Bell, Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin put three Camrys in the Round of 8
CONCORD, N.C. (October 5, 2025) – Christopher Bell led Toyota with a third-place finish at the final road course race of the year – the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Sunday. Bell, who clinched his Round of 8 berth after the second stage, earned his fifth top-five finish in six road course races this season.
Bell will be joined in the Round of 8 by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin. Bell is looking for his third Championship 4 appearance in the last four years, while Hamlin is trying to advance to his first Championship 4 since 2021. A Championship 4 berth with be Briscoe’s first. To begin the round, Hamlin holds the points lead – eight points to the good. Bell is in fifth, four points out, while Briscoe is the six seed – 14 points back.
The 23XI Racing teams of Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace fought valiantly to advance to the next round but came up short of moving on.
Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL Race 32 of 36 – 248.52 miles, 109 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Shane van Gisbergen* 2nd, Kyle Larson* 3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL 4th, Chris Buescher* 5th, Michael McDowell* 10th, TYLER REDDICK 12th, TY GIBBS 14th, CHASE BRISCOE 15th, BUBBA WALLACE 23rd, DENNY HAMLIN 26th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK 30th, RILEY HERBST 31st, ERIK JONES *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
What made the difference running up front?
“What made the difference, I don’t know. It felt kind of like the rest of the road courses. We had a hell of a race for second between me and my DEWALT Camry, (Chris) Buescher and (Kyle) Larson. It is that 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) car was what 30 seconds ahead of us. Congratulations to Shane and that Trackhouse team. They have set the bar, and we are all clearly having a hard time getting up to it.”
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
What went wrong today?
“I don’t know if anything necessarily went wrong today for how the race was playing out. We wanted to prioritize setting up to win the race. I think you could pick it apart – a couple restarts and what not, just kind of, as the race unfolded our long run was not where it needed to be with the top guys. Stage three there, we didn’t make the progress that we needed too, so we kind of went long there hoping for a caution there, and lost a lot of spots, but at the end of the day, we were trying to set ourselves up for a caution late. Looking back on it, my crew chief, Billy Scott, said we were only out by 14 – maybe we could have chased point a little bit harder there, so a few things to look back on, but coming into this, we played it the way we should have.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 14th
Battled through adversity today. How were you able to overcome it?
“I don’t know. It was definitely an odd day. We definitely just weren’t that great. I don’t know. They gave me a pill in the beginning, and I felt a lot better. I was just so dizzy – I’ve been fighting something all week, and I sound terrible, I’m sure. After those first 20 laps, I was able to kind of feel fine. At the end I was struggling a little bit, but I was just focusing on not making any mistakes. Not a super pretty day for our Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Toyota. It was good enough, that’s all we needed to do.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
Where was it missing for you here today?
“Last week. Just was thrown for a loop with this tire, and it is funny to look at myself and Denny (Hamlin) and a couple others at the short tracks, when tires degrade, we are pretty good at being able to save tire. Him and I both suck on road courses and we can’t save tires on road courses. It is just frustrating. It is back to how I was a couple of years ago. Frustrated at self, just knowing what was on the line, and didn’t produce, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. I appreciate everyone on this Leidos Toyota team for pushing hard. This one sucks worse than last week for sure. I had high hopes coming in here, and it is what it is.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 23rd
Can you walk me through what happened on that last lap and were you aware of what was going on with the points situation?
“Nah, I wasn’t aware. I definitely wish I was aware, but nobody told me. I never saw the 22 (Joey Logano) that last run, and I saw the 1 (Ross Chastain) fading, but I assumed if it was close, someone would have let me know. Obviously, I was the guy in the way.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We’ve got to go win. That’s the bottom line. We got to the next round, but we’ve got no playoff points. We’ve got to go win.” DO YOU HAVE ADDED CONFIDENCE HAVING WON AT VEGAS BEFORE? “Yeah. We proved it last year. Just let us get in the game and anything can happen.” HOW DID YOU HAVE TO ADJUST AFTER STAGE ONE AND MAXIMIZE YOUR DAY? “When you realize you’re gonna get beat, you’ve got to go do something and we were kind of tanking there pretty hard, so we were gonna be in trouble. Paul, you’ve got to make the call before it’s too late, and he made a good call there.” DID YOU TRUST THE CALL TO COME DOWN? “I trust Paul Wolfe.” WHAT’S IT LIKE KNOWING YOU’VE GOT A GUY LIKE PAUL ON THE BOX TO MAKE THOSE CALLS? “Yeah, he’s gonna make those calls. He’s gonna man up and do it and there’s no one better than Paul to do it.” WHAT’S IT LIKE AS YOU GET DOWN TO THE FINAL LAPS AND IT’S LITERALLY EVERY POSITION? “It’s tight. Every spot. If you don’t think regular season races matter, look at that. One point is the difference in making it.” YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER LIFE. “We’re still alive, baby. Now we’ve got to win. We’ve got to win from here.” THEY CAN’T KILL YOU IN THIS FORMAT. YOU FIND A WAY. “I don’t know if that’s the case, but everyone does a good job on this race team of just grinding and fighting. We’re just a bunch of fighters. We’re scrappers. We’re not the fastest car all the time, but a group of scrappers that are able to manufacturer some stuff.” PAUL CALLED YOU IN AND THEN WERE YOU THINKING ATTACK MODE? “Oh yeah, I had to. At that point it’s just kind of go. I was going as hard as I can, but I kind of burnt it up. I’m pretty sure those were my scuffs at the end, so they really weren’t that fast. It was kind of just falling off, but obviously the 1 was falling off a little harder there at the end and we were making up that difference.” IN THE FINAL TWO LAPS DID YOU KNOW HOW CLOSE IT WAS WITH CHASTAIN? “Yeah, everybody was telling me how close it was gonna be there. We’re still in. We’re still alive, baby. I’m so excited. It was such a close finish there. I knew it was within a point there and I knew we were gonna be tied there at the end and Ross was gonna do whatever he had to do to make it happen. I just wasn’t quite fast enough today with our car, but, overall, it’s the drama of the playoffs. If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time. What an entertaining finish there. To come down to, like I said, a tie there basically at the end before the wreck. I’m proud of Paul Wolfe. He made some really hard calls today. Three-stopping the end there. That was kind of an audible at the because our fall off was a little bit too much. Making that call there at the end was ultimately what kept us in the game with just a few left, so that’s a championship performance from the team. I wish I was a little faster, but, overall, I couldn’t be more proud of the team. We’ve still got a shot.