With less than three weeks remaining before drivers rev their engines at the newly reconfigured Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on Oct. 13, anticipation is building for the pivotal NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12. This Wildcard Weekend will challenge drivers as they navigate through the updated course featuring two renovated turns. With a place in the next round at stake, the ROVAL™ is sure to put drivers to the test.
Here’s what some of the remaining NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers are saying ahead of the Oct. 13 cut-off race:
Christopher Bell, No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing:
“My expectations for the ROVAL™ is it's always going to be exciting and drama-filled.”
Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 23XI Racing:
"It's going to be a bit different. My favorite corner, Marcus [Smith] decided to make it a little bit tighter, so that helps me even more. Definitely what they've changed on the backs is going to change the flow of the track, but I don’t know if it really changes what you do with your car setup going into the weekend. You're just going to have to figure out a couple of new corners."
William Byron, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports:
“ROVAL™ is going to be crazy. It's a new format, a new layout and all that, so I think it’s going to be a lot different.”
Ryan Blaney, No. 12, Team Penske:
"It’ll be a little bit different with the final chicane being a little tighter you're going to see some more kind of outbreaking maneuvers there now than what it has been. Exiting the infield there, yeah I don't know how that's going to be; that's a super tight corner when you turn back onto the banking you know of the oval Turn 1 track. I think you're going to see some big dive bomb Hail Mary moves into there, just because it's a pretty wide entry, and you’ll have to slow way down. So we'll see, but that'll be a pretty exciting spot on the track. I think they also opened up a couple of passing zones, which is good. That's what tracks need."
Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing:
"Expectations for the ROVAL™ is gonna be that we're going to have a little bit different track configuration this year. Two corners that we're going to have to navigate that’s a little bit different. So it's going to be about who can adapt the quickest and qualify well."
Austin Cindric, No. 2, Team Penske:
"The ROVAL™ will definitely be different with the reconfiguration, especially in that the Turn 8 area. I honestly hated Turn 8 before so I’m a big fan of this change. It should be fun."
Alex Bowman, No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports:
“It'll be really interesting to see how the track reconfiguration is at the ROVAL™so I'm excited for that, it’s gonna be different for sure. It’s going to be a pretty treacherous section so, we'll have to wait and see. The front straight-away chicane is going to be narrower, lot of differences so I’m excited to get there.”
Chase Briscoe, No. 14, Stewart-Haas Racing:
“My expectations for the ROVAL™ will be is that it's going to be a really exciting race first off. It’s a new configuration. I think the new track is going to create quite a few more passing opportunities. Probably going to create more chaos, which is always the fun part of the ROVAL™ from the fan side of things. So, this year's ROVAL™ will be one for the history books.”
TICKETS:
To purchase Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 weekend tickets, fans can shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or call 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Kids 12 and under get in all weekend for just $10.
MORE INFO:
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