NASCAR is shortening its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s infield road course from 500 kilometers to 400 km, according to a Motorsport.com report. The race is scheduled for Sept. 30, making it the third race, or elimination race, of the first round of the playoffs. It replaces a 500-mile race on the facility’s oval course.
The “roval” course has been modified multiple times, but its latest layout includes most of the oval track and features a 35-foot elevation change, two chicanes and 17 turns. It is 2.28 miles long. If there are no further course changes, the September race will be a 109-lap event to equate it to 400 km, down from the 137 laps necessary for a 500 km distance. The NASCAR Xfinity Series also is scheduled to run a race on the “roval” Sept. 29.
“You have to be on your game, that’s for sure,” Trevor Bayne said during a test in March. “You can’t really let your guard down anywhere. There’s no room to make mistakes. If you make a mistake, you’re going to pay for it pretty quickly. If you try to do something and it doesn’t work, you’ll pay the price. It’s going to be a survival race…If you’re smart, you take care of your car and you don’t make mistakes, you’ll have a really good shot at the end for a good finish. I enjoyed it. It was a challenge for me—something new—and I enjoyed that part of it.”
The next test date at the track is July 10. A test also is scheduled for July 17.
Drivers expected to participate in the July 10 test include Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, Bayne, Jamie McMurray, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Kasey Kahne, Michael McDowell, Gray Gaulding, Landon Cassill and B.J. McLeod.
Drivers scheduled for the July 17 test include Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Newman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Ty Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Corey LaJoie, David Ragan and Reed Sorenson.
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