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’m bummed out, it definitely wasn’t the day we needed, and it wasn’t even really close. I just found myself involved in a lot of stuff, and we got spun out a few times and racked up a lot of damage. So you’re not going to win when that happens.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “That was not a bad day. We had a pretty solid day. It was nice to get a stage win out of it with our Ford Mustang and we finished fairly decent. I’m proud of the effort today and I’m looking forward to getting to Vegas.” YOU SAID EARLIER THAT YOU GOT TO LOOK AT VEGAS A LITTLE EARLIER BECAUSE OF THE LOUDON WIN. “Yeah, I’m just excited to get there and excited to see what we’ve got when we unload. We’ll see where practice goes and then the race. I don’t really know until we get there, but I’m looking forward to it.” DO YOU GET CAUGHT UP IN WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE IN A RACE LIKE TODAY. WERE YOU AWARE OF JOEY’S SITUATION? “Not really. I was kind of aware of the scenario after the second stage, but that’s about it. The rest of the race I wasn’t really sure, but it was definitely wild, I guess. I’ve got my own stuff going on.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “That’s where we ran all day right there, sitting around fourth. I’m proud of this team for bringing up a Ford Mustang that was this good. Today’s race was a big step in the right direction at the ROVAL. It was a lot more fun to drive this go-around, and I’m sure we want more and have a bit more to go, but it was much better than last week. We’re proud to take a top five.”
RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Kroger/Totino’s Ultimate Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I feel like at many of these road courses, Mexico, Watkins Glen, COTA and here, we’ve had strong days for it being my first time at these tracks with RFK Racing. This result with our Ford Mustang is definitely something to build on and keep progressing from. It also felt good to get out of that ten-week slump and get back to where I feel like we can be on the racetrack.”
Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith, left, presents the Smokey Yunick Award to Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 5, 2025) – One of NASCAR’s most successful crew chiefs, Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus, was named the recipient of the venerated 2025 Smokey Yunick Award prior to Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Named after the legendary mechanic and innovator Henry “Smokey” Yunick, the annual recognition was instituted in 1997 to recognize an individual from humble beginnings who demonstrated exceptional innovation and made a major impact in the world of motorsports. Yunick passed away in 2001, and Charlotte Motor Speedway has continued the award in his memory.
Knaus joins a legendary list of NASCAR greats who have received the honor, including Ralph Moody, Ray Evernham, Dale Inman, Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Waddell Wilson, Larry McReynolds, Ernie Elliott and Harry Hyde.
Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith presented the award to Knaus before the green flag of the eighth running of the Bank of America ROVAL ™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track where his No. 48 team found so much success during his 20-year career on top of the pit box.
“This means a lot to me,” Knaus said on Sunday. “I have been a Smokey Yunick fan for my career, quite honestly, and the biggest reason is because of the stemming of invention and pushing the boundaries – that if there’s not a rule, try to exploit that opportunity. When I was a young man, the stories, and the lore of Smokey Yunick, was there. That was a bit of a fuel for me – it was something that I wanted to try to create.
“That was something that was really cool for me. It’s unfortunate I never got the opportunity to meet [Yunick].”
A seven-time Cup Series champion, Knaus was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024. Over the course of a 20-year career, Knaus earned 82 career wins – 81 with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson and one with Charlotte-native William Byron. Knaus and Johnson scored eight points paying victories and four All-Star Race triumphs at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
A native of Rockford, Illinois, Knaus grew up helping his father, John, an accomplished short-track racer throughout the Midwest. At 14, the younger Knaus served as crew chief when his father captured the Rockford Speedway track championship. He began his NASCAR career in 1991 as a member of Stanley Smith’s race team, and has also worked for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Tyler Jet Motorsports and Melling Racing.
Since 2023, Knaus has also been an active board member with the Charlotte chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.
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Machine Learning Self Driving Cars: The Technology Driving the Future of Mobility
Not long ago, the idea of cars navigating busy highways without human control sounded like pure science fiction. Yet today, this vision is rapidly becoming reality, as autonomous vehicles are tested on real roads, debated in regulatory chambers, and developed by the world’s leading automotive brands. At the core of this transformation lies machine learning self driving cars, a technology that is not just reshaping the future of driving, but also redefining how society thinks about safety, convenience, and innovation.
Why Machine Learning Is the Brain Behind Autonomy
Driving is not simply about following a set of rigid rules; it is about interpreting endless variables. Weather changes can make roads slippery, traffic patterns shift within seconds, and human behavior often defies predictability. This is where machine learning becomes indispensable. Instead of being confined to static instructions, autonomous vehicles are able to learn from massive amounts of data, recognize complex patterns, and adapt to real-world conditions in ways that traditional programming could never achieve. The more data these systems process, the more accurate and capable they become, leading to vehicles that can make decisions as fluidly as human drivers — and in many cases, even better.
