Tuesday was a unique day at Charlotte Motor Speedway as 16 NASCAR drivers got their first up close and personal look at the new ROVAL™ course. You might ask, what is a ROVAL™? It’s a hybrid that was created to bring fans a whole new experience.
So let’s start off with the name, ROVAL™. It is exactly what it seems to be, a mix between the traditional oval track Charlotte Motor Speedway is known for and a road course. It is a first on the NASCAR circuit and looks to bring back the excitement in racing. We all remember the domination of Kyle Busch at the Coca-Cola 600, but hopefully, with the new configuration, there will be more passing and less domination by one individual. In turn, this will make for far more competitive racing and keep the fans and teams on the edge of their seats.
Today started out with a little bit of excitement with a crash by Bubba Wallace ending his day of testing but since then it has been mostly single-car runs and very little if any, passing. This is to be expected with any new track configuration on the NASCAR circuit. There have been a few instances where cars have been close to each other but it doesn’t seem like anyone is feeling comfortable enough to start trying to pass each other, at least not yet.
Jimmie Johnson stated, “I think surviving (is the biggest challenge). There are a lot of areas to make a mistake. It’s going to be tough with 40 cars on the track. I think survival will be the biggest hurdle to clear.”
Once the drivers begin to test the limits of their cars on the new layout, I believe it will produce a more aggressive and entertaining show.
And just a few moments after I wrote that it’s as though Brad Keselowski could read my mind as he ventured out into a different turn and you could hear the tires of his No. 2 Ford Fusion squeal as he pushed his car to its limits. But from the sound of it, he may still have some room to push his car further.
You could tell that the anticipation is building based on the number of fans in the stands and will only increase with testing next Tuesday, as well.
The Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 will premiere Sunday, September 30. Expect to see tempers flaring and cars being moved out of the way as Charlotte Motor Speedway attempts to bring back some of the old school NASCAR with a brand new concept.
