2018 Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway - Roval Race Weekend Discussion

[ShadowKnight508]

Race Weekend Schedule & TV Listings (All Posted Times Local To Track):
Thursday, September 27th
7:30 AM-10:00 AM NXS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)
11:00 AM-1:00 PM 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 Optional Practice #1
2:00 PM-4:00 PM 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 Optional Practice #2
3:00 PM-5:00 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)

Friday, September 28th
9:00 AM-7:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
11:00 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING, SPOTTER MEETING, & RANDOM DRAWING
12:05 PM-12:55 PM 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 Opening Practice (NBCSN)
1:05 PM-1:55 PM 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 Opening Practice (NBCSN)
3:05 PM-3:55 PM 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 Happy Hour (NBCSN)
4:45 PM 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 Busch Pole Qualifying (NBCSN)

Saturday, September 29th
9:30 AM-6:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
11:00 AM-11:50 AM 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 Second Practice (NBCSN Live Extra)
12:10 PM 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 Busch Pole Qualifying (CNBC)
1:30 PM-2:20 PM 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 Happy Hour (CNBC)
2:30 PM 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 Driver Introductions
3:00 PM [NXS] 2018 Drive For The Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (125.4 Miles, 55 Laps via 15/15/25-Lap Segments) (NBCSN/NBCSN Live Extra/PRN)

Sunday, September 30th
8:30 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
12:00 PM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING
1:20 PM 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 Driver Introductions
2:00 PM [MENCS] 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (248.52 Miles, 109 Laps via 25/25/59-Lap Segments) (NBC/NBCSN Live Extra/PRN)

Entry Lists
2018 Drive For The Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway - Roval (41 Drivers):
http://www.jayski.com/nxs/2018/pdfs/nxs28cms2018entrylist.pdf

2018 Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway - Roval (40 Drivers):
http://www.jayski.com/stats/2018/pdfs/29cms2018entry.pdf

Full Race Replays/Highlights
2017 Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte (Oval Race)

2017 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (Oval Race)

 

[Mystical]

I really do hope this race is exciting and full of action. Will be nice for once to see drivers struggle on a track and actually have to wheel the cars all day long instead of it being on cruise control lap by lap.

 

[ShadowKnight508]

For those interested, here is some Xfinity Roval practice video that popped up over on Reddit:

https://old.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/9jewib/ran_over_to_the_track_during_my_lunch_break_enjoy/

 

[ShadowKnight508]

Xfinity Series driver Alex Labbe takes iRacing's scanned version of the Charlotte Roval for a spin at iRacing HQ:

 

[RacerXero84]

Xfinity Series driver Alex Labbe takes iRacing's scanned version of the Charlotte Roval for a spin at iRacing HQ:

That'll be good to learn the layout, but not much else.

 

[Dodgeman4345]

I think a lot of people are looking at the track and going yeah this is going to be a shit show. Has anybody looked at the exit of pit road? I think that is where we are going to see a lot of issues. A lot of people are going to be racing off of pit road to the line. Then right after the line they basically have to make a hard pretty much 90 degree left turn to get back out towards the track.

 

[lays]

NASCAR really needs to make those curbs a little smaller.

 

[Thunder98]

They also need to ditch the tire wall at the exit of the chicane on the backstraight and move it along the wall opening just before it. One spin in that spot impacting that space could spell trouble in every language known to man.

 

[BrendonH12]

^This. I imagine we're gonna see at least one big wreck in which one car gets into that tire barrier and takes out a lot of the field. NASCAR really needs to reconsider that thing.

 

[Phoenix]

Chase Briscoe wins in the #98 Stewart-Haas Denbeste Racing with the Biagi Brothers in partnership with Roush-Yates Engines Ford Ford Mustang.

Chase Briscoe is the first #60 driver to win in the 2018 Xfinity Series.

good win Chase!

 

[ShadowKnight508]

 

[Brandon Miller]

Jones had kind of a Dukes of Hazzard moment there.

 

[BrendonH12]

Hailie Deegan became the first woman to win in NASCAR history yesterday at Meridian Speedway. You go, girl!

 

[MattSRD28]

That was an amazing race. Just brilliant.

 

[Mystical]

Crazy race! All of them driving into the wall near the end of the race was crazy, looked like something you'd see on a online multiplayer race. Sucks Johnson did not get in but at least Larson did.

 

[Reza Maulana]

Wasn't expecting the Roval race to be this crazy. Charlotte took a massive gamble with the Roval and it paid off big for them IMO. My only problem is the Xfinity race is a bit too short in distance, should have been a 250/300 km race instead of 200 km. 10/10 would do the Roval again.

Also, love how Jeffrey suddenly becomes one of the important drivers of the season with his coincidentally important bad lucks, this time spinning out and stalling the car long enough to give Larson the Round of 12 spot in the playoffs

 

[EarnhardtFan]

Hands down most exciting cup finish of the season, I really hope they give more second-date tracks the Roval treatment or some other changes.

 

[RacerXero84]

Finish, wild, a little questionable in some areas. Last 20 laps almost looked like a nascar race parody. First half of the race was stale. Good idea, still needs work, especially on rules and the layout. Watching a train is still boring, roval, Dega, or elsewhere. Not on my Top 10 races for this year.

 

[JeffJordan]

Some facts for what looked like a can't-miss race, that I missed for a New York Giants loss to New Orleans. I'm watching it in full after SNF, but for now...

Ryan Blaney won his second career race and first for Penske. He is the first driver since Martin Truex Jr. to record his second win with a second team. Truex recorded his second win in 2013 with MWR at Sonoma. Brad Keselowski also accomplished this feat in 2011 when he won his first race with Penske after a win with Phoenix.

Blaney is the first driver since Marcos Ambrose to win his first two races at tracks that do not have four turns. Ambrose won the 2011 and 2012 Watkins Glen races. The only active driver to accomplish this besides Blaney is Denny Hamlin, who won his first two races at Pocono. Chase Elliott will accomplish this if his next win is at Pocono, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, or the Charlotte Roval. Allmendinger ran well today in what could have been his final chance to accomplish that.

The last time a race was run in a new configuration of an old track, it was also a driver winning his first race with his second team. Kasey Kahne won the final race for the Red Bull Racing Team at Phoenix in 2011.

This is the first year that Penske has had three drivers win a race. Penske previously had two different winners in 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2011, and 2013 - 2018.

Kyle Larson has led 737 laps and has not secured a victory this season. Jimmie Johnson led 737 laps and won 5 races in his 2016 Championship season. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch led 735 laps in their championship seasons of 2011 and 2015, respectively. The last time a driver led that many laps and did not win a race was Jeff Gordon in 2010. Gordon led 919 laps.

The previous last-lap pass at a road course was...a Pennzoil Penske car, getting by a driver with the third-most wins in the season up to that point. Joey Logano got by Kevin Harvick after he ran out of gas in the final turns of Watkins Glen in 2015.

The driver who led the most laps did not win for the sixth straight race.

EDIT: Did some research on another one. This was the third race this season to end in a last-lap pass (after both Daytona races) and for the second time this year the winning driver was 3rd at the white flag.

The last time anybody was further back than 3rd was Denny Hamlin, in 4th, in the 2016 Daytona 500.

The last time this happened at Charlotte was the 2011 Coca Cola 600, where Kevin Harvick took the white flag in third.

Kyle Busch was 3rd at the white flag for his wins at Auto Club Speedway in 2013 and 2014.

Brad Keselowski is the active leader in last-lap passes with 5 but has never come from further back than second.

 

[puckhogg11]

You're an animal Jeff Jordan. I love reading your facts/stats after a race.