This Weekend in NASCAR – Charlotte Storylines September 28, 2018 NASCAR Next Race: Bank of America ROVAL 400 The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course The Date: Sunday, September 30 The Time: 2 p.m. ET TV: NBC, 1 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 248.52 miles (109 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 109) Playoff Eliminations On The Line This is one of the most important and consequential weeks on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The sport debuts a brand new track – the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – as it hosts the first elimination race of the championship Playoffs. Only 12 of the current 16 championship-eligible drivers will advance their Playoff hopes following Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 (at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The four drivers hoping to leap into contention with good debuts at the new venue are Clint Bowyer, who trails 12th-place Ryan Blaney by four points and seven-time Monster Energy Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who is six points back. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Erik Jones, and Denny Hamlin are 21 and 29 points behind the cutoff, respectively. Three of the four have won previously on Cup road courses. Bowyer (2012) and Johnson (2010) have victories at Sonoma. And Hamlin won at Watkins Glen in 2016. This is only Jones’ second season of Cup competition, but he scored his best road course outing – a fifth-place at Watkins Glen – just a month ago. “The ROVAL is kind of an unknown I think for everybody, so it’s going to be a new experience and something that we are all going to have to learn as we go this weekend,” said Jones, who drives the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “I think we’re excited as a team to have some laps there and had a pretty decent test when we all got to test there. We’ll work hard this weekend. We need to have a solid race and get as many points as we can and try to advance on to the next round. That’s our main goal this weekend, so we’ll keep ourselves out of trouble and hopefully have a solid race.” Rearview Mirror Although 12th place Ryan Blaney is technically “safe” inside the 12-driver Playoff cutoff that will be finalized following Sunday’s race, he has only a narrow four-point margin on those facing elimination. And Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is only one point ahead of Blaney – a slim five points inside the safety net. Blaney’s best road course outing was an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen in 2017. Bowman’s best showing is a seventh at Watkins Glen in 2015 driving for another team. He was ninth at Sonoma this season. Introducing: Charlotte’s Road Course This week’s new track, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, has been the subject of debate, curiosity and prognostication since Monster Energy Series drivers turned their first test laps on it this summer. The 17-turn, 2.28-mile course, which incorporates a new infield section and parts of the traditional Charlotte Motor Speedway oval is the first brand-new track ever introduced during NASCAR’s Playoffs. And this marks the first time since 1987 (Riverside-twice, Watkins Glen) that the Monster Energy Series has faced three road course races in a season. Championship hopes are on the line in this first Playoff elimination race to narrow the title hopeful field from 16 drivers to 12. Many competitors have had othe pportunity to make test laps at the venue and the reviews have been mixed. But with their title hopes on the line, an “open” attitude may be just the difference in a good outing or not. “We can’t look at Sonoma notes, we can’t look at Watkins Glen notes,” Wood Brothers driver Paul Menard told NBC Sports after testing at the venue earlier this summer. “We have to create our own, because we’re going 170 (mph) through the banking … We don’t see anything like that at Watkins Glen. And certainly not Sonoma. “Should be a hell of a show,” he added. The race starts on the new infield road course and then uses the oval at its Turn 1 entrance. The cars stay on the speedway portion of the track – navigating a chicane on the backstretch – before diving off into the road course again to complete the lap. In terms of testing, on the final day of the final summer session, Kyle Busch set the fastest speed, followed by Joey Logano and A.J. Allmendinger. Monster Road Course Aces As strong as the 2018 Playoff drivers are, the strength and versatility of that field narrows a bit when it comes to road course racing. Among the current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers, only three have won at both the series’ regular road course stops at Sonoma, Calif. and Watkins Glen, N.Y. And, interestingly enough, those three have led the 2018 championship all season. The “Big 3” Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick are the only drivers in this weekend’s field to have won at both longtime Cup road course tracks. And in Busch’s case, he’s won twice at each. Busch won at Sonoma in 2015 and at Watkins Glen in 2013 and earned a rare season sweep of the two road courses in 2008. Truex has a pair of wins at Sonoma (2018 and 2013) and won at The Glen in 2017. Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017 and at The Glen in 2006. Unstoppable ‘Big 3’ The dominating topic for much of this season has been the overwhelming success of three drivers – regular season champion Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and reigning Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. They account for 18 wins through the first 28 races. Busch’s win last week at Richmond, Va. gives him seven trophies on the year – a mark tying Harvick. Truex has four victories. And perhaps most telling of the competitive nature of these drivers – they finished 1-2-3 at Richmond; Busch-Harvick-Truex. It was the first time this year they swept the top-three positions, however, 13-times this season two of the three have finished in the top-three of a race. Last week at Richmond, the top 12 finishers were all Playoff drivers. Heading into Sunday’s first elimination race, Busch leads the standings ahead of Brad Keselowski – who automatically advances thanks to his win in the Playoff opener at Las Vegas – and Truex, who has advanced with top-three finishes in both Playoff races. Harvick is ranked fourth and only