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Following Sunday’s race, the current field of 12 will be reduced by four drivers, with Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe all positioned below the cutline. William Byron has already secured his place in the round of eight, while Christopher Bell only needs to participate in the race to move forward.
This sets the stage for unpredictable outcomes at The Roval, the concluding event of an already tumultuous second round of the playoffs. Notably, a championship-contending driver did not emerge victorious at either Kansas Speedway or Talladega Superspeedway, where last week’s race ended in chaos with 28 cars involved in a massive crash, marking a historic moment in NASCAR.
The Roval, introduced by Speedway Motorsports in 2018, was designed to refresh the traditional 1.5-mile speedway that fans had found monotonous due to a lack of variety in the NASCAR schedule. While the original layout had its share of excitement, drivers often felt it lacked sufficient passing opportunities.
However, the new design features two areas that are more likely to lead to collisions than successful overtakes.
The modifications start at Turn 5, where a high-speed downhill corkscrew has caused cars to lift off the ground during simulator tests. The straightaway has been extended toward a new Turn 6, which includes an elevation change that will challenge driver visibility until they reach the top of the hill.
Drivers will need to decelerate as they approach Turn 6, followed by a sharp left into Turn 7, effectively a 180-degree turn leading onto the banked oval. Additionally, the final chicane at Turn 16 has been redesigned with a sharper apex, adding to the complexity of the course.
Denny Hamlin expressed his concerns regarding the recent reconfiguration, stating, “The changes seem intended to increase chaos. You’ll need to provide compelling evidence to convince me otherwise. The corners have been made sharper and tighter, encouraging drivers to dive straight into the turns, potentially taking out those ahead. This could lead to a congested situation in Turn 7, where the challenge will be to maneuver through the chaos.”
He added, “There’s a blind spot between Turns 5 and 6, where the car rises significantly. In the simulator, it can even become airborne. While that may not happen in reality, we will experience this new Roval configuration. My focus will be on qualifying well and avoiding accidents; that’s the main strategy.”
Title contender Alex Bowman remarked, “Turn 6 is completely blind; you won’t see it until you’re right on it, which adds an interesting element. Turn 7 feels like making a U-turn on a one-way street, so chaos is definitely expected.”
Is it reasonable for drivers to adapt to a new layout while their championship hopes are at stake?
“It’s the same challenge for everyone,” replied reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney. “Each driver will handle it differently, and it will come down to who can adjust the fastest. I’ve done some simulator practice, and we’ll see how it unfolds.”
NASCAR recently convened with Cup Series crew chiefs to clarify the enforcement of the damaged vehicle policy for the remainder of the playoffs, following confusion stemming from its application at Talladega.
There has been uncertainty regarding the DVP rule, particularly after Ryan Blaney and Josh Berry were involved in first-lap incidents during playoff races. Despite the minimal damage to their vehicles, the previous enforcement of the DVP rule led to both drivers being ruled out of the race and unable to return to the pit stall after the contact.
Last Sunday at Talladega, a significant 28-car crash resulted in a red flag, and NASCAR faced challenges in managing the cleanup process. Several damaged vehicles were left with flat tires at the entrance of Turn 3, while playoff contenders Chase Elliott and Briscoe were towed back to their pits for necessary repairs.
According to the previous rule enforcement, these cars should have been disqualified from the race due to having four flat tires and being unable to return to pit road on their own.
Compounding the situation, the cars that were towed back to pit road were permitted to begin repairs once NASCAR lifted the red flag. However, the cars that had not crashed were held up on the backstretch by the pace car, causing a significant delay in resuming the race.
Drivers expressed their frustration that those needing repairs remained stranded while others—many of whom would have been disqualified—were already working to re-enter the race.
NASCAR officials informed teams that the DVP policy would be applied throughout the remainder of the playoffs as it was at Talladega. This means that if a vehicle has flat tires and seems capable of continuing but cannot drive back, it will be towed to its pit stall, allowing the team to change tires and assess damage within a seven-minute timeframe.
In other news, retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, who has been actively involved in rescue and recovery efforts in areas of Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene, was named the honorary starter for Sunday’s race. Recent Hall of Fame inductees Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd, who were elected in May but have largely stayed away from NASCAR since their retirements, served as grand marshals. Additionally, Briscoe and his wife, Marissa, welcomed twins this week. He expressed concern about finishing his work at the speedway to return to his growing family. Briscoe mentioned that his wife had a visit to the emergency room for follow-up care but assured that the stress would not impact his performance on Sunday as he faces playoff elimination.