Last week at Kansas, we witnessed an incredible finish. While Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace tangled in the final corner of the final lap, Chase Elliott was able to scoot by and claim the checkered flag, punching his ticket to the third round. Now, just one race remains for the remaining 10 drivers to sort out six spots. The 2025 Bank of America ROVAL 400 sets up for a chaotic dash to the finish.
Will we see some shake-ups in the points standings? Can a driver below the cut line find their way into the Round of Eight courtesy of a win? Let’s dive in.
2025 Bank of America ROVAL 400 Entry List
The lone entry not among the 36 full-time drivers is Josh Bilicki in the #66. The rest of the field remains as expected, though rumors of possible seat changes for the 2026 season continue to fly.
It's not over until it's over.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 1, 2025
Especially at the ROVAL. pic.twitter.com/KabPpprc49
As for the circuit itself, the ROVAL has become a bit of a maligned piece of the NASCAR schedule among the fanbase. The road course created from the oval circuit at Charlotte Motor Speedway came into being as fans wanted more road courses on the NASCAR schedule. Unfortunately for the ROVAL, while it has produced its fair share of wild moments, the quality of racing on road courses has dropped off a bit with the NextGen car. Meanwhile, the 1.5-mile circuit at Charlotte has seen excellent racing, leading to calls to return to two standard iterations of racing at the historic track.
Regardless, with the high stakes of the NASCAR playoffs thrown in, I’m expecting some intense racing at the close of the stages and the conclusion of the race.
Playoff Picture Heading into Charlotte
Chase Elliott joined Ryan Blaney in the third round courtesy of his wild win at Kansas. Now we wonder if someone below the cutline can join them. The points aren’t completely ironed out either, as you’ll see below.
- Chase Elliott – One Win
- Ryan Blaney – One Win
- Kyle Larson +54
- Denny Hamlin +48
- Christopher Bell +44
- William Byron +40
- Chase Briscoe +21
- Joey Logano +13
- Ross Chastain -13
- Bubba Wallace -26
- Tyler Reddick -29
- Austin Cindric -48
Of the drivers below the cutline, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick have had the most success on road courses in the Cup Series. While Joey Logano hasn’t been great on road courses in his career, he has finished in the top ten at the last two ROVAL races. With that being said, I think he struggles here at Charlotte. I don’t think Tyler Reddick will be able to overcome the points deficit. I think Ross Chastain, however, might be able to. Keep an eye on Chastain to bump Logano below the cutline.
2025 Bank of America ROVAL 400 Race Predictions
We’re on a road course in 2025, so yes, Shane Van Gisbergen is the race winner pick. I don’t think anyone really disagrees there.
Not even the tire barrier could stop @chaseelliott that day. 💨 pic.twitter.com/sv9rMViCwj
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 2, 2025
Among the rest of the field, AJ Allmendinger has a previous ROVAL win, as do Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson, who I expect to run near the front. If SVG has any mechanical issues or anything else that buries him back in the pack, expect one of those three to win. Maybe Chase Elliott sneaks into the conversation as well.
Otherwise, tune in to see another rugby ball punted into the stands.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action!
Friday 10/03
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – 11:10 a.m. CT on FS2
Ecosave 250 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 2:30 p.m. CT on FS1
Saturday 10/04
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – 11:40 a.m. CT on the CW App
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 2:10 p.m. CT on TruTV
Blue Cross NC 250 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 4:00 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 10/05
Bank of America ROVAL 400 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:00 p.m. CT on USA and HBO Max
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