The Round of 16 is complete, and only twelve drivers remain in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The pressure is ramping up heading into the only night race of the final ten races, the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Here’s your four key storylines to follow for NASCAR at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Surprising Struggles
In the opening three races of the Chase, there were some surprising challenges for drivers in the hunt for the championship. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch would have to struggle through bad finishes to move on, while Jimmie Johnson got knocked out of round two thanks to a cheap parts failure. Who will be the next Chase driver to find a bumpy road at Charlotte?
Sparks Fly
One year ago this weekend, the war of words and fists began to fly after the Bank of America 500. Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski would tangle in the garage area after the race, in what would be just a preview of what was to come later in the Chase. Tempers are building, but the question now is this – whose temper boils over first?
The Outsider
Thus far in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, no driver from outside the Chase has won since the playoff format was changed in 2014. Will that change this weekend however? Perennial contender Jimmie Johnson has been eliminated from the hunt, and always seems to be in the battle at Charlotte. Don’t count out Kyle Larson either, who is searching still for his first win.
Going for Miles and Miles
By the end of the race on Saturday night, the Cup Series will have run over 1100 miles in regular season competition around CMS. Adding in the drivers who have pulled double duty with the Xfinity Series and Truck Series, as well as the All-Star weekend at the track, and some drivers will have put down nearly 2000 miles on the 1.5-mile oval. With that much time on track, there is little reason to find an excuse why drivers are not executing at the track in many of their teams’ backyards.
The big weekend at Charlotte kicks off for NASCAR with the Xfinity Series on Friday night in the Race for the Cure 300, which can be seen on NBCSN. Then tune in to your local NBC affiliate for the Bank of America 500 on Saturday night, and see who takes home the checkered flag.
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