Charlotte Motor Speedway is expected to shift its 2026 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race off the track\u2019s Roval road-course layout and will instead use the track\u2019s popular intermediate-sized oval, multiple sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic.<\/p>\n
In addition to the premier Cup Series, NASCAR\u2019s other two national divisions, the O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series and Truck Series, will also shift their playoff races from the Roval to Charlotte\u2019s oval. All three races remain scheduled for mid-October.<\/p>\n
An announcement is expected in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Since Charlotte first opened its doors in 1960, it has annually hosted two Cup race weekends. And up until 2018, both those races were held on its 1.5-mile oval. This changed in 2018, when Speedway Motorsports, the venue owner, moved Charlotte\u2019s fall playoff race off the oval to the Roval. This 2.3-mile, 17-turn circuit combined parts of the existing oval with a road course built through the infield (the Roval was named for its hybrid oval-road course).<\/p>\n
When the Roval was first introduced, its early races proved popular, heightening the entertainment factor while also differentiating the track\u2019s two Cup race weekends. Charlotte\u2019s other Cup race is the popular Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR\u2019s crown jewel events.<\/p>\n
The novelty of the Roval, though, has waned in recent years, especially since the advent of the Next Gen car in 2022, which many believe has diminished the quality of road-course racing. This coincided with significantly improved racing on intermediate-sized ovals, leading to an increased clamoring for Charlotte to return its fall playoff race to the oval.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best racing you are going to find is the oval,\u201d Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who also co-owns 23XI Racing, said in the fall. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to bring an example of when the Roval will be better, unless you throw in a green-white-checkered (finish), and then you can have some chaos at the end that saves the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe oval and this car work well together. I believe the reason the Roval is staying is because NASCAR wants to keep a road course in the playoffs, just as a competitive balance. Other than that, I can\u2019t really see where it has a place.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent years, the Roval has served as the final race in the Round of 12, giving road-course specialists a theoretical pathway to the final eight \u2014 win their way into the playoffs, survive the Round of 16, then win at the Roval. Last year, Shane van Gisbergen came close to pulling it off, winning four regular-season road races and the Roval, but he was eliminated in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n