From Data to Decisions on the Road
What makes machine learning self driving cars remarkable is the transformation of raw information into real-time decisions. Vehicles rely on a web of cameras, radar, and lidar sensors to capture the environment in full detail. This flood of data is then analyzed by deep learning algorithms that identify everything from lane markings and road signs to pedestrians and cyclists. The system does not stop at recognition; it predicts outcomes. If a child is standing near the curb, the car evaluates the likelihood that the child might step into the street. If weather conditions are deteriorating, it recalibrates speed and braking distance. Every action is the result of countless scenarios the system has already studied, turning data into decisions in fractions of a second.
The Global Race for Autonomy
Automakers and technology companies are investing billions into making autonomous driving a commercial reality. Some brands focus on luxury features, such as hands-free highway driving, while others aim for fully driverless fleets operating in urban centers. What unites them all is the reliance on machine learning as the fundamental technology making this possible. The journey is not only technological but also regulatory and cultural. Governments are tasked with creating safety frameworks, insurance industries are preparing for new liability models, and the public is gradually learning to trust vehicles that no longer require their control. Each of these steps depends on continued improvements in the intelligence that powers self-driving systems.
Challenges That Still Need Solving
Despite progress, the road to fully autonomous driving is filled with challenges. Edge cases, such as unusual weather patterns or rare traffic situations, continue to test the limits of machine learning models. Data diversity is another hurdle; training a system to operate flawlessly in Tokyo traffic does not guarantee the same success on rural roads in South America. Regulators also face difficult questions about responsibility in the event of accidents, while the broader public must overcome the psychological barrier of surrendering control to a machine. These challenges highlight the importance of refining data collection, ensuring inclusivity, and maintaining transparency in how autonomous systems are trained.
A Future Beyond the Steering Wheel
The impact of self-driving cars will extend far beyond personal convenience. Logistics and delivery industries could be transformed by fleets of driverless trucks operating around the clock, reducing costs and speeding up global supply chains. Public transport may evolve into a network of on-demand, autonomous shuttles, offering greater flexibility and reducing congestion. Cities themselves could be redesigned with fewer parking lots and more open green spaces, as cars operate continuously instead of sitting idle. Insurance models, urban planning, and even real estate values may all shift as the ripple effects of autonomy spread through society. At the center of all these changes is the intelligence made possible by machine learning.
Trust Built on Data and People
While the narrative often highlights the vehicles themselves, the truth is that people remain central to the progress of autonomy. Engineers, data scientists, and annotators are the ones who prepare the datasets that teach vehicles how to interpret the world. The quality of this human-guided input determines whether an autonomous car makes safe, fair, and ethical decisions. In many ways, the unseen workforce behind machine learning is as important as the cars on the road. Their work ensures that autonomous systems reflect the complexity of real life rather than an oversimplified version of it.
Conclusion: From Fiction to Function
The road toward full autonomy is not without obstacles, but the momentum is undeniable. Every year, machine learning systems become smarter, data sets become more robust, and public confidence grows. What once seemed like an unreachable dream is quickly becoming part of everyday life. The future of transportation will not be defined solely by sleek vehicles or advanced sensors, but by the invisible intelligence that drives them forward. And at the heart of that intelligence is machine learning self driving cars, the technology turning science fiction into function and shaping the mobility of tomorrow.
Connor Zilisch’s historic campaign as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor continued under the lights in front of his home crowd after he scored a dominant victory in the eighth annual running of the Blue Cross NC 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Saturday, October 4.
The 19-year-old Zilisch from Charlotte, North Carolina, led all but seven of 68 overscheduled laps in an event where he was the fastest competitor both in practice and qualifying. Leading the field to the event’s start from pole position, he executed his strategic plan by pitting prior to the conclusion of the event’s first two stage periods, though he still claimed the first stage victory. Amid his plan, he dominated on the track.
Then, after having a 10-second advantage evaporate with four laps remaining due to a late-race incident involving Sage Karam, Zilisch was among a handful of competitors who elected to remain on the track while a majority of the field, including Zilisch’s JR Motorsports teammates and Playoff contenders, pitted for fresh tires. During an overtime shootout, Zilisch muscled away from the field and built a reasonable gap just prior to a fluid caution that flew on the final lap and concluded the event. With the lead in his possession, Zilisch was able to cruise to his unprecedented 10th Xfinity victory of the 2025 season and earn additional momentum heading into next weekend’s Round of 8 towards the Playoffs.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff contender Connor Zilisch notched his eighth Xfinity career pole position with a pole-winning lap at 96.503 mph in 85.054 seconds. Zilisch shared the front row with teammate and Playoff contender Justin Allgaier, the latter of whom posted his fastest qualifying lap at 95.984 mph in 85.514 seconds.
Before the event, the following names, which included Parker Retzlaff, Daniel Dye, Anthony Alfredo, Josh Williams and Jeremy Clements, started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments that were made to their respective entries. Jeb Burton also dropped to the rear of the field due to missing driver introductions.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, Connor Zilisch, who opted to start on the outside lane, engaged in an early duel with teammate Justin Allgaier through the first turn and a majority of the infield turns before the former managed to muscle ahead just past Turn 5. With Zilisch ahead of the field, he proceeded to lead through the remaining infield turns and a sharp left-hand turn of Turn 7 before the field navigated through Charlotte’s oval turns. Once Zilisch smoothly navigated his way through the backstretch chicane, the remaining oval turns and the frontstretch chicane, he led the first lap.
