CONCORD, N.C. – On Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field will be condensed to eight drivers in the fight for the 2023 championship.
The venue for the Round of 12 finale? Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL configuration. This will be the sixth time the sport’s top series has utilized the road course layout for the facility’s second date. Due to the nature of the circuit being located inside the oval layout, the 17-turn track provides close-quarters racing. For a cutoff race, it certainly has the potential to yield a high-drama finish as it has in the past.
In the five races that have taken place on this configuration, Hendrick Motorsports has found victory lane three times. Chase Elliott took home back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020, while Kyle Larson overcame early mechanical issues in 2021 to capture the checkered flag.
In addition, No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro will be back in action in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Boris Said will be behind the wheel for this event. Said has a very decorated road course racing resume. He is a former sports car series champion (2004) with victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona (1997 and 1998) and the 12 Hours of Sebring (1998). In 2005, he became the first American to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Said has 29 starts in the Xfinity Series, with one win coming in 2010 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
RELATED: Said plans to have fun with opportunity in No. 17 Xfinity entry
Of note in both races, in a return to procedures prior to this year, there will be stage breaks. In previous road course races this year, there had not been stage breaks. The Cup race stage one will end after lap 25 and stage two will end after lap 50. In the Xfinity race, stage one will end after lap 20 and stage two will conclude after lap 40.
Coming off of a runner-up finish at Talladega Superspeedway and a victory at Texas Motor Speedway (which locked him into the Round of 8), William Byron will be free from pressure at Charlotte. Not only is it a home race for the 25-year-old driver, but the stats show his strength on tracks of this nature. He’s led the second-most circuits at the Charlotte ROVAL (80) and earned pole position in 2019. Byron is also the most recent winner on a road course as he took home the victory at Watkins Glen International in August. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native will go for his seventh win this season on Sunday afternoon.
Headed into the Charlotte ROVAL, Larson holds a 15-point advantage over the cutline. While late-race incidents have hurt the driver of the No. 5 entry on multiple occasions at the 17-turn track, Larson has consistently shown speed in each of his starts. Qualifying will also play a large role in Sunday’s race as earning stage points could heavily boost the team’s odds of advancing. Larson has qualified inside the top 10 three times at the Charlotte ROVAL. This postseason, Larson has the top average running position (6.86), most laps run in the top five (1,033) and top 10 (1,270).
The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team has put together an impressive postseason run thus far in the owner championship. Entering Charlotte, the Elliott-led group is 20 markers above the cutline. In the five playoff races, Elliott and the No. 9 team have four top-10 finishes and the other finish was 11th. In addition, Elliott has the fifth-best average running position (10.03) in the playoff races. Heading into a statically good track for the team stats the group up well for advancement. With 94 laps led, Elliott leads all Cup Series drivers in terms of circuits out front at the Charlotte ROVAL and he is the only driver with multiple victories at this facility.
RELATED: Elliott, No. 9 team make major gains in the owner playoffs
This weekend will be the first time Alex Bowman has tackled the Charlotte ROVAL in the Next Gen car as he missed 2022’s race due to injury. While the No. 48 Ally Racing team may not be a part of the postseason, this track has been a good one for the Tucson, Arizona, native. He holds a Cup Series-best average finish of 6.0 across his four starts, with a runner-up finish to Elliott in 2019. Additionally, Bowman has notched two of his four top-five finishes this season on road courses (third at Circuit of The Americas and fifth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course).
Here's what you need to know to catch this weekend’s action.
RELATED: How Hendrick Motorsports playoff teams shape up ahead of Charlotte
WHAT TIME IS PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING?
Group practice will take place at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 7, with coverage beginning on the NBC Sports App. USA Network will join with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Group qualifying will immediately follow practice and begin at 1 p.m. ET with coverage also on USA Network. Bowman, Larson and Byron are in Group A, while Elliott is part of Group B.
The Xfinity Series will kick off with practice at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 7, with coverage on the NBC Sports App. Group qualifying will immediately follow practice and begin at 10:30 a.m. ET with coverage also on the NBC Sports App. Said will be in Group A for qualifying.
WHAT TIME IS THE RACE?
The 109-mile Cup Series race is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC. A post-race show will take place on Peacock.
As for the Xfinity Series, that race will take place on Saturday, Oct. 7 and go green at 3 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC and Peacock.
CAN I LISTEN ON THE RADIO?
Both races will be broadcast on the PRN Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90).
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the NBC Sports App or Peacock for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter by following @TeamHendrick.
FIVE FAST FACTS HEADING INTO THE ROVAL
Stats courtesy of Racing Insights
3: Hendrick Motorsports drivers own the top three slots in the laps led category at the Charlotte ROVAL. Elliott (94), Byron (80) and Larson (60) have all spent considerable time at the front of the pack.
4: Wins on road courses for Larson with Hendrick Motorsports. He ranks third on the all-time company wins list at serpentine tracks.
11: The number of top-10 finishes that Bowman has on road courses. The most of those have come at the Charlotte ROVAL (four).
94: Laps led on road courses for Byron in 2023. Not only does this lead the Cup Series, but it is also a career-best mark for the driver of the No. 24 entry.
151: Despite missing one of the six road course races this year due to injury, Elliott has run the seventh-most laps inside the top five (151) on road courses in 2023.