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.”