During the second lap, Corey Day, who was racing in fifth place, started to have smoke coming out of his No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry and he also had right-rear quarter panel damage due to hitting the wall exiting Turn 2. In addition, Daniel Dye sent Anthony Alfredo for a spin in Turn 7. Amid both incidents, the race remained under green flag conditions, though Day continued to lose positions and generate heavy smoke from his entry through every turn and straightaway. Meanwhile, Zilisch retained his early lead over teammates Allgaier, Playoff contender Sammy Smith and Connor Mosack.
Just past the first five scheduled laps, Zilisch was leading by more than two seconds over teammate Allgier while teammates Sammy Smith and Mosack continued to trail in third and fourth, respectively, by four seconds. As Playoff contender Jesse Love occupied fifth place, Playoff contenders Sam Mayer and Carson Kvapil along with Kaz Grala, Austin Green and Aric Almirola pursued in the top 10 while Playoff contenders Austin Hill, Nick Sanchez and Sheldon Creed along with Christian Eckes, Day, William Sawalich, Matt DiBenedetto, Alex Labbe, Playoff contender Taylor Gray and Brennan Poole trailed in the top 20, respectively. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones were mired in 26th and 27th, respectively, behind Jeb Burton and Daniel Hemric.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Zilisch extended his lead to more than four seconds over teammate Allgaier while teammates Mosack and Smith, along with Mayer, trailed by as far back as 10 seconds. Zilisch proceeded to add another five seconds to his advantage as he led by nine seconds at the Lap 14 mark.
Amid Zilisch’s dominant run, the event’s first caution flew on Lap 14 when Harrison Burton, who radioed fuel pressure issues and was plummeting below the leaderboard, stalled his No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang entry in Turn 4 as the driver was attempting to steer his entry off of the racing groove.
During the event’s first caution, nearly the entire field led by Zilisch opted to pit early for tires, fuel and adjustments while a handful led by Nick Sanchez and including Matt DiBenedetto, Jeb Burton and Parker Retzlaff remained on the track.
When the race restarted with three laps remaining in the first stage period, Sanchez muscled away from the field as the field fanned out and jostled for spots entering the first turn. Through the infield turns, Zilisch, who reported concerns of having a loose wheel but opted to remain on the track, rocketed his way into the runner-up spot as the field continued to bump and jostle for spots through the remaining infield turns, Turn 7 and the oval turns. Zilisch would then overtake Sanchez through the backstretch chicane and muscle away with the lead. As Zilisch led, Mayer was bumped off the track in the backstretch chicane and he served a “stop-and-go” penalty at the chicane during the following lap.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, Zilisch cruised to his 11th Xfinity stage victory of the 2025 season. Love, Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Kvapil, Austin Hill, Sanchez, Aric Almirola, Sheldon Creed and Mosack settled in the top 10, respectively, while Taylor Gray and Brandon Jones were mired in 17th and 19th, respectively. In addition, Mayer was mired in 12th place.
Under the first stage break period, select names led by Sanchez and including DiBenedetto, Jeb Burton and Ryan Sieg pitted their respective entries while the rest led by Zilisch remained on the track.
The second stage period started on Lap 24 as Zilisch and Jesse Love occupied the front row. At the start, Zilisch muscled ahead of Love and the field through the first turn. Zilisch proceeded to lead through the infield turns and Turn 7 before he navigated his way through the oval turns and the backstretch chicane. As Zilisch’s lead grew to more than a second, he then led through the frontstretch chicane before he cycled back to the start/finish line and led the next lap.
Following a third caution period that occurred on Lap 26 due to Josh Williams stalling on the course, the event restarted under green on Lap 29. At the start, Zilisch muscled away from Love, Sammy Smith and Allgaier through the first turn and an early set of infield turns. As Zilisch proceeded to lead the next lap over Love and Sammy Smith, Austin Hill muscled his way up to fourth place while Allgaier, who got hit by Creed as the latter got hit by Kvapil, dropped to fifth place.
At the event’s halfway mark between Laps 33 and 34, Zilisch stretched his lead to more than four seconds over runner-up Love and by nearly six seconds over third-place Sammy Smith while Allgaier, His, Creed, Mayer and Kvapil, all of whom are racing in the Playoffs, trailed in the top eight, respectively. Meanwhile, Sanchez, Gray and Jones were mired in 20th, 21st and 23rd, respectively, while Harrison Burton was strapped four laps down in 36th place following his early mechanical issues.
Then with three laps remaining in the second stage period, a bevy of competitors, including Allgaier, Gray, Hemric, Mosack, Austin Green, Almirola, Eckes, Sawalich, Jeb Burton, Dean Thompson, Sanchez, Kaz Grala, Corey Day and Anthony Alfredo pitted their respective entries. During the pit stops, Sanchez dragged his jack out of his pit box. Soon after, Zilisch surrendered the lead to pit during the next lap, which allowed Love to cycle to the lead just as pit road became inaccessible to the field due to the upcoming conclusion of a stage period.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 40, Love captured his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2025 season. Playoff contenders Sammy Smith, Austin Hill, Creed, Kvapil and Mayer followed suit in the top six, respectively, while Alex Labbe, Josh Bilicki, Sage Karam and Zilisch were scored in the top 10. Meanwhile, Allgaier, Gray, Jones and Sanchez were racing in 15th, 24th, 25th and 28th, respectively, while Harrison Burton was still strapped in 36th place and racing three laps down.
During the second stage break period, some led by Love and including Sammy Smith, Hill, Creed, Kvapil and Mayer pitted their respective entries while the rest led by Zilisch remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Mayer was penalized due to his crew members jumping over the pit wall too soon prior to a pit stop.
