'll probably still run fifth or sixth after which forty eighth [Bowman] just ran all the way through me within the tri-oval. It just blew me away. I don't know what he thinks.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. he’s a really talented superspeedway racer. His first-ever Cup victory got here on the draft circuit, his second, third and now fourth. Two Cup victories at Talladega and two at Daytona since joining the series full-time greater than a decade ago, including a dramatic victory within the 2023 Daytona 500.

However, Talladega ended very otherwise for Stenhouse, who crossed the finish line with a visual hole in his door after being hit by a spinning Austin Cindric in an enormous automobile crash involving greater than 20 people before the ultimate restart. He held it straight as a field appeared in his rearview mirror. He then won the race, beating Brad Keselowski on the within and William Byron on the skin, with a margin of victory of just 0.006 seconds.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger Health/Palmolive Chevrolet Camaro

Photo: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

“When the twenty fourth [Byron] I jumped out, it was like a parachute hit my automobile,” Stenhouse explained. “I just hoped we might get to the finish line before them. At that time, it was a drag race. By the time I got to the back they were pretty sure we had won and were definitely relieved.

Another factor that contributed to his victory was the indisputable fact that it was three Chevrolets versus one Ford (Keselowski). Despite this, Kyle Larson still pushed Keselowski hard enough to pass Stenhouse coming out of Turn 4. To the surprise of many, including the race winner, Keselowski elected not to dam Stenhouse and Byron as the skin line moved forward in the ultimate seconds of the race.

To block or not to dam

“I was really shocked,” Stenhouse said. “I used to be waiting for the block and I used to be going to determine if I used to be clear enough to get inside and get through before 5 [Larson] or hang right and gain momentum with 24 [Byron]. Yes, I used to be very shocked that he didn't do it together with his right hand.

Earlier this yr, Michael McDowell tried to dam the lead at Talladega, which resulted in him losing the race and hitting the wall. Keselowski, a superspeedway racing veteran who had more wins at Talladega than another lively driver, later explained that he knew the Chevrolet would stick together and didn't wish to be separated once they reached the finish line.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger Health/Palmolive Chevrolet Camaro

Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Stenhouse would do otherwise, declaring that he was “going to dam everyone. I didn't care who it was.” Kyle Busch, who got right into a physical altercation with Stenhouse earlier this yr, tried to make the third line work in those final moments but ultimately backed down. Ultimately, Stenhouse simply had to remain exactly where he was after the restart to take the checkered flag.

“It's very difficult to win these races. It may be very difficult to avoid wrecks, get into the appropriate position and have enough fuel. There is chaos at the top of those races. I used to be grateful that we had a successful green-white check without one other warning. It's been an extended time since we could do this within the World Cup, so it was nice in a way.

“Obviously, I always feel confident coming back to a place where we've won before, and on a superspeedway, where we always feel pretty confident in our race car… We lost a few inches here, so it was nice to win one.”

Watch: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 'This win is actually special' after Talladega

The victory obviously meant quite a bit to him. This was very evident from his quick climb over the fence before climbing the flagpole to the roar of the group. Not only was it his first victory since February 2023, but in addition his first since becoming a father. After the race, he was capable of FaceTime together with his wife Madyson and son Stetson, but was “upset” that they weren't there to have fun in person.

Stenhouse is the third non-playoff driver to win within the last 4 weeks, and he did it by putting JTG in Victory Lane for just the third time within the team's 15-year history.

When greater than half the sphere crashed late within the 500-mile race at Talladega, several cars were stranded despite the fact that they sustained minimal damage. There were stationary burnouts and arguments with track employees as drivers were eager to stay within the race. For lots of the drivers within the playoffs, there was an added sense of urgency. Chase Briscoe was told to place his hand on the latch if track employees tried to lower the window screen. In an interview immediately after the race, Joey Logano, frustrated at the top of the day and being taken to the wreck, said it was a disaster.

“Everyone is just sitting on flat tires. They want to roll, but they can't because their tires are flat. We have a machine that will raise the back of the car, but if you rest the front of the car you still can't steer.”

On his podcasts, Kevin Harvick described it as a “s*** show,” while Denny Hamlin went so far as to call it “fiction.”

