Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 was a grueling 109 laps for 38 of the world’s best Stock Car Racers, as the 17-turn configuration kept both drivers and fans alike on the edge of their seats. While the weekend saw Supercars Champion, Shane van Gisbergen sweep the weekend with poles in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series races, it was a Kyle Larson’s race to lose as the Hendrick Motorsports driver knows his way around the 2.32-mile oval-turned road course in Concord, North Carolina. Here’s a detailed recap of what the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 consisted of.
The Green Flag was waved by 19-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, Greg Biffle, who’s been actively helping Hurricane Helene victims in Asheville, North Carolina. Shane van Gisbergen, who piloted the #13 WeatherTech Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, started on the pole with 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick on his inside. It didn’t take long for Kyle Larson to find his way to the front, stealing the lead on lap 28, after Reddick and van Gisbergen led the first 27. In the midst of this, the rest of the field struggled getting through Turn 17. NASCAR made it clear that if you go over the Turn 17 turn without the left side of the car being outside the red and white paint, you would serve a penalty, prompting a stop and go. Prior to Larson stealing the lead, Stage 1 ended with Tyler Reddick winning it, collecting ten points and one Playoff Point, followed by Joey Logano and Chase Elliott finishing second and third.
With Larson leading the field to the Green Flag on Lap 30, he overtook Kaulig racing teammates, A.J. Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen and never looked back. Turn 7 was the problem corner, as Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick all had trouble there. This is likely due to the turn being expanded with a small repave.
Stewart Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe had issues with his #14 Ford Mustang, prompting him to go to the garage on Lap 38. This eliminated Briscoe from the Playoffs and championship contention in the process. Briscoe had a strong showing in this year’s Playoffs, making it into the Round of 12 and showcasing speed up until the point of elimination.
On Lap 39, Brad Keselowski had trouble in Turn 7, but was able to continue. While the RFK driver was eliminated after the Round of 16, he was not the only driver to have trouble, as 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace got into Trackhosue Racing’s Daniel Suarez on the Backstretch turn, forcing him off the track and prompting him to complete a stop-and-go. Winning the second Stage was Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, despite his #48 Ally Chevrolet hopping the Turn 17 curb earlier in the race. Bowman would initially collect ten points and one Playoff Point.
Stage 3 began with Road Course ace, A.J. Allmendinger started first, alongside Joey Logano. The ongoing trouble for Legacy Motor Club continued, as teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek made contact and tire rubber came off Nemechek’s #42 Mobil 1 Toyota, prompting another caution.
The race resumed on Lap 60, as Allmendinger maintained control of the field. In the middle of the pack, the Regular Season Champion, Tyler Reddick had to hustle his #45 Monster Energy Toyota for 23XI Racing, as he found himself juts a few points behind Team Penske driver, Joey Logano for that 8th seed in the Round of 8. Shane van Gisbergen was spun by Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar on Lap 62, also collecting RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher. Every driver involved in this incident was able to carry on.
The true turning point of the race was Kyle Larson out dueling Allmendinger for the lead on Lap 67, overtaking him at Turn 7. The last caution came out on Lap 82, as Richard Childress Racing driver, Austin Dillon lost the left front tire of his #3 Bet MGM Chevrolet, allowing NASCAR to retrieve it from the infield grass.
Once the race resumed, Larson maintained his lead, while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin battled Alex Bowman, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick for the last spot in the next round. With Bowman and Reddick winning the first two stages, they still had work to do with 14-laps-to-go. Only 20 points separated them in the winding stages of the race and they all knew each position is a point towards the championship finale. At one point, Reddick and Logano were tied in points, giving the tie-breaker to Logano, based on his Playoff performance. However, Reddick passed enough cars to advance to the next round, finishing 11th in the race, with Logano initially missing the cutline, coming home in 8th-place. Larson won the race, after locking himself in on points before Stage 3.
The drivers who’d wind up being eliminated from the Playoffs consisted of Team Penske drivers, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Stewart Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe leaving NASCAR’s home track heartbroken, as their title hopes came to a close as the sun set on the Concord-North Carolina race track.
Things changed fast as Alex Bowman was disqualified, due to Bowman’s vehicle not making the minimum post-race weight, allotting him a last-place finish in the race. This changed the playoff picture instantly, as Joey Logano had enough points salved to be in the Round of 8, keeping his championship hopes alive. Hendrick Motorsports determined that they would not appeal the penalty, meaning Bowman will have to wait until next season to pursue a NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
This year’s race at the Charlotte Road Course had one of the most intense point battles of the season and played its part as a true wildcard, like it has since 2018. With that being said, the second-to-last round of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs kicks off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 20 at 2:30PM EST on NBC. Eight drivers hope to lock themselves into the Championship 4, which is a winner take all event at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 10. A win at Las Vegas will guarantee any of the Playoff drivers a chance to race for a Championship and you won’t want to miss this weekend’s South Point 400!
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