Charlotte expected to drop the Roval, return to superspeedway for NASCAR postseason race

Charlotte Motor Speedway will shift its NASCAR postseason race back to the oval this season, according to a report from The Athletic.

An announcement is expected sometime over the next few weeks.

The decision will move all three national series away from the Roval, which debuted in 2018. Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams have competed on the Roval every year since its inception, with the Craftsman Truck Series competing there for the first time in 2025. 

The Roval layout incorporates both the infield and the oval track and has received mixed reviews over the years. It has been a race with highlights from wrecks on the final lap with drivers needing a position to advance and taking out a fellow competitor, incidents throughout the day with drivers making mistakes such as Chase Elliott going straight into the tire wall in Turn 1, and where race manipulation has taken place as teams worked to advance in the postseason, which caught Stewart-Haas Racing in 2022.

One criticism is that the course is not a purpose-built road course, which makes it awkward and unruly. Denny Hamlin has often described it as like racing in a parking lot.

The 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte has been one of the better events on the schedule in recent years, prompting calls to replace the Roval. Speedway Motorsports had initially introduced the Roval as its latest innovative move, putting two distinct races on the calendar: the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend and a road-course postseason race.

During its tenure, the Charlotte Roval served as the first race of the second round of the Cup Series playoffs in 2018 and ’19, and then as the elimination race of the second round for the last six years.

NASCAR has reverted to the Chase format for this season, and Charlotte is the sixth race of the final 10 races. It will run Oct. 11.