FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: CHARLOTTE PLAYOFF NOTES
The NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series will have their respective playoff fields cut from 12 to 8 after this weekend’s doubleheader on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Ford has four drivers vying for the seven remaining spots in Cup while Ryan Sieg and Riley Herbst look to advance in NXS.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 8 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, Oct. 9 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)
ROUND OF 12 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 8 Advance After Charlotte)
2nd – Ryan Blaney (+32 ahead of cut line)
5th – Joey Logano (+18)
8th – Chase Briscoe (+0)
9th – Austin Cindric (-0)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT CMS
· Ford has 32 all-time series points wins at Charlotte.
· Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick all have at least one series win.
· Blaney won the inaugural Cup Roval race in 2018.
ROUND OF 12 NXS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 8 Advance After Charlotte)
8tht – Ryan Sieg (+6 above cut line)
10th – Riley Herbst (-10)
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT CMS
· Ford has 22 series wins at CMS.
· Chase Briscoe won the first Roval race in 2018.
· Ryan Sieg and Riley Herbst are both looking for their first top 10 finish on the Roval.
BLANEY, LOGANO, BRISCOE AND CINDRIC LOOKING TO ADVANCE
All four of Ford’s playoff drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series remain in the hunt to advance into the Round of 8 going into Sunday’s race on the Charlotte Roval. Ryan Blaney (+32) and Joey Logano (+18) are in the best position while Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric have the same point total and are squarely on the bubble in eighth and ninth-place, respectively. Briscoe owns a Roval win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while Blaney has one in Cup. This will mark Cindric’s Cup debut on the Roval, but he’s had great success with two poles and three top-five finishes in four career NXS starts.
SIEG AND HERBST ON NXS BUBBLE
Ryan Sieg matched his season-best finish at Talladega last weekend with a fourth-place run, which kept him in the thick of the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff battle. With the top eight drivers advancing after Saturday’s race, Sieg finds himself in the final transfer position by six points. Riley Herbst is one of those currently on the outside looking in, but he’s only 10 points behind Sieg for the last spot. Both drivers are looking to advance to the Round of 8 for the first time.
BLANEY CAPTURES INAUGURAL CUP ROVAL RACE
The debut of the Charlotte Roval didn’t disappoint as Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. wrecked each other in the final chicane heading to the checkered flag, allowing Ryan Blaney to sneak past both and win the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400. Blaney put himself in position to win thanks to some sound strategy that enabled him to stretch his fuel mileage and win Stage 2. He round himself in 25th place with 38 laps to go after a trip to pit road, but cycled his way back up to the front before being in the right place at the right time. That capped a weekend in which Ford won the pole and race in the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series.
BRISCOE WINS FIRST NXS RACE ON ROVAL
Chase Briscoe led the final 24 laps and became the first driver to win a race on the new Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval course by taking the checkered flag in the Drive for the Cure 200. The win was Briscoe’s first in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and he was able to do it thanks to a good restart with 11 laps to go. Briscoe, who had been locked in a tight battle with Daniel Hemric throughout the final stage, got the jump after the race’s fifth caution and when Hemric missed the frontstrech chicane, it gave Briscoe some extra breathing room to take the checkered flag.
FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1962 – Nelson Stacy (1)
1963 – Fred Lorenzen (1)
1964 – Fred Lorenzen (2)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)
1969 – Donnie Allison (2)
1970 – Donnie Allison (1)
1978 – Bobby Allison (2)
1982 – Neil Bonnett (1)
1984 – Bill Elliott (2)
1985 – Cale Yarborough (2)
1987 – Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott
1990 – Davey Allison (2)
1991 – Davey Allison and Geoffrey Bodine
1992 – Mark Martin (2)
1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1995 – Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Dale Jarrett (1)
1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)
1998 – Mark Martin (2)
1999 – Jeff Burton (1)
2000 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2001 – Jeff Burton (1)
2002 – Mark Martin (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (2)
2018 – Ryan Blaney (2-Roval)
2020 – Brad Keselowski (1)
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE
1992 – Jeff Gordon (Sweep)
1993 – Mark Martin (2)
1995 – Chad Little (1) and Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
1998 – Mark Martin (1)
1999 – Mark Martin (1)
2000 – Jeff Burton (1)
2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Greg Biffle (2)
2002 – Jeff Burton (2)
2003 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2006 – Carl Edwards (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe (2-Roval)
