Information By: TAYLOR SMITH / TEAM PENSKE – CONCORD, NC
Bank of America Roval 400: CMS Road Course
Concord, North Carolina – October 12, 2024
It all comes down to this – nearly 250 miles of intense action on the newly reconfigured Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – for drivers looking to survive and advance to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs to keep their title hopes alive as the playoff field will shrink from 12 to eight contenders following Sunday’s elimination race. The reconfigured 2.28-mile, 17-turn, multi-elevational road course now features an extended straightaway between Turns 5 and 6, directing the field into a sharper hairpin at Turn 7. The revamped Turn 16 curves farther left toward pit road, setting up a 90-degree right-hand turn, followed by a 90-degree left, bringing the cars back to the front straightaway at Turn 17 and toward the start/finish line. The adjustments are sure to present a unique challenge for the entire field, setting the scene for an exciting event in the Queen City.
- Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – 4th
- Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang – 5th
- Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – 14th
CINDRIC SAID IT: “I think that gives us the option to do everything we need to do tomorrow. We are in a position that we have to go win, and starting in the top five and being able to have some track position here to start is super important. I am proud of my team bringing a fast Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang and we will go try to have our best day of the year tomorrow.”
CHARLOTTE HISTORY: In total, Team Penske has 13 national series wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway across the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including Ryan Blaney’s triumphant win in the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400 on Charlotte’s road course layout in 2018. The driver of the No. 12 led 16 laps en route to the organization’s 501st overall win. In six starts on the road course configuration, Blaney has only finished outside the top 12 once. Teammate Joey Logano has top-10 finishes in five of his six starts on the 17-turn track, including a runner-up result in the 2020 edition of the 109-lap event. Prior to advancing to the Cup Series, Cindric flexed his road course skills at the Charlotte Roval in the Xfinity Series, recording highly impressive finishes of third, third, sixth and second in his four starts. The 26-year-old driver has made two starts on the layout that blends portions of the oval and infield road course since moving up the Cup Series.
TUNE IN ON SUNDAY: Coverage of Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.