CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The longest road course race in NASCAR got a little shorter on Monday afternoon, as Charlotte Motor Speedway officials confirmed a 400-kilometer distance for the track’s inaugural race on the new ROVAL layout.
The Bank of America ROVAL 400, set for Sept. 28-30, will be the cutoff race for the first round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and will feature a 109-lap grind around the 2.28-mile, 17-turn layout that features portions of both the traditional 1.5-mile CMS oval and the infield road course.
September’s running of the ROVAL event will be broken down into three stages of 25, 25 and 59 laps.
“This race is history in the making, and it marks the next chapter in our legacy of providing innovative, show-stopping entertainment that’s never been seen before,” said Speedway Motorsports Inc. President Marcus Smith. “Like NASCAR’s first 600-mile race and the first superspeedway race at night, the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 is going to be a can’t-miss event that fans will remember forever. We’re about to witness a dramatic, historic, unforgettable race weekend Sept. 28-30.
“This race will be pivotal in determining who goes on to run for the championship. It’s been a step-by-step process to pull all this together, and I have to give a lot of credit to all the drivers that helped us in testing this course to get it to the point that it’s at today,” Smith continued. “We’ve had legends involved in the building, development and perfection of this next chapter. A lot of people were intrigued when we first posed this as a possibility, and with today’s announcements we’re one step closer to the reality of race day.”
Among those in attendance for Monday’s announcement were Smith, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell, CMS executive vice president Greg Walter and Charles Bowman, Bank of America’s market president for North Carolina and Charlotte.
Both NASCAR and speedway officials were directly involved in the discussions for the finalized race distance, which included factors like test session feedback, lap times, the television broadcast window and comparisons to the other two road course events on the Cup Series calendar at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l.
“Following a number of test sessions in preparation for the much-anticipated playoff race at Charlotte, we felt that this race length made the most sense,” noted O’Donnell. “In the end, we believe the race length will accomplish the primary goal which is to showcase the best race for our passionate fans.
“When Marcus first came to us with the idea for this race, I called him crazy, but I was definitely intrigued,” O’Donnell added. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this all plays out in September, just as I know our fans are as well.”
Bowman pointed out that Monday’s announcement and the ROVAL race as a whole marked an important moment for Charlotte and for Bank of America, which has been a partner of the speedway since it opened in 1960.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Smith family have transformed the city of Charlotte with the growth of the motorsports industry in this region,” Bowman said. “We are privileged to be the title sponsor of this extraordinary event, and we look forward to making history with the speedway when the Bank of America ROVAL 400 roars to life in September.”
Charlotte Motor Speedway officials also revealed a new logo for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 29.
O’Donnell confirmed following the on-stage portion of Monday’s media conference that the race distance will be 200 kilometers, split into stages of 15, 15 and 25 laps.
Bojangles’ Qualifying for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 will hit the track on Friday afternoon, Sept. 28. The standard road course knockout format will be used, with the first 25-minute round setting positions 13-40 and the final 10-minute round featuring the top 12 drivers running for the Busch Pole Award.
