Back on the oval, with ground to make up

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s fall cup race returns to the oval on October 11, where Kyle Larson will carry a 40 point championship lead into the Bank of America 400. The Oval returns after eight seasons on the Roval (a road course + oval configuration) initially added in 2018 to add road-courses to the postseason.

This Sunday will be the sixth of ten Chase races following consecutive weekends at Kansas and Las Vegas. There will be no further point resets or eliminations under the current 2026 format, thus whatever ground the contenders lose now will be tough to recoup.

Kyle Larson is making difficult days count

Larson’s second place finish at Las Vegas might have been the most frustrating result for his rivals. An extended pit stop left him a lap down, yet he recovered to finish ahead of both closest challengers. Denny Hamlin finished 16th after he spun out whilst power steering trouble left Christopher Bell 23rd and 55 points behind the leader.

Both need to compete and finish closer to the front at Charlotte, but the difficulty will be in gaining points on someone who keeps recovering from the problems that should cost him

Charlotte is a Demanding Track

Recent results do provide a starting point though. Daniel Suarez, who previously won the rain impacted Coca-cola 600, has shown how differently the spectrum of oval racing can be, especially through the bumps on turns 3 and 4.

Goodyear is supplying the same tire setup used at Kansas, Las Vegas and Charlotte in May. That could gives teams some useful experience for a competitive edge. After Sunday’s practice, Drivers and teams will have a better indication, after sustained lap times and driver feedback will help show which teams have a car they can work with over a run, beyond the quali lap and into the race.

Chase Briscoe to Build on His Success

Chase Briscoe led 175 of 267 laps at Las Vegas and won both stages, collecting his second victory of the season. His 75 point afternoon reduced his championship deficit by 39 points, moving him to sixth, 84 behind Kyle Larson.

Sean Gardner | Getty ImagesChase Briscoe adds the second win sticker to the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after winning Sunday's Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in The Chase presented by Mobil 1.
Sean Gardner | via NASCAR
Chase Briscoe adds the second win sticker to the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after winning Sunday’s Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in The Chase presented by Mobil 1.

 

Although achieving substantial progress, he still needs to outscore the leader consistently. Charlotte gives the No. 19 team an immediate chance to build on its recent speed.

Cup practice begins Saturday, October 10, at 1 p.m. ET. Qualifying will be at 2:05 p.m. Sunday’s Bank of America 400 is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.