So, what's occurring here? There are several overlapping elements at work here. First, there’s NASCAR's damaged vehicle policy, or DVP. It was originally introduced to forestall cars from returning to the track once they weren't actually purported to be there, within the hope that cars that had lost pace wouldn’t have the option to re-enter the track. Teams then have a limited period of time to make repairs to the pits. After a race against the clock, their damaged automobile must hit the track and reach a minimum speed, otherwise the automobile will now not have the option to race. If a driver has an accident and goes straight to the garage, his race can even end. Gone are the times of drivers taking 200 laps down the track with half a automobile.

Flat tires = end of the race?

Things get messy when the issue of flat tires becomes apparent. The current generation of Cup cars haven’t any inner liners (essentially a tire inside a tire), which is a serious departure from its predecessors. Nowadays, it is sort of common for a automobile to spin after which grow to be stranded, despite the fact that it has not suffered any damage. This problem has been present because the automobile's launch initially of the 2022 season.

NASCAR has tried to be accommodating and is willing to offer the cars a lift to get back on target and into the pits. But often this shouldn’t be enough and cars remain stuck. Here's a conundrum: If cars can't proceed on their very own after a crash, their race should end. But what if the one reason they will't move is because their tires are flat? Mainly clean cars that may still compete are withdrawn from races just because of flat tires.

To have a look at a recent example, Josh Berry spun in a multi-car accident on the primary lap at Kansas and was unable to roll under his own power. The automobile looked good, however the tires were flat. Despite protests from driver and crew chief Rodney Childers, the largely undamaged No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was towed behind the wall, ending its race.

There are loads of other moments where drivers, teams and even NASCAR aren't sure what to do. During practice for the Cup race in Iowa, the whole session was stopped for an prolonged time frame as a result of an easy spin by Ross Chastain. Fearing damage to the automobile, especially the highly sensitive diffuser area, Chastain didn’t try to reverse it. NASCAR eventually lifted the automobile into the air with two trucks after which placed it on a dolly so it could possibly be transported back. All this in a single automobile with flat tires. Of course, this shouldn’t be possible during a race.

This brings us to the air lift system. Last summer, NASCAR began allowing teams to put in the system at the back of their cars in order that within the event of an accident, safety officials could simply plug in an air compressor and lift the automobile off the bottom. However, as Logano noted, it didn't help much at Talladega.

Change in enforcement mid-race

After the red flag was raised at Talladega, NASCAR defied recent precedent and towed the damaged cars back to the pits, giving teams a likelihood to work on them. The sudden change caused surprise and frustration within the paddock as every point counts within the 2024 play-off battle.

NASCAR tried to clear the air after the race, with competition vice chairman Elton Sawyer explaining that the sanctioning body decided to do things in another way after the Berry incident in Kansas.

“You know after last week in Kansas that our goal was never to put good cars out of the race,” Sawyer said. “Last week, after we checked out it and digested it, we got here to the conclusion that perhaps we should always have made a distinct decision last week. So after we went to Talladega, we desired to make sure that we made a mistake on the competitors' side. We didn't expect to see over 25 cars there… So we made the choice to tow these two cars to pit road, which we did. Number 9 [Chase Elliott] and No. 14 [Chase Briscoe] – each cars reached the minimum speed, so we felt it was the proper decision.

Sawyer went on to say that NASCAR officials “will look into this much more deeply in the offseason.”

There is simply one problem with all this. According to Hamlin on his weekly podcast: Harmful activitiesNASCAR never informed drivers or teams that it was changing the best way it enforces rules at Talladega.

John Hunter Nemechek, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Toyota Camry transmission wrench

Photo: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

At concerning the thirty third minute he declared, “They didn't tell any team about it,” he later added, “You made the rule, persist with the rule… You can't change it now because other people's seasons have modified, it's been defined by that rule in a certain way, in shape or form. You can't change that through the playoffs. You can't change your mindset in the course of the playoffs.

But that's exactly what they did. Fair or not, this has been a big change in the best way now we have treated others in recent weeks, and it is clearly problematic. Currently, it seems that NASCAR is willing to tow cars back to the pits when the situation arises, but who decides whether that happens or not? When is the damage too great? Will playoff cars be treated in another way? Will the race be interrupted while the cars are towed? This is all very confusing and unattainable to unravel.