Was the Charlotte Roval a Success?


For the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, an entirely new track made its debut in the heart of stock car racing. Rather than compete on the 1.5 mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, teams were thrown a curveball by having to race on the Charlotte Roval, a newly designed road course at CMS.

Defined as a road course that also utilizes part of an oval racetrack, a Roval is far from a new phenomenon in racing. Daytona International Speedway's Roval is a famed course that hosts the Rolex 24 Hour sports car endurance race every year. For NASCAR, the Charlotte Roval was the first of its kind.

Measuring 2.28 miles in length and having 17 turns, the Charlotte Roval was pinned as a wildcard race from its inception all the way back in 2017. In testing sessions on the new layout, several star drivers found difficulty navigating the narrow infield portion of the track and made contact with walls. This attrition would continue through ractice and qualifying on race weekend in September, forcing NASCAR to realign some barriers in tricky corners. To add onto the lofty challenges of an all-new race course, the Charlotte Roval would also be the first elimination race in the 2018 Playoffs; 16 drivers entered in the title fight while only 12 would leave.

To say that the 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 was a home run in terms of unpredictability and entertainment would be an understatement. Many different drivers took turns leading, the Playoff cut line was as close as a single point, and the last lap was one of the yearlong highlights. The Roval was the brainchild of Marcu Smith, President of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. After the eventful race in September, he took a well-deserved victory lap, as he declared the race he envisioned to be a success. He wanted "there to be an opportunity to pass for the lead, for the win on that last lap." This definitely transpired after Jimmie Johnson spun and took out Martin Truex Jr, giving the upset win to Ryan Blaney.

In addition to all of the on-track drama, the hype and buildup around this inaugural race did resonate with fans. CMS had their highest ticket sales in nearly 10 years, as plenty of people wanted to be present for this historic day in racing.

So was the Roval race a good move on Charlotte's part? I think hands down it was, it offered a much better racing product and more drama than has been seen at Charlotte's oval in years, and the finish was one for the ages. Charlotte Motor Speedway is now in a truly unique position out of all NASCAR facilities, as they host races on 2 entirely different race courses that lay on top of one another. The traditional 1.5 mile oval is still used for the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 in May, while the Roval is raced on during the Playoffs in September. I truly believe that the Roval will become one of the hottest tickets in racing, and I expect a sold-out crowd in 2019.

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