Both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will conclude the Round of 12 of the playoffs at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
This is the sixth year of the ROVAL, which has featured chaos at its finest at times. With title hopes on the line, expect this event to be no different. Here is who will be appearing at the track this weekend.
Grand Marshal: WWE Superstar Liv Morgan will give the command to fire the engines ahead of the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Morgan has won the Women’s Championship on SmackDown and is also a two-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship winner.
“The same qualities that make a great WWE champion – passion, commitment and dedication – are what NASCAR’s best will need to survive Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400,” Morgan said. “I can’t wait to be there to see all the action, hang out with the fans and find out who’s got what it takes to bring home the win.”
Breast cancer survivors Patrice Bidgood and Destiny Medlin will give the command prior to the Drive for the Cure 250.
Honorary Starter: 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch will wave the green flag over the Cup drivers on Sunday (Oct. 8). Busch won 34 Cup races, including the 2010 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
June Mangum from Blue Cross NC will wave the green for the Xfinity race. She is also a 20-year survivor of breast cancer.
National Anthem: Contemporary Christian artist Matthew West will sing the national anthem in addition to providing the invocation prior to the Bank of America ROVAL 400. West is a five-time GRAMMY nominee with hits such as “Happy,” “Me on Your Mind,” and “Broken Things.”
Cassandra Kliewer will perform the national anthem prior to the Xfinity race. Rev. Doc. Major Stewart of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church will give the invocation.
Pre-Race Concert: Country music artist Riley Green will perform a pre-race concert ahead of the Cup race on Sunday. Green won the Academy of Country Music award for New Male Artist of the Year in 2019.
Alter Ego will entertain the crowd on Saturday.
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.