It’s October and that means fall weather, warm tones, pumpkin patches, hayrides, apple cider and NASCAR’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) of course! The ROVAL is the last race in the playoff Round of 12, so you can bet there will be drama and hard racin’ as the drivers give it everything they’ve got to secure a top 8 spot. Jonathan Coleman, Senior Director of Public Relations for CMS answered questions about what fans can look forward to for race weekend this year.
What race day events can fans look forward to, aside from the race itself?
Race weekend really kicks off on Friday, Oct. 11 with our Fan Fest. The day includes our STEAM Expo (3,000+ kids taking part in hands-on activities related to Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts and Math) in the fan zone from 9a-1p. From there, we’ll ramp up to Joe Gibbs Racing Fan Fest, with JGR driver appearance and autograph sessions, and the fan-favorite hauler parade.
Saturday, fans will enjoy a morning of fun in the fan zone (vendor displays, partner activations, souvenir rigs, kids activities and more) before heading inside for Xfinity Series practice, qualifying and racing and Cup Series practice and qualifying. New for 2024, the ROVAL will host the Historic Sportscar Racing league with two 30-minute races. We’ll cap the night with a huge camper party (music, giveaways, driver appearances and more).
Fans should show up early on race day Sunday for a bevy of driver appearances and special programming in the fan zone before heading into the speedway for a pre-race concert with Tim Dugger and a high-energy pre-race experience before the green flag.
What do you hope to accomplish with the new configuration this year?
The new configuration is designed to continue to challenge the best drivers in the world by creating more passing zones and more white-knuckled racing. The infield will see a higher-speed straightaway that leads to a heavy braking zone and a tight hairpin back out onto the high banks of the traditional over. The updated chicane on the frontstretch promises more heavy braking, creating a high-risk/high-reward Turn 17 right before the start/finish line.
With a history of dramatic finishes and playoff drama, what are your expectations for what will take place?
In just six short years, the ROVAL has created some of the most memorable drama in recent NASCAR Playoffs history. From the inaugural finish in 2018 that saw leaders Martin Truex Jr and Jimmie Johnson tangle on the final turn and give the win to Ryan Blaney, to Chase Elliott’s miracle comeback after crashing into the Turn 1 wall to win in 2019 (and subsequently return to the famed turn for his celebratory burnout) and even last year’s improbable win by a driver outside the Playoffs in AJ Allmendinger, fans have come to expect the unexpected at the ROVAL. With a new configuration and the same pressure of being a second-round cutoff race in the Playoffs, our expectation is more of the same unforgettable entertainment for race fans.
With so many different viewing areas, what’s the best vantage point to catch all the action?
There’s not a bad seat in the house. Sitting outside of Turn 1 of the traditional oval provides great views of the technical infield sections, while sitting closer to oval Turn 4 puts fans in a prime spot for the action in the newly reconfigured frontstretch chicane – drivers’ last chance at a pass before the finish line. Bellied up to the fence in the infield gets fans about as close to the action as they can be without being on a pit crew, so there really is no bad view!
There are undoubtedly a mountain of tasks to complete leading up to race weekend. What are some of the challenges you have to overcome to ensure it meets the expectations of fans, as well as the drivers and their teams?
The biggest challenge is always getting that facility ready to host fans from across the country and around the world. Maintaining a campus of more than 1,000 acres – and keeping it up to the standards of a world-class facility like Charlotte Motor Speedway – is a Herculean task. It takes thousands of work hours of planning, painting, maintenance, setup and preparation to open the gates. Add that to the fact that we have to do much of the prep work while also planning and executing other events each fall (including the Cook Out Monster Truck Bash in August, the two-day Breakaway Music Festival and NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in September and dozens of smaller events in between), and it’s no small task. Thankfully, we’ve got decades of experience in the events and entertainment business and a staff that’s tireless in its pursuit of creating remarkable events for our fans, so we’re always up to the task.
Can confirm, you won’t want to miss this one! Make it a date day or a family day — kids 12 and under get in for only $10 and there are multiple ticket packages to choose from. Find the best suited ones for you at https://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/events/bank-of-america-roval-400/tickets/. There are fun events happening the whole weekend, but if you can’t attend in person then plan on tuning in to the Xfinity Series race Saturday, October 12th at 4pm and the Cup Series race Sunday, October 13th at 2pm.
Full throttle,
Clair
