NASCAR confirms move to drop Charlotte Roval in favor of superspeedway for fall race

Speedway Motorsports has confirmed that the NASCAR Cup Series fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be held on the oval.

The move puts an end to the Roval event, which had been on the schedule since 2018. All three NASCAR national series will compete on the oval in October in a tripleheader weekend that begins on Friday, October 9.

“Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been about innovations and opportunity,” said Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports. “The Roval delivered dramatic racing when many fans were calling for a road course in the playoffs. Now there’s an energy around the return of the Chase, and fans are seeing the excitement that oval racing continues to generate on mile-and-a-half tracks. This feels like the time to bring the fall race back to the legendary oval at a place where NASCAR history is made every year.”

In the eight races held on the Roval, there were six different winners. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson earned a pair of wins in addition to wins by Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, AJ Allmendinger, and Shane van Gisbergen.

Martin Truex Jr. won the last Cup Series fall race on the Charlotte oval in 2017.

“The voice of the passionate NASCAR fan is the starting point of every decision we make, and Marcus, Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR heard them loud and clear – with the return of the Chase, let’s return to the oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR president.

“As The Chase returns, we are putting a spotlight on performance while honoring the tracks and traditions that have defined championship moments. Charlotte Motor Speedway’s historic oval has played a central role in some of the sport’s most memorable races, so bringing the Chase back to the 1.5-mile configuration for our fans simply felt right.”

The race details for the October weekend, such as race distance and laps, were not announced.