The NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series head to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off the weekend in the Ecosave 200 on Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET on FOX. On Saturday, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Blue Cross NC 300 begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on the CW Network. Then the Cup Series wraps up the weekend on Sunday in the Bank of America 400 at 3:00 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Following the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200 on Friday, the Kyle Busch Celebration of Life will take place on the frontstretch. Fans are welcome to sit as close as possible in the grandstands. Guest speakers include Samantha Busch, Joe Gibbs, Kurt Busch, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, and Mike Joy. Ten of Kyle Busch’s most iconic race cars will be displayed on the front stretch along with a drone show. Gifts will be handed to the first 15,000 guests on the way out.
NASCAR Cup Series Notes for Charlotte Motor Speedway:
The Charlotte oval previously hosted a Chase race every season, and this season is the first time since 2017 that the Charlotte oval (400-mile) is part of the Chase.
Kyle Larson’s second-place finish at Las Vegas extended his points lead to 40 over Denny Hamlin. After Las Vegas, five drivers gained points on series leader Kyle Larson, with Chase Briscoe gaining the most at 39 points.
Ryan Blaney is the only Chase driver to score stage points in all 10 stages of the five Chase races, and Carson Hocevar is the only driver to have an issue/incident in all five.
Eleven of the last twelve stage winners finished in the top-five, with only Christopher Bell (2024) winning, and ten different drivers won the last 10 races. The pass for the win came in the final six laps in five of the last twelve races.
Joey Logano will be making his 500th career NCS start with Team Penske this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Notes for Charlotte Motor Speedway:
This is the 82nd NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway since the inaugural race in 1982, and Charlotte has hosted an NOAPS race every season since 1982.
After Vegas, Sheldon Creed gained eight points in the series standings and now leads Justin Allgaier by 19 points. Corey Day gained 51 points on the leader, the most of any driver in the Chase.
Creed and Brent Crews (non-Chase) are tied with the best average finish in the Chase with 4.25, and Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Brent Crews (non-Chase) are the only drivers to finish Top 10 in all four Chase races.
Charlotte has featured six last-lap passes for the win, most recently by Kyle Busch, who passed Austin Cindric in May 2020. The driver leading the most laps went on to win the race 44% of the time
JR Motorsports (3) and Hendrick Motorsports (2) combined have won the last five Charlotte races. JR Motorsports won with four of their five cars and six of their 12 drivers this season.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Notes for Charlotte Motor Speedway:
This is the 25th Truck race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and this season marks the first time the Charlotte oval will host two Truck Series races and the first time it has been part of the Chase.
Every driver third in points is more than 70 points behind points leader Kaden Honeycutt, who took the lead after the Kansas win. The maximum points available in a race is 76.
Kaden Honeycutt, Layne Riggs and Ty Majeski have earned stage points in all four stages in the Chase.
The Weekend Schedule for Charlotte Motor Speedway:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM: NCTS PRACTICE
2:05 PM – 3:00 PM: NCTS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
4:40 PM: NCTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
5:00 PM: NCTS ECOSAVE 200 RACE (STAGES 30/60/134 LAPS = 201 MILES) ON FOX
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
10:30 AM – 11:20 AM: NOAPS PRACTICE
11:35 AM – 12:30 PM: NOAPS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
1:00 PM 1:50 PM: NCS PRACTICE (IMPOUND) (ALL ENTRIES)
2:05 PM – 3:00 PM: NCS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
3:25 PM: NOAPS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
4:00 PM: NOAPS BLUE CROSS NC 300 RACE (STAGES 45/90/200 LAPS = 300 MILES) ON THE CW NETWORK
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
2:35 PM: NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (PIT ROAD STAGE)
3:00 PM: NCS BANK OF AMERICA 400 RACE (STAGES 80/165/267 LAPS = 400.5 MILES) ON THE USA NETWORK
*All times are Eastern. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), ARCA Series (AMS)
