When the NASCAR Cup Series field rolled into Charlotte Motor Speedway in September 2018, things looked a little different.
Rather than the traditional 500-mile race that usually served as the track’s second date on the calendar, Charlotte’s second race of the 2018 season would be run at a venue both familiar and brand new to the competitors.
The change was announced by Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith in May 2017, shortly before the Coca-Cola 600, and served as the first major shift in the Cup Series schedule in many years.
The decision to run the infield road course at one of NASCAR’s most storied tracks set the precedent for future changes that presented fans with a drastically different schedule. In the six years since the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL’s inception, NASCAR has put dirt on the high banks at Bristol Motor Speedway, raced on the streets of Chicago and taken the Cup Series to new markets such as St. Louis and Nashville (and soon Mexico City).
That’s not to say those events don’t happen without the Charlotte ROVAL’s existence. But the successful new race made it clear that even the boldest changes had an opportunity to work out, as long as they were well executed.
The ROVAL has taken a hit in popularity since the advent of the Next Gen car in 2022. While the on-track product at intermediates has taken incredible leaps, short tracks and road courses have seen a litany of issues when it comes to the quality of the racing.
The opinion of NASCAR fans regarding the ROVAL has certainly shifted from that September day in 2018, when Smith and SMI likely felt that they’d stumbled across gold in the form of a racetrack.
The hype surrounding the ROVAL’s debut was heightened by the fact that the race served — as it does today — as an elimination race in the Cup Series playoffs. The 2018 edition was the cut-off race for the Round of 16 and featured a variety of intriguing postseason scenarios which came to light with just a few laps to go.
As Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson battled for the win, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola were all within one point of each other for the transfer spot in the Round of 12. After being as many as 15 points above the cut line just laps earlier, Almirola was out of the Round of 12 picture, trailing the wounded car of Larson via tiebreaker.
As the field roared down the backstretch, all attention suddenly turned to Truex and Johnson, as Johnson’s Camaro got right up on the bumper of Truex’s Camry exiting the backstretch chicane.
Johnson — whose final Cup Series win at Dover Motor Speedway in June 2017 was behind him — attempted an aggressive move on the frontstretch chicane, breaking loose and spinning over the curbs. For a moment, Truex seemed to be in the clear — until Johnson’s spinning Chevrolet caught the back end of Truex’s Toyota, sending the defending Cup Series champ spinning alongside Johnson.
As Truex tried to re-fire his car and Johnson served his course-cutting penalty by remaining stopped on the frontstretch, it was 24-year-old Ryan Blaney — then in his first year with Team Penske and with only one Cup Series win to his name — who swooped in and stole the win, with Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer completing the podium.
In a cruel twist of fate, Johnson didn’t only see the race win vanish, but his playoff hopes as well. The few seconds he was stopped on the frontstretch while serving his penalty proved to be the death knell for his postseason run, with Almirola making the Round of 12 over Johnson by virtue of a tiebreaker.
Larson also beat Johnson via tiebreaker, miraculously dragging around a car ready for the dumpster to the checkered flag for one of the most resilient 25th-place runs in NASCAR history.
There were plenty of talking points after the inaugural race at the ROVAL, but the race served not only as an incredible race in its own right, but also a turning point in the history of NASCAR scheduling.
The track had had its fair share of entertaining moments since, but no ROVAL occurrence will ever be able to top the inaugural event. Even at a time where most fans wish the ROVAL’s race would be deserted for the traditional oval layout, the cinema of the 2018 finish will never be stripped away.
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.
Being an old time race fan I HATE the Roval. No, don’t go to a real road race course, save money , let the teams sleep in their beds instead of travel, etc. then we’ll booger up the Charlotte infields, toss a stupid chicane on the front stretch and call it the latest Marvel to come down the Pike. We don’t have enough action so let’s just make it up, like pro wrestling . What a joke, you stoop to the lowest common denominator, crashing, bashing, just like the truck series has lowered itself to . I am not impressed with your fancy, dancy Roval.
And for what it’s worth I think the NHRA 4 wide races are total garbage too. Oh.. that’s right Marcus had a hand in that also…..hmmmmm.
I love the ROVAL, its something different, instead of more of the same from NASCAR. But the fans hate change.
If the racing was good on the oval there wouldn’t have been any need for the roval. How did the sport of Nascar make it 75 years. I became a fan of the sport when I was ten years old in 1978. You know what I didn’t hear till about ten years ago. The racing is bad the season is to long we need different tracks. Nascar forgot they are in the racing business, some entertainment but the racing business. The competition was great in the 80s and 90s and early 2000s. The stands were packed the rating booming. The incessant need for change wasn’t heard constantly because the product was good. Nascar did mass changes which by fans and ratings has failed. The NFL tweaked there product and see those results.
Like I said years ago, nobody said anything bad about the tracks or the real “race” distance until 2004 when Emperor Brian decided he was going to improve the “product” and changed the toy he inherited. He was in the vault counting his money while NA$CAR burned.
It’s another in a long line of gimmicks to try to increase the “entertainment” value of NA$CAR’s vision for Brian’s product!