In a special ceremony on Tuesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles proclaimed Sept. 23-30 as "Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™ Week" in the city of Charlotte. Race fans from all 50 states and 12 foreign countries will descend on the Charlotte region for this weekend's inaugural Bank of America ROVAL™ 400.

"One of my favorite jobs is to celebrate what works and what makes Charlotte special," Lyles said. "We all know that racing makes Charlotte a special place."

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones' first Charlotte race-week lap also took place on Tuesday, but the driver  of the No. 20 Reser's Toyota Camry wasn't on the ROVAL™. Jones and Lyles joined Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith and Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President Greg Walter in leading a Laps around Uptown parade through Uptown Charlotte.

Before Jones roars around the ROVAL™ at high speed this weekend, the title contender went low speed in a Toyota Camry pace car.

"Having something new and exciting is going to be pretty fun for us as drivers, especially in the playoffs," Jones said. "I think we're all looking forward to get on the ROVAL™ for the race. We've all done some testing there and seen some changes that have been good for the track. At the end of the day, it's going to make for a good race. I've heard a lot of excitement from people in the industry and fans as well. It's going to be fun."