CONCORD, NC — The last time NASCAR visited Charlotte Motor Speedway for a fall race, the track was in the shape of a 2.28-mile road course with 17 turns and Shane van Gisbergen took the checkered flag.
But after eight years, the Roval is gone and a fall race has returned to the Charlotte oval.
“I mean, it's an oval series, and I came here to race on ovals,” said van Gisbergen, the New Zealand native. “Road courses are obviously good for me, but I don't know, I'm decent at this oval I think too. So it is what it is.”
On Sunday, Oct. 11 in the Bank of America 400, drivers will race 400 miles on a mile-and-a-half asphalt track for the third consecutive week in the sixth of 10 races in the postseason Chase. On the last two intermediate speedways, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe have finished first and second, with Larson winning at Kansas and Briscoe holding him off to capture victory at Las Vegas.
Both drivers will start on the front row this week with the starting lineup being determined by NASCAR’s metric after qualifying was washed out due to rain from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.
“The hard part is, the guy we’re trying to catch for the championship will be beside me, and I need to gain all the points I can on him,” Briscoe said.
And indeed, while van Gisbergen is a road course ace — winning this season at Watkins Glen and Sonoma — he is improving on ovals in his second full-time season in the Cup Series. The 37-year-old placed ninth last weekend at Las Vegas, marking his sixth top 10 finish on an oval this year. He’ll begin Sunday’s race in 10th, the highest a non-Chase driver will start.
"Now we need to be doing it consistently. So, yeah, it was cool to run up front again and find some speed in our cars. That's for sure," van Gisbergen said. "We've been trying a lot of stuff and trying to learn and get better for next year. So, I'm glad we're thinking outside the box. Now, hopefully, we can start making speed."
The last time NASCAR was in Charlotte for an oval race was during Memorial Day weekend in May for the Coca-Cola 600 — the first race held after the death of Kyle Busch — where Daniel Suarez won his first crown jewel race, taking the checkered flag in a rain-shortened competition. This Sunday’s race should go on without inclement weather.
The National Weather Service projects showers and thunderstorms before 2 p.m., then a slight chance of showers through 3 p.m., with wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Sunday night should be mostly clear, with a low temperature around 60 degrees. Following the Cup Series competition will be another race, with the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race moved from Saturday to Sunday night at 8 p.m.
In regards to the Chase, all eyes will be on Larson again this week. He enters the Bank of America 400 in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a 40-point lead over regular season champion Denny Hamlin, who finished third at Charlotte in May.
Hamlin had a rough race last weekend at Las Vegas, spinning out near the end of Stage 1 and damaging his car before limping to a 16th place finish. He’ll start Sunday’s race from 12th place.
If there was ever a time for Hamlin to get back into victory lane, it’s now.
“We know it can be done,” Hamlin said. “It’s a 10-race season. We got a little head start to that, but it’s a 10-race season. What happened in the first (26 races) doesn’t matter when we come down to these playoffs. Anything is possible.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
What time does the NASCAR race at Charlotte start?
The green flag is set to drop on Bank of America 400 at 3:19 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
What TV channel is the NASCAR race at Charlotte on?
The Bank of America 400 will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Leigh Diffey will have the call alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, while Dale Jarrett and Brad Daugherty will offer additional analysis from the pit box. Marty Snider will host the pre- and postrace shows, while former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will be the pace-car analyst.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR race at Charlotte?
Subscribers to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV can watch the Bank of America 400 through those services.
HBO Max will continue to provide live streams of in-car cameras, while PRN will carry the live radio broadcast.
How many laps is the NASCAR race at Charlotte?
The Bank of America 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile asphalt oval for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 85 laps; Stage 3: 102 laps.
Who won the last NASCAR race at Charlotte?
Back in May during Memorial Day weekend, Daniel Suarez took the checkered flag in a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600. Suarez led for the final 17 laps of the race, deftly blocking Christopher Bell before the race was called.
Brad Keselowski is the only active Cup Series driver with multiple wins on the Charlotte oval.
Will there be a tribute for Kyle Busch?
NASCAR is back in Charlotte for the first time since May’s Coca-Cola 600, which was the first race held after the shocking and sudden death of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. Days after winning his 234th race — taking a checkered flag in the Truck Series at Dover — Busch died on May 21 at the age of 41 due to complications from sepsis caused by presumed bacterial pneumonia.
An open-to-the-public celebration of life ceremony was held for Busch on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the Truck Series race this weekend. Friends and family members spoke during the emotional service, speaking to the kind of driver, boss, brother, husband and father that Busch was. Speakers included drivers Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, Noah Gragson, Austin Dillon, Hall of Famer Kurt Busch and team owner Joe Gibbs, as well as Busch’s widow Samantha.
After she finished speaking, Busch’s 11-year-old son Brexton got behind the wheel of one of his Cup Series cars and performed an epic burnout, then climbed on top of the machine and bowed in honor of his dad.
What are the current standings for the NASCAR Chase?
- Kyle Larson
- Denny Hamlin -40
- Christopher Bell -55
- Joey Logano -71
- Ryan Blaney -80
- Chase Briscoe -84
- Tyler Reddick -106
- Ty Gibbs -110
- Austin Cindric -128
- Bubba Wallace -137
- Carson Hocevar -158
- William Byron -160
- Chase Elliott -163
- Daniel Suarez -195
- Chris Buescher -196
- Ryan Preece -200
What is the lineup for the NASCAR race at Charlotte?
(Car number in parentheses, Chase drivers designated with asterisk)
- Kyle Larson (5) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports*
- Chase Briscoe (19) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Tyler Reddick (45) — Toyota, 23XI Racing*
- Ryan Blaney (12) — Ford, Team Penske*
- Austin Cindric (2) — Ford, Team Penske*
- William Byron (24) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports*
- Joey Logano (22) — Ford, Team Penske*
- Bubba Wallace (23) — Toyota, 23XI Racing*
- Chase Elliott (9) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports*
- Shane van Gisbergen (97) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Carson Hocevar (77) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports*
- Denny Hamlin (11) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Chris Buescher (17) — Ford, RFK Racing*
- Ty Gibbs (54) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- Daniel Suarez (7) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports*
- Alex Bowman (48) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Christopher Bell (20) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing*
- AJ Allmendinger (16) — Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Michael McDowell (71) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
- Austin Dillon (3) — Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Riley Herbst (35) — Toyota, 23XI Racing
- Brad Keselowski (6) — Ford, RFK Racing
- Noah Gragson (4) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Ryan Preece (60) — Ford, RFK Racing*
- Erik Jones (43) — Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
- Austin Hill (33) — Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Josh Berry (21) — Ford, Wood Brothers
- Ross Chastain (1) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- John Hunter Nemechek (42) — Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
- Cole Custer (41) — Chevrolet, Haas Factory Team
- Todd Gilliland (34) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) — Chevrolet, HYAK Motorsports
- Ty Dillon (10) — Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Zane Smith (38) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Cody Ware (51) — Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Connor Zilisch (88) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Corey Heim (67) — Toyota, 23XI Racing
- Gray Gaulding (66) — Ford, Garage 66
- BJ McLeod (44) – Chevrolet, NY Racing
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR race at Charlotte: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup, weather