needs to start Sunday’s race to officially advance. A Proud Stewart-Haas Racing It’s already been a historic year for the Stewart-Haas Racing team, for the first time ever it qualified all four of its cars for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. And not only did these teams earn Playoff berths, they are all in a good position to be among the top 12 drivers who advance to the second round. Seven-time race winner Harvick leads the team and is ranked fourth in the standings, needing only to start Sunday’s race at the CMS Road Course to officially advance. Aric Almirola, in his first year driving the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Ford, is ranked sixth. Kurt Busch, who won at Bristol, Tenn., is ranked eighth. And two-time winner Clint Bowyer, whose had some bad luck early in the Playoffs, is 13th, only four points out of the top-12 heading into Sunday’s decisive race. “That’s a great accomplishment for Stewart-Haas Racing and all the guys and girls back at the shop who put the cars together,” Harvick said. “I think it really shows the effort and the chemistry of everything that we have going on at the organization, not even two years into a manufacturer change. “Aric (Almirola) being there for one year and Clint (Bowyer) being there for two years. There are new crew chiefs and a lot of things that have changed, but I think you see the evolution of things getting better and really from an organization standpoint. “When you start seeing the results of all four cars, that’s when you know that the processes and the things that you’re doing are working well.” ‘ROVAL’ Reminiscent The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course may remind many of the configuration for the historic Rolex 24 at Daytona. The legendary IMSA sports car season opener on the famed track uses a 3.56-mile course that incorporates an infield road course with the high banks of Daytona International Speedway and a chicane on the backstretch. The ROVAL has a similar course using both an new infield road course and the Charlotte Motor Speedway banking. Several drivers in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 field have won on that Daytona road course. Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Jamie McMurray and Playoff driver Kyle Larson teamed to win the 2015 Rolex 24 overall. A.J. Allmendinger won the Rolex crown in 2012 with Michael Shank Racing. Jimmie Johnson, another Playoff driver, finished runner-up in the Rolex 24 in both 2005 and 2008. Kurt Busch was third overall in 2008. And Paul Menard has a best finish of 15th in the Rolex in 2010. Sunoco Rookie Race As Sunoco celebrates its 15th season as the “Official Fuel of NASCAR,” it’s a good time to reflect on Sunoco’s commitment to recognizing rising talent since they joined the sport in 2004. It’s interesting to note that three of the four most recent winners of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award are in the 2018 Monster Energy Series Playoffs – Erik Jones (2017), Chase Elliott (2016) and Kyle Larson (2014). Also of note? The 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Brett Moffitt, is in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs. In taking a look at this year’s Sunoco Rookie race, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron is ranked 22nd in the overall driver standings and Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace is ranked 27th heading into the race this weekend at Charlotte. And there is now a 114-point gap between them. Byron, 20, who drives the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, hasn’t had a top-10 finish since the Watkins Glen road course (eighth) seven races ago. Since then he’s had only one top-20 – a 20th-place finish last Saturday night at Richmond – and had two DNFs. Wallace, 24, who drives the famed No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet, hasn’t had a top-20 since Daytona (14th) 11 races ago. He’s had four DNFs in that time including three in the last five races. “Hopefully, we can just survive the whole race and see what happens at the end,” the Charlotte native Byron said of this weekend’s road course challenge. “The road courses have been solid for us this year – we qualified in the top 10 in both and had some good results – so hopefully we can lean on those notes some. But at the same time, this is going to be a completely different beast.” Next Race: Drive for the Cure 200 The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course The Date: Saturday, September 29 The Time: 3 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 125.4 miles (55 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 15), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 30), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 55) Xfinity Playoff Excitement Turns To The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course It is apparent heading into this weekend the drivers will be facing several unknowns at the newly minted Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. But that won’t slow down the intense action that has been bubbling up in this season’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs as the series readies for the wild card that is the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, this Saturday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio the second race of the Round of 12 in the 2018 Playoffs. In stylish fashion last weekend, Christopher Bell nabbed the first win of the Xfinity Playoffs at Richmond Raceway, and in doing so locked himself into the Round of 8, leaving 11 other drivers vying for the remaining seven spots. This weekend, the 12-driver Playoff field will compete on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the first time in series history. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course is a 2.28-mile, multi-elevational track that has 17 turns. This weekend’s race will consist of 55 laps for 200 kilometers, or 125.4 miles, and is broken up into three stages. The first two stages will be 15 laps each and the final stage will be 25 laps. