MOTORSPORTS MONDAY - Chaos Came in Different Forms Than Expected at ROVAL
Chaos was expected at The Roval this weekend. There definitely was some, but not as much was created on the track as predicted.
The new course layout brought a lot of scrutiny to the proceedings, the seventh time NASCAR’s fall weekend competed on the Charlotte Motor Speedway hybrid oval-road course layout. Drivers believed the new tighter quarters through Turn 7 as well as the chicane heading to the start-finish line would be fertile ground for action, contact, and pileups.
But in reality, there were only a couple of examples in both Saturday’s Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 of tat pair of modifications creating mayhem. Sunday’s Cup race only had five caution flags, two for stage breaks.
“There were challenges for sure but I didn’t feel like it was quite as crazy as we thought it was going to be,” said Joey Logano, who advanced to the Round of 8 of the Playoffs with an eighth-place finish in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race. “Still lots of contact but not as much as I was anticipating.
The question about whether the track should go back to a pair of oval races next year both in the Coca-Cola 600 and the fall weekend was being asked around the industry after Sunday’s checkered flag flew. The 2025 schedule lists the Roval again in October. It appears after spending a great deal of money creating and modifying the track. Speedway Motorsports CEO and track president Greg Walter have preached the desire to give fans two different experiences in both weekends.
Ultimately fan attendance and interest will drive the decision. Those hoping for more on-track contact were most likely left disappointed while others more interested in some good racing and the Playoff storylines coming as a byproduct were likely pleased.
It doesn’t look like The Roval is going anywhere in the immediate future, which is good or bad news depending on your perspective.
CHAOS NONETHLESS
Despite the relatively low-key on-track chaos, the weekend was certainly not without controversy. Alex Bowman was disqualified after post-race inspection for his car not meeting the minimum weight requirement. The shuffle took Joey Logano from outside the Playoff cut-off to inside the Playoff grid and on to the round of eight.
RELATED: Post-Race Inspection Foils Hendrick's Dream Round of 8 Scenario
It’s hard to say what happened to Bowman’s car and Hendrick Motorsports can appeal the ruling. But if the defense is something during the race fell off the car to lighten the load, more likely than not it won’t persuade the panel to overturn the ruling. Last week, Sam Mayer was DQ’d after the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, and his JR Motorsports team made the case something broke during the race to cause the car's height to drop. The panel ruled how the infraction happened didn’t matter and the penalty stuck.
The same idea would seemingly hold in the Bowman case and an appeal and investigation could lead to an even larger penalty. If weight, in the form of ballast, somehow became dislodged from the No. 48 car during the race, NASCAR rules state suspensions and monetary penalties would be enforced in this case coming on top of the disqualification. It certainly sets up a sticky situation for Hendrick in what was a punch in the gut for Bowman, who had performed so well in the opening two rounds of the Playoffs.
The weekend’s other controversy came in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race when what looked like a win and an advance in the Playoffs for Parker Kligerman turned into an overtime was won by Mayer.
Kligerman was less than a foot from taking the white flag when the caution came out for an accident involving Leyland Honeyman who buried his car in the tire barriers. It was clear Kligerman did not cross the line to take the white flag before caution came out. But why NASCAR waited so long to display the yellow came under fire. There was nearly a 20 second difference from when Honeyman crashed to the yellow lights being deployed, an intolerable amount of time for such a decision to be made.
NASCAR indicated after the race officials did not have a clear view of Honeyman’s disable car when the accident occurred, which may have accounted for the delay.
Whatever the reason it’s a situation that needs to be addressed. When a television audience can see as well as fans at the track via a giant video board on the backstretch a crashed and disabled car, officials in the scoring tower should have the same view. The oversight cost Kligerman a first career win and impacted the Playoffs in the aftermath.
FOUR GONE CONCLUSION
The quartet of drivers eliminated in the Cup Playoffs exited due to a variety of circumstances, some not of their own doing.
Chase Briscoe was the first one eliminated when a mechanical malfunction knocked the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing car from contention. Daniel Suarez fought through a day that did include contact with several other cars and ultimately brake problems. Austin Cindric drove a great race but even a top-five finish wasn’t enough to keep the No. 2 team’s title hopes alive. And then there was Joey Logano, who appeared to be short of the cut-offline until the Bowman disqualification gave him new life.
It would be quite the story if Logano’s second chance led him to a shot at title number three and he ends up in the Championship Four at Phoenix. After all, it is an even numbered year.
SHORT TRACK ROUND-UP
Cole Butcher survived a chaotic and crash-filled Winchester 400 adding his name to the list of winners in the prestigious event. Butcher bested the field of ASA Stars National Tour super late models and took the checkered flag ahead of Ty Majeski, who dominated much of the race before losing a cylinder in the late stages.
Conner Jones was victorious in Saturday night’s CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car race at Tr County Speedway. It was his second career series win and came in the aftermath of a wild finish that saw several frontrunners run out of fuel.
Justin Bonsignore won Sunday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour World Series 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. The series heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway this Sunday to make up an earlier postponed race.
Pete Pistone is a veteran motorsports and general sports reporter/journalist with nearly 30 years experience. During his career he has worked for media outlets such as WGN Radio, The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicagoland Television (CLTV), CBS Sports, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM. Pistone has been with SiriusXM since 2008 and co-hosts “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) with Mike Bagley, which airs Monday through Friday at 7 am ET. He is also the host of “Fantasy Racing Preview,” a weekend show focusing on NASCAR gambling and fantasy racing, which is part of the channel’s NASCAR Cup Series pre-race programming. Additionally, Pistone is a member of the SiriusXM College Sports team as an on-air personality and contributor on Big Ten Radio (Ch. 372). He is one of the hosts of “Big Ten Today” and can also be heard on “Big Ten Whip Around,” a weekly hour-long program spotlighting a variety of sports around the conference. Pistone is also the host of several specials as well as providing a range of digital content for both the NASCAR and Big Ten channels. A Chicago native, Pistone resides in the northern suburbs of the city with his wife and daughter.