With 23 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as teammates Zilisch and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Zilisch fended off Allgaier to retain the lead through the first turn and the infield turns before he navigated his way through the oval turns and the backstretch chicane. Zilisch proceeded to lead the next lap over Allgaier, Mosack, Eckes and Austin Green while Jeb Burton, Almirola, Grala, Gray and Hill pursued in the top 10, respectively. By then, Sammy Smith was mired in 13th ahead of DiBenedetto, Creed, Kvapil, Love and Jones while Mayer was down in 25th behind Sanchez.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Zilisch stretched his late lead to more than two seconds over teammate Allgaier while third-place teammate Mosack trailed by four seconds. By then, Kvapil, who was racing in 15th place, occupied the eighth and final transfer berth to the Playoff’s Round of 8 by five points over Hill while Sammy Smith, who was racing in 13th place on the track, was scored 11 points below the cutline.
Five laps later, Taylor Gray, who was racing in 11th place on the track, found himself on the cutline as he was only three points ahead of Hill, who was racing in ninth place, while Sammy Smith, who bumped and sent Corey Day for a spin in Turn 7 four laps earlier, trailed the cutline by 10 points as he was racing in 12th place in front of teammate Kvapil and Love. Meanwhile, Zilisch stabilized his lead to four seconds over teammate Allgaier while Mosack, Eckes and Austin Green followed suit in the top five, respectively.
With 10 laps remaining, Hill, who reported a lost cylinder to his No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet Camaro entry, dropped to 18th place in the leaderboard. As a result, his points deficit grew from three to 12. In the process, Gray, who was racing in 11th place, retained the final transfer berth by eight points over Sammy Smith, who was racing just ahead of Gray in 10th place while Sanchez, who pitted under green to address a flat right-front tire to his No. 48 Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro entry, was mired in 31st place on the track and trailing the cutline by 31 points. Amid the on-track battles within the field, Zilisch continued to lead by more than five seconds over teammate Allgaier, with Mosack, Eckes and Green retaining their respective spots in the top five.
As the final five laps of the event struck, Gray’s points cushion for the final transfer spot stabilized as he was six points ahead of Sammy Smith while Hill and Sanchez trailed by 11 and 29 points, respectively. At the front of the field, Zilisch added another four seconds to his lead as he led by nine seconds over teammate Allgaier. Amid the battles amongst the Playoff contenders, Mosack pitted under green flag from third place to have a fuel pressure issue addressed. Mosack’s move allowed Austin Green to move into third place while Eckes and Almirola followed suit in the top five.
Then with four laps remaining, the caution flew due to Sage Karam wrecking on the frontstretch. The caution occurred just as Sammy Smith had pitted his No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet Camaro entry from ninth place under green flag conditions to address a flat right-front tire. During the caution period, some led by Allgaier and including Almirola, Creed, Eckes, Love, Kvapil, Mayer, Hemric, Hill and Ryan Sieg pitted while the rest led by Zilisch and including Sammy Smith remained on the track.
With the event sent into overtime, the start of the first overtime attempt featured Zilisch muscling his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead of Green while the field fanned out, bumped and jostled through the infield turns. As the field navigated through Turn 7, Alex Labbe spun while the field bumped and scattered to avoid the carnage. Despite Labbe’s incident, the race remained under green flag conditions while a bevy of Playoff contenders racing within the middle of the pack jostled amongst one another to race above the cutline.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Zilisch remained in the lead by more than a second over Green. Then as Zilisch navigated his way through the infield turns, the caution flew and the event was deemed official due to fluid reported on the track. With Zilisch ruled ahead at the moment of caution, he was able to cruise his way around the Charlotte Roval circuit for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed his 10th checkered flag of the 2025 season
With the victory, Zilisch notched his 11th career win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series division, his first at the Charlotte Roval, his sixth on road-course events and his first since he won at World Wide Technology Raceway in early September. Zilisch also became the first competitor to record double-digit victories in an Xfinity season since Kyle Busch made the previous achievement in 2016. The Charlotte Royal victory was also the 17th of the 2025 season for JR Motorsports and the 24th for the Chevrolet nameplate.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Having won the Round of 12 finale, Zilisch will commence next weekend’s Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway atop the Playoff standings with 3,071 points as he continues his pursuit for his first series’ championship.
“Enough people stayed out with me to give me a gap,” Zilisch said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “[It’s] So much fun getting to race at my hometown. [The] JR Motorsports cars were so fast this weekend. My WeatherTech Chevrolet was as fast as Xfinity Mobile all day long. First in practice, qualified on the pole, led a lot of laps and came home with a win. Feels really good to get 10 [wins]. Double digits is pretty awesome for my first year in the series. Now, we just go to go win a championship.”
Amid Zilisch’s victory, NASCAR took extensive time reviewing the race results at the moment of caution to determine the Playoff competitors who either transferred or did not transfer to the Round of 8. Following the review of the finish, Sammy Smith, who navigated his way up to third place on his four fresh tires, claimed the eighth and final transfer berth to the Round of 8 by a single point over Taylor Gray, the latter of whom ended up in 13th place.
Photo by Kevin Ritchie for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It was a hard fought day, for sure,” Smith said. “We brought speed. I’m very proud of our effort that we put in this week, to be able to put ourselves in this position. We knew it was gonna take a lot. I’m very proud of everyone at [JR Motorsports], everyone on my team. [Crew chief] Phillip [Bell] made a great call to pit. Obviously, it was a Hail Mary move and it worked. I’m just excited to go try to race for another championship here and put ourselves in a position where we can make the Final Four.”
“[I’m] Just obviously bummed out, right?” Gray said. “[I] Won’t be able to go race for a championship at the end of the year. We weren’t good enough today; we didn’t have a good Bristol.
