NASCAR Cup playoff race at Charlotte: How to watch, starting lineup and predictions

NASCAR comes home to Charlotte Motor Speedway for its second playoff elimination race Sunday. The Roval 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. on NBC.

The 2.32-mile, 17-turn Roval will be the second road course teams face this year after the Cup Series raced at the Daytona road course for the first time in August. That race was won by Chase Elliott, the defending Roval champion. Ryan Blaney won the first race on the same track configuration in 2018.

Elliott is starting in the front row with last weekend’s Talladega winner Denny Hamlin on the pole. Hamlin and Kurt Busch (win at Las Vegas) will advance to the Round of 8 after Charlotte, while Kevin Harvick (+68) needs just eight points to secure his place in the next round if there is a new winner.

Elliott (+44), Brad Keselowski (+41) and Martin Truex Jr. (+32) have a slight cushion. Alex Bowman (+22) and Joey Logano (+21) sit just above the eight-driver cutoff to advance. Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon are tied 21 points below the bubble. Clint Bowyer (-38) and Aric Almirola (-48) will need a top finish in each stage, if not a win.

Busch said the race will come down to “attrition,” and that there’s no plan in place for his team to calculate a particular finishing position to gain enough points to advance.

“Just race it out,” Busch said. “Race as best we can, as good as we can.”

Teams are also preparing for the weekend with wet weather Goodyear tires on hand. For more information on rain racing procedures click here.

It will likely rain for the event bringing around 6,700 fans back to the speedway. Protocols at other speedways where NASCAR has hosted events during the COVID-19 pandemic will be in place, but fans will also be required to wear their masks at all times, including in their seats, which is a rule that’s specific to Charlotte’s speedway.

A full list of the health and safety protocols for the Roval 400 weekend can be found here.

NASCAR PLAYOFF DRIVER POINTS STANDINGS

PREDICTIONS FOR NASCAR CUP RACE AT CHARLOTTE

Those with the best odds across multiple sports betting sites are Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney are also seen as top contenders. With Elliott starting up front, especially in potentially wet conditions that will likely limit some passing, he seems like the best pick. Half of Elliott’s eight wins have been on road courses.

WEATHER FOR NASCAR CUP RACE AT CHARLOTTE

Rain is likely in Concord, North Carolina for Sunday’s race. The percent chance of precipitation is up to between 70% and 80% in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service and AccuWeather.com. Around a third of an inch of rain is expected. Cup teams will have four sets of wet tires available. If the race has started and it rains, teams will be able to decide whether they will switch to the wet-weather setup. Depending on how damp the track is, NASCAR will make the call before the race if it will require teams to switch to the other tires.

“It’s already tough enough to stay on the track and make it to the end of that one, so I think if you make the surface wet, it’s gonna be pretty wild,” Truex Jr. said.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR CUP ROVAL RACE AT CHARLOTTE

NASCAR CUP RACE AT CHARLOTTE STARTING LINEUP

*Playoff driver

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription