How every NASCAR playoff driver did at the Charlotte Roval race. Who missed the cut?
The drama between Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott that started at Bristol continued Sunday at the Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
On Lap 54 — early in Stage 3 — Harvick wrecked Elliott in Turn 7, bumping him in the rear and sending him into the wall. The implications were huge. With the crash, Elliott fell from above the playoff cut line to joining Harvick just below the line.
But Elliott’s team taped up his car on pit road and he climbed his way back into the race and above the playoff cut. With 11 laps to go and Elliott closing in on passing Harvick on the road course, the No. 4 Ford Mustang driver missed Turn 1 just beyond the start-finish line and crashed into the wall, ending his day and championship hunt.
Kyle Larson won the race.
Below is a look at how every playoff driver did at the Roval with who is moving on to the Round of 8 and whose championship hopes ended in Charlotte. The number next to a driver’s name is what place they finished in Sunday.
NASCAR race results at Charlotte
Advancing
1. Kyle Larson
Entered Sunday with a 22-point playoff cushion. Had some trouble in the middle of the race but finished strong. He’s almost a lock to advance to the Championship Four.
What he said after the race: “Early on when I was having all my issues, I was just kind of sad and depressed that this was going to be how my season was going to end, where we didn’t even really have a crash or a mistake on our part. It was just something kind of freak happen...Just had a lot of emotions. It all worked out.”
4. Kyle Busch
Winning Stage 2 was a boon for Busch, who entered tied with Chase Elliott at nine points above the cutoff.
5. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin was the one driver guaranteed to advance to the next round thanks to his win at Las Vegas to open the Round of 12.
7. Joey Logano
Entered Sunday with a 21-point playoff cushion.
9. Ryan Blaney
Entered Sunday with a 15-point playoff cushion.
12. Chase Elliott
Known for his skills on road courses, Elliott won Stage 1 for some much-needed points. Trouble struck in Stage 3 when Kevin Harvick wrecked him, but he was able to advance thanks to some handiwork from his team on his beat-up car. Elliott, the defending NASCAR Cup champion, entered the Roval just above the cut line, nine points ahead of Harvick.
20. Brad Keselowski
Made contact with Alex Bowman on the back chicane on Lap 13, dropping him from fourth place to 38th, which caused him to miss out on points in the first stage. The same chicane caused trouble again in the third stage, dropping him below the playoff cut. He entered the race with a 20-point cushion above the playoff cut line.
29. Martin Truex Jr.
Entered Sunday with a 20-point playoff cushion.
Eliminated
11. William Byron
He missed the back chicane with 18 laps to go, forcing him to stop for a penalty and dropped him out of the playoff race. He entered the race 44 points behind the playoff cut line.
33. Kevin Harvick
Wrecked Chase Elliott early in Stage 3 and wrecked himself with 11 laps to go, ending his day. At the time of the crash, he was just above the playoff cut line. Harvick entered Sunday nine points behind Elliott and Busch for the final spot in the Round of 8.
8. Christopher Bell
Got off to a good start in the race, but an early speeding penalty on pit road on Lap 10 forced him down to 24th place just before the competition caution. He entered the race 28 points behind the playoff cut.
10. Alex Bowman
Started the race 52 points behind Elliott and Busch for the final spot in the next round.
This story was originally published October 10, 2021 at 5:46 PM.