We shouldn’t even have to be in this spot, but we are. We’re gonna take our loss and move on to the next four [races] and try to go win us a couple races.”
Like Sammy Smith, teammate Carson Kvapil along with Sam Mayer, Jesse Love and Sheldon Creed join Zilisch, Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones as the eight Playoff contenders who will continue their quest to battle for the championship in the Round of 8.
Photo by Kevin Ritchie for SpeedwayMedia.com.
On the flip side of emotions, Gray joined Nick Sanchez, Austin Hill and Harrison Burton as the four Playoff contenders whose Playoff run of the 2025 season came to an end.
With Zilisch winning the race, Austin Green notched a career-best 19th-place result in his 19th Xfinity start while Kaz Grala and Connor Mosack finished in the top five behind Sammy Smith. Jeb Burton and William Sawalich finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while Justin Allgaier posted an eighth-place result in his 500th Xfinity career start. Nick Sanchez and Christian Eckes completed the top 10 in the final running order.
There were six lead changes for five different leaders. The event featured six cautions for 13 laps. In addition, 29 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Charlotte Results:
1. Connor Zilisch, 61 laps led, Stage 1 winner 2. Austin Green 3. Sammy Smith 4. Kaz Grala 5. Connor Mosack, one lap led 6. Jeb Burton 7. William Sawalich 8. Justin Allgaier 9. Nick Sanchez, one lap led 10. Christian Eckes 11. Sheldon Creed 12. Jesse Love, four laps led, Stage 2 winner 13. Taylor Gray 14. Aric Almirola 15. Carson Kvapil 16. Parker Retzlaff 17. Daniel Hemric 18. Brandon Jones 19. Sam Mayer 20. Ryan Sieg 21. Josh Bilicki 22. Corey Day 23. Anthony Alfredo 24. Ryan Ellis 25. Sage Karam 26. Leland Honeyman 27. Jeremy Clements 28. Austin Hill, one lap led 29. Blaine Perkins 30. Alex Labbe, one lap down 31. Brennan Poole, one lap down 32. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down 33. Kyle Sieg, one lap down 34. Harrison Burton, four laps down 35. Dean Thompson, six laps down 36. Daniel Dye – OUT, Transmission 37. Josh Williams – OUT, Fuel Pump 38. Preston Pardus – OUT, Transmission *Bold indicates Playoff contenders.
Playoff standings:
1. Connor Zilisch – Advanced 2. Justin Allgaier – Advanced 3. Sam Mayer – Advanced 4. Brandon Jones – Advanced 5. Jesse Love – Advanced 6. Sheldon Creed – Advanced 7. Carson Kvapil – Advanced 8. Sammy Smith – Advanced 9. Taylor Gray – Eliminated 10. Nick Sanchez – Eliminated 11. Austin Hill – Eliminated 12. Harrison Burton – Eliminated
The Round of 8 in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs commences next Saturday, October 11, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Focused Health 302. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM.
Josh Berry and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang Dark Horse will roll off from the 33rd starting position in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Berry secured the spot with a lap at 92.974 miles per hour around the 17-turn, 2.28-mile ROVAL — a hybrid layout that combines the traditional oval with a winding infield road course.
In a rare reversal of the usual trend, Berry’s best speed came in practice rather than qualifying. His opening lap of the 12 he completed in the session clocked in at 93.548 mph, setting the pace for the No. 21 team before they turned their focus to qualifying adjustments.
Sunday’s 109-lap, 248.52-mile race serves as both the Round of 12 finale in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and the final road-course event of the season. The green flag is scheduled to wave shortly after 3 p.m. ET, with live coverage on USA Network, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). Stage breaks are planned for Laps 25 and 50.
About DEX Imaging DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEXsells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES: Reducing Operating Costs Reducing Paper Consumption Increasing Productivity
DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.
About Wood Brothers Racing Founded in 1950 by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, Wood Brothers Racing holds a special place in NASCAR history as the sport’s longest-running team. Over eight decades, the team has earned 101 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 120 poles, and remains proud of its longstanding relationship with Ford Motor Company, fielding only Ford products since its inception. Glenn’s brother, Leonard Wood, played a key role in shaping modern racing by developing the techniques behind today’s pit stops. With a rich legacy rooted in innovation and tradition, Wood Brothers Racing continues to honor its heritage while adapting for the future as it competes in NASCAR’s premier series with Josh Berry.
Rookie contender Taylor Gray falls just one point short of advancing to the Round of 8
CONCORD, N.C. (October 4, 2025) – Kaz Grala led Toyota with a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL course on Saturday evening. Grala matched his career-best Xfinity Series finish in just his third start this season, while for Sam Hunt Racing it was the team’s best result of the year.
Taylor Gray looked headed to the Round of 8 in his rookie season before a caution led to a late-race overtime restart. Through the last two lap battle, Gray slipped to 13th – missing the Round of 8 by a single point.
Toyota will be represented in the next round of the Playoffs by Kansas winner Brandon Jones, who finished 18th today.
Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL Race 29 of 33 – 152.76 miles, 67 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Connor Zilisch* 2nd, Austin Green* 3rd, Sammy Smithr* 4th, KAZ GRALA 5th, Connor Mosack* 7th, WILLIAM SAWALICH 13th, TAYLOR GRAY 14th, ARIC ALMIROLA 18th, BRANDON JONES 25th, SAGE KARAM 35th, DEAN THOMPSON *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
KAZ GRALA, No. 24 Overplay Games Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
Solid top-five in your final scheduled run of the year. How was your race?
