This weekend, NASCAR returns to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, hosting its eighth Cup Series playoff race since the Roval’s introduction in 2018. Known as an unconventional playoff venue, it challenges drivers in distinctive ways. Chase Elliott shared insight into what makes the Charlotte Roval particularly difficult to master, highlighting its unique driving dynamics.
Roval’s Track Flow Is Unlike Traditional Road Courses
The 2025 season marks the sixth year the Roval has served as the sixth playoff event, acting as the elimination race for the Round of 12. Before Shane van Gisbergen’s dominant performance this year, only five different drivers had won at this track in the playoffs. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, with victories in 2019 and 2020, and Kyle Larson, who won in 2021 and 2024, lead that list with two wins each.
Asked about the Roval’s distinctiveness compared to other road courses, Elliott described the key difference as the lack of what he calls a “natural flow.”
“It’s just about how much of a natural flow it has; that’s the only difference I see with it. This is just a place that doesn’t have a very good natural flow. You go to Watkins Glen, and it flows, whether you like it or not.”
He elaborated on how many road courses are designed with turns that set drivers up smoothly for the following sections.
“That’s just kind of what it is, the way the racetrack was built, where certain turns set you up for the next one. And that’s how a lot of road courses are.”
Continuing, Elliott contrasted the Charlotte Roval with more purpose-built circuits.
“That were purpose-built that way. Sonoma was that way in a lot of ways. COTA is that way in a lot of ways, and this place is just not. And I think that’s where, coming back to finding that within yourself, creating that rhythm, creating that flow, is going to help you create repetition and lap time and be able to hit your marks and do it throughout the entirety of a run,”
he explained, emphasizing the skill required to adapt to the Roval’s challenges.
Adapting to a Course Lacking Seamless Rhythm
Reflecting further on the track, Elliott observed that the Roval has long been a part of NASCAR’s calendar, yet it remains a choppy and somewhat artificial road course. Unlike other circuits that guide drivers through a smooth flow, the Charlotte Roval demands that drivers generate their own rhythm rather than relying on natural track design.
Elliott pointed out that mastering rhythm is essential on any road course, but the Charlotte Roval complicates that process because the lack of natural continuity forces drivers to find it independently. He admitted some weekends have gone better than others in discovering that elusive balance.
The #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver expressed eagerness to return to the track, determined to unlock the flow that can make the difference between a good and a great performance during Roval weekend.
