Has the Charlotte ROVAL Run its Course?

As the cut-off race to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the second Charlotte Motor Speedway date brought a revised ROVAL layout and car-launching speedbumps that would make Hazzard County nod in approval.

It’s been seven seasons with the hybrid road course/oval layout, and while it’s produced some memorable moments, it has also had its share of unfortunate incidents (Parker Kligerman would like a word) that has many fans wishing for the return of the 500-mile oval race. So what should the move be? This week, Amy Henderson and Chase Folsom take a deeper look at one of the most polarizing tracks on the schedule.

The ROVAL Rules

With another year of the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in the books, the question has once again come up of whether or not the track should do away with the ROVAL and return to two dates on the traditional 1.5-mile oval. 

While some are quick to point out that the on-track action has been lackluster over the past few seasons, along with the fact that the NextGen car seems to thrive on 1.5-mile tracks like Charlotte’s traditional layout, I believe the ROVAL should be here to stay. 

First and foremost, the ROVAL is a unique experience for the fans. While the battle for the lead may not always be exciting, for those actually in attendance there’s always a battle somewhere to watch. At many road courses, such as Watkins Glen International, Road America or Sonoma Raceway, for example, fans can usually only see part of the racetrack, and the cars spend a good portion of each lap away from their viewing area. 

In contrast, every single seat at Charlotte Motor Speedway can see at least 50% of the ROVAL layout, while most seats row 10 or higher offer a view of the entire course. It’s truly a unique experience for fans to sit down at a road course race and have the entire track laid out in front of you. Even from a regional standpoint, road course fans in the southeast are surrounded by countless races on oval tracks. A weekend at the ROVAL is the only chance to catch some close-to-home road course action for fans in the area.

Moving towards the track itself, the new changes to the layout actually helped in many ways this past weekend, presenting more passing opportunities and creating excitement in different sections of the track that lacked it before. 

Furthermore, the ROVAL is a unique challenge for drivers and provides areas for mistakes, something we don’t often see…