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will be the fourth different road course the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers have competed on in 2018; joining Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America, nd Watkins Glen International. The 2018 season is the first time Charlotte has hosted the second race of the Xfinity Series Playoffs. Prior to Charlotte being named the host of race No. 2 in the Playoffs, it was held at Dover International Speedway in 2016 and 2017. NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff contender Daniel Suarez took home the win of the second race in the 2016 Playoffs at Dover, and later went on to win the title that season. In the 2017 Playoffs, non-Playoff contender Ryan Blaney won the event. Road courses have been known to provide some great unpredictable action and even first-time winners. Over the last decade, road courses have produced nine Xfinity Series first-time winners. This season, Playoff contender Justin Allgaier has dominated the road courses winning two of the previous three (Mid-Ohio and Road America); Joey Logano won the third at Watkins Glen International. Bell’s Playoff Win Locks Him Into Next Round; Puts Him On Rookie Record Pace With his big NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff win last weekend at Richmond Raceway, series Playoff standings leader Christopher Bell has not only locked himself in the next round of the Playoffs, but has also brought his rookie season wins total to five victories, tying the series rookie record for the most wins in a single season with Greg Biffle (2001), Kyle Busch (2004) and Carl Edwards (2005). Now the rising star from Oklahoma has the chance to become the first Sunoco rookie in series history to win six or more races this weekend in the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, this Saturday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR. With his Playoff status secured in this current round, Bell can approach the Charlotte Road Course much differently than his fellow Playoff contenders. Though it will be a new experience for all the title challengers, Bell won’t have to worry about making it to the next round; which is good because road courses have not been Bell’s strong suit. Earlier this season, Bell finished 23rd at Road America, 11th at Mid-Ohio and ninth at Watkins Glen. Even though Bell’s Playoff fate is secure this weekend at Charlotte, don’t expect him to take his foot off the accelerator. The 23-year old has made 27 starts this season, putting up five wins (Richmond-1, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Iowa-1 and Richmond-2), 15 top fives, 17 top 10s and an average finish of 10.3. Plus, he has led 506 laps and completed 91.3% of his laps attempted. IMSA’s Meyer Shank Racing Drivers Jumps Into NASCAR This Weekend Fans and media alike will have the opportunity to see Meyer Shank Racing’s (MSR) current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship lineup of drivers attempt to take on the highly anticipated Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races this weekend. MSR’s Lawson Aschenbach, Justin Marks, and Katherine Legge will all be attempting to compete this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on Saturday, September 29 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Aschenbach and Legge will be driving for JD Motorsports and Marks will be with Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend. All three drivers have competed in NASCAR before, but this is the first time all three will be competing in the same event. Lawson Aschenbach made his series debut back in 2015 at Road America; he started 23rd and finished 18th. “It’s exciting to get back behind the wheel of a stock car,” said Aschenbach. “I’m looking forward to close quarter racing and from what I hear, at a tricky ‘ROVAL’, my street course background may be a benefit due to low grip levels and limited margin for error.” This weekend will be Justin Marks’ third start of the season, in his previous two starts he posted a top-10 finish at Road America. Road courses have been Marks specialty, as the California native got his lone series win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course back in 2016. Marks will also attempt to run in the Monster Energy Series race on Sunday in the No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet. Katherine Legge will also be back to take a shot at the CMS Road Course this weekend, her fourth start of the season. The British racer’s three previous starts have garnered an average finish of 24.0. Noah Gragson To Join JR Motorsports in 2019 Earlier this week it was announced that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff contender Noah Gragson has been tabbed in a multi-year deal that places him behind the wheel of JR Motorsport’s No. 1 Chevrolet in full-time pursuit of a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship next season. Gragson will acquire the reins of the No. 1 from veteran JRM driver Elliott Sadler, who recently announced he’d be stepping away from NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at season’s end. “Noah’s proven himself quite a competitor over the last two seasons in the Truck Series,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “He’s also impressed during a handful of races in the Xfinity Series and a lot of folks have taken notice. He brings the talent, energy and enthusiasm we’re looking for, and we’re glad to have him on board. With Noah’s addition, JRM has struck a healthy balance of youth and experience as we plan for the team’s future.” Earlier this year, Gragson added three NXS starts to his racing resume, which netted a runner-up effort at Richmond Raceway in the spring. All told, he amassed two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 4.3 in those events. “Having the opportunity to drive for JRM and the No. 1 team next year is a dream come true,” Gragson said. “I’d like to personally thank Dale Jr., Kelley, Chevrolet and everyone at JRM for allowing me to compete for a championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I’d also like to thank my sponsors, my management team and my family, because none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for their support along the way.” Gragson joins JRM by way of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where in two seasons he’s claimed two wins, 10 top fives and 26 top 10s with eight poles. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Next Race: Talladega 250 The Place: Talladega Superspeedway The Date: Saturday, October 13 The Time: 1 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 250.04 miles (94 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 94) source – NASCAR communications