“It was eventful. It was. The scorecard is going to show started ninth, finished fourth – that sounds pretty simple, but that is not what it was. We had to cycle to the back after the first pit stop with an uncontrolled tire, and man, I saw so many cars out my windshield, I thought we were never getting back, but we just kept our head down and stayed diligent. We made small tweaks to the car to get it better and better, and by the end of the night I think our GR Supra was handling as well as it had been all day. We had good speed in it, and we found ourselves with proper track position, and were able to capitalize on the cycle at the end. Really proud of this Sam Hunt Racing team, I love everyone over here – every time I get a chance to come out here and have some fun with them on a Saturday is a great, great weekend. Huge thank you to Overplay Games, Sam Hunt Racing, Toyota for giving me the opportunity and hopefully there is more to come down the road.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 13th
What emotions are going through your head right now?
“Just obviously bummed out. We don’t get to go racing for a championship at the end of the year. Just weren’t good enough. We weren’t good enough today. We didn’t have a good Bristol, and we shouldn’t have to even be in this spot. We are though, and we are going to take our loss, and move on to the next four and try to win us a couple of races.”
BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 18th
Not the night you were looking for tonight, but what are you looking forward to in the Round of 8?
“You know it would be nice to go ahead and knock it out at Las Vegas because it’s a good group of tracks, but it’s also a couple tracks in there with Talladega and Martinsville that it’s kind of in the fate of other people‘s hands at times. You can have a pretty much perfect day and just be taken out by somebody, so it’s just a race that you really don’t want to have to rely on, so if we can go ahead and do it early would be awesome but I’ve almost I’m almost done at Martinsville a few times. I’ve been really close, so it’s definitely not out of the equation.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Ford Racing Notes and Quotes NASCAR Xfinity Series Blue Cross NC 250 — Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday, October 4, 2025
Ford Finishing Results:
11th – Sheldon Creed 19th– Sam Mayer 20th – Ryan Sieg 33rd – Kyle Sieg 34th – Harrison Burton
NOTE: Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed advance to the Round of 8 while Harrison Burton is eliminated.
SAM MAYER, No. 41 Audibel Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I don’t have much to say, unfortunately. I’m just really proud of these guys for bringing a Ford Mustang that we can go out there and compete with. Everyone at Audibel, Andy’s, Roto Rooter, Ford Racing and all the partners that make this go around. A huge shout out to them. I’m definitely frustrated and down about that one, but moving onto the next round is awesome. The cool thing was is we had no pressure going in, so we definitely used it up. I’m looking forward to the next round.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE TRACKS IN THE ROUND OF 8? “I think these races round out really, really good. Ford Racing has done a really good job this season and they’ve done a really good job at Vegas in the past, so I’m really looking forward to going there and then do some superspeedway racing in the Mustang. We’re just trying to make it to the Championship 4.”
SHELDON CREED, No. 00 Road Ranger Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “That was stressful. It was hard that first run because I was really good on the long run all night. I struggled to start and then got going and started getting by cars that were important, and then we had that caution with seven to go in stage one and that kind of hurt. We got through stage two kind of clean. We got ran into a few times, but that’s just the ROVAL. I was having a really good third run and drove all the way back up to fifth and was actually really happy with my Ford Mustang on the long run. I didn’t want to see that last caution because that made it way too stressful. You’re trying not to get taken out, but then you’re racing around a bunch of guys that are around you in points, and then you’ve got people that don’t care at all.” BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR THAT HAD TO BE IN YOUR MIND. “Oh, yeah. There are a few of them that aren’t in the points at all and they’re just running into you. I don’t know. It’s pretty frustrating, but I’m just thankful for Haas Factory Team, Ford, Roush Yates Engines, Road Ranger, Pit Boss and all of our partners, Friends of Jaclyn, Haas Automation and Gene Haas and Joe Custer. It’s been a fight to get here.” YOUR THOUGHTS ON MOVING ON TO THE ROUND OF 8. “I love the look of Vegas. I ran fifth last week at a mile-and-a-half, so if we can just be a little bit better next week. You never know what will happen at a superspeedway, and then at Martinsville anything can happen.”
HARRISON BURTON, No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It kind of ended before it started. We had an issue in practice and changed everything we could and felt like we were gonna be OK. It turns out we had a fuel pickup issue, so that’s a whole fuel cell change and that’s not something we could really do under green. It’s just a bummer. All of the evidence we had didn’t really point to that being the issue, but it was and took us out of the race before it started. Even when we were out there, I was trying to save fuel to make it last as long as it could, so I didn’t ever really know how good we were or weren’t. That’s the hardest part, but I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of the season we’ve had. It’s been a lot of fun to make the playoffs and go to Bristol, a huge highlight for us to run in a really competitive way to start our playoffs. We just didn’t end it the right way.”
Brenden Queen (No. 28 BestRepair.net Chevrolet) finished second in the Owens Corning 200 Presented by CGS Imaging, but by virtue of starting the race locked up the 2025 ARCA Menards Series championship over runner-up Lavar Scott (No. 6 Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet). Queen ended the season with eight victories, 17 top-five finishes, and four General Tire Pole awards. His unofficial margin of victory in the points standings was a dominant 106 points.
Max Reaves (No. 18 Cook Out Toyota) dominated the race, starting from the General Tire Pole and leading 199 of the race’s 200 laps. Queen was able to race his way past shortly after the final restart of the day, but Reaves quickly returned the favor to retake the lead. It was Reaves’ third ARCA Menards Series win of the year to go along with three ARCA Menards Series East wins.
The Pinnacle Racing Group No. 28 team owned by Mark Webb won the 2025 ARCA Menards Series Owners Championship by 16 points over Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 team. It’s the first team owner’s championship for Pinnacle Racing Group.
Joe Gibbs Racing ended the season with six victories, three each between Reaves and Brent Crews.
