This weekend, the warmth is on for Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe who enter under the minimize line, with Chase Elliott on the playoff bubble as NASCAR returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway for one more Spherical of 12 elimination race on its infield highway course. And if the playoff warmth is not sufficient of a problem, the collection added one other problem for drivers — a barely completely different look to the ROVAL.
At first, the structure appears to be like about the identical. Drivers will comply with the identical course for the primary a part of the lap, however issues change after Flip 5. As an alternative of taking a proper, the straightaway has been prolonged in the direction of a brand new Flip 6. This part consists of some elevation change the place drivers will lose the power to see a number of the vehicles in entrance of them till they attain the crest of the hill.
Drivers should gradual for Flip 6, however not sufficient to make passing an actual risk. Nonetheless, that may change dramatically coming into the extremely tight left-hander at Flip 7. It is principally a 180-degree flip as drivers utterly change path onto the banked oval. When desperation hits on late-race restarts, this might develop into calamity nook with aggressive drive-bombs up the within. We have seen one thing related on the tight Flip 1 at COTA, which is not even within the playoffs. The ultimate chicane additionally has a notable alteration, making a sharper apex for the drivers to navigate at Flip 16.
Charlotte Motor Speedway highway course structure
Picture by: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Suarez is likely one of the drivers coming into this race within the crimson, and he is spent a variety of time within the simulator getting ready for the modifications. “This Roval race goes to be completely different for positive,” he mentioned within the weekly workforce advance. “I believe the modifications to the monitor will create passing zones. Proper now, our work is within the digital world. We’re doing this on a simulator. No person has been operating laps in actual life. So we’re going to discover out what these modifications imply on Saturday.”
His teammate Ross Chastain, who earned pole place within the final highway course race at Watkins Glen, expressed some concern over how the elevation modifications will have an effect on visibility. “From the images I’ve seen, it is undoubtedly modified,” he mentioned. “There’s some elevation change and it’s blind. You possibly can see a automobile, I consider, however the monitor falls away steep sufficient you can’t actually see it. It provides me a bit of bit of tension as a result of I can not see the highway in entrance of me. I am going to wait to see the way it appears to be like in actual life however mentally I am getting ready to not have the ability to see the monitor in entrance of me.”
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Rheem – Chasing a Remedy Ford Mustang, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Huk Efficiency Fishing Chevrolet Camaro, Ryan Blaney, Group Penske, Low cost Tire Ford Mustang, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Chevrolet Camaro, Ryan Blaney, Group Penske, Low cost Tire Ford Mustang, Joey Logano, Group Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Interstate Batteries All Battery Middle Toyota Camry
Picture by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
Talking on the front-stretch chicane, Noah Gragson provides it’s going to change the way in which drivers method the ultimate flip. “We’re going to have to search out completely different braking markers into there and see if we are able to push it kind of. I’m assuming you’re going to need to decelerate extra with them bringing that curve out.”
Carson Hocevar earned his career-best end at Watkins Glen, putting third. He sees the modifications as a bonus for drivers like him who do not have as a lot expertise on the monitor. “The reconfiguration and structure change has taken a bit of bit away from the blokes who’ve expertise there,” defined the main Cup rookie. “It permits us to method it with an open thoughts and no preconceived notion on how the monitor needs to be. On the flip aspect, the blokes who’ve run there earlier than have a pair main areas of the monitor wherein they’ve to alter their method. Hopefully it takes them a bit of bit to overlook the previous and determine the brand new whereas I’m catching up on the opposite areas of the monitor!”
Ryan Blaney is in a reasonably comfy place, 25 factors above the minimize line. He additionally gained the inaugural race on the Charlotte ROVAL after the leaders crashed into one another simply wanting the road. The reigning Cup champion sees much more alternatives for passing into Flip 7 and the ultimate chicane. “I believe you opened up a passing zone in seven,” mentioned Blaney. “It’s gonna be sort of a dive bomb central nook, for positive, simply the way in which it’s formed, in order that can be fascinating to see the way it races.
Ryan Blaney, Group Penske, Low cost Tire Ford Mustang
Picture by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
“You’re gonna need to drive that nook very in a different way in case you have stress or not behind you, and, actually, I believe the front-stretch chicane is gonna be a slower nook, so I really feel such as you might need some extra out-braking potential there. I believe it’s good they modified it up. Everytime you add passing zones, that’s good for a race. It’s the identical for everyone. It’s gonna be completely different for everybody and simply who can adapt to it the quickest.”
His Penske teammate Austin Cindric is in a tough place after being wrecked from the lead at Talladega. He’ll possible need to go for the win on the Roval. Concerning the fronstretch chicane, he says the modifications are “taking away your runoff and the power to have a mistake and possibly sort of simply minimize the curb. I believe the curb strikes are gonna be much more aggressive with the automobile, consider it or not. They’re already fairly aggressive, however I don’t assume how useable the curb is, I believe is gonna be taken away since you’re primarily making the curb much more perpendicular to the monitor than it already is. The method angle is gonna be so much completely different.”