Tristan McKee (No. 82 Gainbridge / Chevrolet Performance Chevrolet) finished third, his third top-five finish in four career starts. McKee won in his ARCA Menards Series debut at Watkins Glen International at just 15 years, 6 days of age.
Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota) became the second female Bounty Rookie Challenge rookie of the year when she took the green flag in the Owens Corning 200. Robusto finished fourth, her ninth top-five finish of the season and eleventh of her career. She is just one shy of tying the record for most top-five finishes by a female driver, twelve, set by Erin Crocker Evernham.
Tyler Reif (No. 23 Sigma Performance Services / Vegas Fastener Chevrolet) finished fifth, his third top-five finish of the season.
Taylor Reimer (No. 25 BuzzBallz Toyota) finished sixth in her first ARCA Menards Series start on a paved short track. She finished fifth last weekend at Kansas Speedway in her first series start ever on pavement.
Willie Mullins (No. 3 CW Metals / Bugsy’s Fleet Repair Ford) finished seventh, his fourth consecutive top-ten finish and his best finish of 2025.
Julian DaCosta (No. 20 Venturini Motorsports Toyota) finished eighth, giving Venturini Motorsports all three cars in the team’s final event in the ARCA Menards Series.
Two-time ARCA Menards Series champion Bill Venturini and his wife Cathy, herself a two-time ARCA Menards Series championship winning car owner and crew chief, were presented with ARCA Gold Card lifetime memberships during pre-race activities by ARCA president Ron Drager.
Jason Kitzmiller (No. 97 A.L.L. Construction / Carter CAT Chevrolet) finished ninth, recovering from a flat right front tire on lap 71 that cost him four laps. Kitzmiller unofficially held on to third in the ARCA Menards Series standings by eight points over Isabella Robusto.
Becca Monopoli (No. 85 Orlando Health Ford) finished tenth in her first start at Toledo Speedway. All three female drivers entered – Robusto, Reimer, and Monopoli – finished in the top ten.
The next race for the ARCA Menards Series platform will be the Star Nursery 150 for the ARCA Menards Series West at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing starting at 10 pm ET / 7 pm ET on Friday, October 10. Live timing & scoring data and live race audio will be available at ARCARacing.com.
About ARCA
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio, and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly and regional tour racing all across the country, the organization to sanctions over 100 races per year in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, ASA STARS National Tour, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, ASA Southern Super Series plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit , or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing).
About Menards
A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more. To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!
Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture. Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries. And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more.
Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.
Tyler Reddick claims NASCAR Cup Series pole at Charlotte Roval.. Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Tyler Reddick earned a momentous boost towards maintaining his championship hopes of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season by winning the Busch Light Pole Award for the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (Roval) on Saturday, October 4.
The event’s starting lineup was determined through a single qualifying round, where the entered competitors were split into two groups after the event’s 25-minute split practice session. The competitors in each qualifying group were given 20 minutes to post a qualifying lap. After the time trials, the driver posting the overall fastest lap time is awarded the pole position.
Reddick, who was the 25th-fastest competitor during practice and qualified in the second group, saved his best performance for last. In doing so, he soared to the top of the qualifying charts over road-course ace Shane van Gisbergen and claimed the pole at 95.510 mph in 85.939 seconds.
With the pole, Reddick, a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, and driver of the No. 45 Jordan Brand/23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry, notched his 11th Cup Series career pole, his fifth on road-course events, his second at the Charlotte Roval and his second of the 2025 season. Reddick also clinched the 10th Cup career pole for 23XI Racing.
Entering this weekend’s Playoff event at the Charlotte Roval, Reddick is currently scored 29 points below the top-eight cutline. The Roval is the final event in the Playoffs Round of 12. A second set of eliminations will occur, and eliminate four competitors’ title hopes for the 2025 season. Reddick, who holds an average-finishing result of 7.8 at the Roval, strives to boost his way above the cutline and contend for his first victory of the year.
Photo by Kevin Ritchie for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Incredible effort by this [No. 45] team,” Reddick said. “It’s been a difficult week. It’s nice we got the job done today. We obviously have some work to do tomorrow, but we did a good job of getting the track position. I’ll try and keep Shane [van Gisbergen] behind me and see if we can get it done tomorrow.”
Reddick will share the front row with Shane van Gisbergen, the reigning Cup Charlotte Roval pole winner who was striving for a fourth road-course pole of the 2025 season. Van Gisbergen’s best lap occurred at 95.474 mph in 85.971 seconds.
Ty Gibbs, who was the fastest competitor in the first qualifying group, will start in third place as his best qualifying lap occurred at 95.265 mph in 86.160 seconds. Playoff contender Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher rounded out the top-five spots, respectively.
Michael McDowell will take the green flag from sixth place. Playoff contenders Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, along with AJ Allmendinger and Playoff contender Ross Chastain, completed the top 10 on the starting grid. Five of 12 Playoff contenders will start in the top 10 for Sunday’s main event.
The remaining Playoff contenders that include Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric will start 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, and 19th, respectively. Blaney and Elliott are the only two Playoff contenders who are guaranteed spots to the Round of 8 after winning the Round of 12 events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, respectively.
With 37 competitors vying for 37 starting spots, all of the entered competitors made the event.
Qualifying position, Best speed, Best time:
1. Tyler Reddick, 95.510 mph, 85.939 seconds.
2. Shane van Gisbergen, 95.474 mph, 85.971 seconds
35. John Hunter Nemechek, 91.891 mph, 89.323 seconds
36. Austin Dillon, 83.723 mph, 98.038 seconds
37. Erik Jones, 0.000 mph, 0.000 seconds
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders.
The 2025 Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 5, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO Max.
