Shane van Gisbergen continued to prove, without a doubt, that he is the best road-course racer in the NASCAR Cup Series after winning the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But while van Gisbergen was winning his series-high fifth race of the season – all on road or street courses – battles were taking place throughout the rest of the field in Sunday’s elimination race to end the second round of the playoffs.
Playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell tried their best to knock off the Trackhouse Racing star from New Zealand, but in the end, neither could overtake van Gisbergen even with fresher tires. Van Gisbergen led a race-high 57 laps to Larson’s 27 on the part oval-part road course circuit at Charlotte and prevailed by 15.160 seconds after Larson opted for new tires to finish the 109-lap race.
But, the more intense drama was taking place further back in the field as playoff drivers battled for position in the final race of the Round of 12, hoping to avoid elimination and be among the eight drivers to advance to the next round.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS: Full finishing order from Charlotte Roval race
Entering Sunday’s race, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott had already secured their spots in the Round of 8 by virtue of their victories the past two weeks at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, respectively. That left six additional spots up for grabs, though Larson and Bell advanced even before Sunday’s race concluded, having compiled enough points in the three second-round races to guarantee their berths in the third round.
As the Roval race entered the final stage, four Round of 8 playoff berths remained, with some drivers like Denny Hamlin and William Byron knowing they likely only needed clean finishes to advance, while others – including 23XI Racing drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain and Team Penske’s Joey Logano – were racing in must-win situations.
With the laps winding down, the final berth came down to a battle between Logano, the three-time and reigning series champion, and Chastain, who finished runner-up to Logano in 2022. Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske crew elected to bring their driver down pit road for fresher tires in the closing laps of the stage, putting him at a deficit to Chastain, whose team kept him out on the track.
It appeared Chastain would have just enough tires left to keep his miniscule cushion over Logano, but after Hamlin passed Chastain on the final lap, zero points separated the Trackhouse Racing driver and the Team Penske star. With no recourse left, Chastain floored his No. 1 Chevrolet to get side-by-side with Hamlin, hoping to steal the position back, but the move and resulting contact turned both cars around, leaving Chastain to cross the finish line in reverse. Unfortunately for Chastain, the maneuver allowed a few drivers, including Logano, to edge past him.
Logano became the final driver to advance to the third round, joining Blaney, Elliott, Larson, Bell, Hamlin, Byron and Chase Briscoe. Chastain was eliminated along with Reddick, Wallace and Team Penske driver Austin Cindric.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads West next weekend to open the three-race Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Talladega Superspeedway follows before the final elimination race at Martinsville Speedway.
NASCAR playoffs Round of 8 is set after Charlotte Roval race
Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano advanced to the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, joining Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. Blaney and Elliott secured their positions by winning the first two races of the Round of 12, while the other six drivers advanced on points.
Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing put three drivers apiece into the Round of 8, with Ellliott, Larson and Byron representing HMS, and Bell, Hamlin and Briscoe representing JGR. Team Penske has two drivers remaining in the championship chase, with Blaney and Logano.
Four drivers eliminated from NASCAR playoffs
In a frantic battle to advance to the Round of 8 of the NASCAR playoffs, reigning series champion Joey Logano edged Ross Chastain for the final spot in the third round as the two traded positions just above and below the cut line in the final stage of the Bank of America Roval 400. Chastain was eliminated along with 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace and Team Penske driver Austin Cindric.
Ross Chastain crosses Charlotte Roval finish line in reverse
Ross Chastain did everything he could to clinch the final spot in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – even after making contact with Denny Hamlin for position on the final lap. Chastain spun in his No. 1 Chevrolet and then crossed the finish line in reverse, hoping to keep a miniscule point lead over reigning series champion Joey Logano, but to no avail.
Shane van Gisbergen wins NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte
Shane van Gisbergen outclassed the field of the Bank of America 400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval to earn his series-leading fifth race of the season. Van Gisbergen dominated on road courses this season, winning five straight on non-oval circuits, adding the Roval to Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
Kyle Larson finished second, 15.160 seconds behind van Gisbergen. Christopher Bell finished third, Chris Buescher fourth and Michael McDowell fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen retakes lead in NASCAR Charlotte playoff race
Shane van Gisbergen passed Kyle Larson with 23 laps remaining in the Bank of America 400 to retake the lead. Drivers are in the middle of green flag pit stops – and could pit an additional time – so leads are likely to flip multiple times before the race ends.
Kyle Larson passes Shane van Gisbergen for lead
Kyle Larson passed Shane Gisbergen on Lap 63 to take the lead at the Bank of America Roval 400 following restart. Christopher Bell also passed van Gisbergen to move up to second. AJ Allmendinger runs fourth and Michael McDowell fifth.
Caution flag flies in Bank of America Roval 400
Austin Dillon brings out the yellow flag on Lap 58 of 109 of the Bank of America Roval 400 after crashing into the tire barrier. This is the first race caution of the day. Shane van Gisbergen leads Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, AJ Allmendinger and Chris Buescher.
Playoff drivers William Bryon and Bubba Wallace came down pit road for tires under caution. Byron is in strong position to advance on points, while Wallace needs to win the race to advance.
Christopher Bell clinches berth in Round 3 of NASCAR playoffs
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell has clinched enough points through three races of the second round to guarantee a spot in the Round 8 of the NASCAR playoffs. Bell joins Ryan Blaney, who won two weeks ago at New Hampshire, Chase Elliott, who won last week at Kansas, and Kyle Larson, who also clinched a spot in the third round on points.
Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2 of Charlotte Roval playoff race
Shane van Gisbergen elected to pit with two laps remaining in the second segment for new tires, giving up the lead and the stage win. Ryan Blaney, who already clinched a berth in the third round of the playoffs, took the checkered flag in Stage 2, his ninth stage win of the season, tying Kyle Larson for most in the 2025 season.
Tyler Reddick, who most likely needs a win to make the Round of 8, finished second, followed by Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and van Gisbergen. Chastain entered the race below the eight-driver cut line but has collected a number of points to give himself an oppurtinity to advance.
Kyle Larson finished sixth, followed by Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez and Cole Custer.
Kyle Larson clinches berth in third round of playoffs
Kyle Larson collected enough points in the three-race second round to clinch a spot in the Round of 8 along with Ryan Blaney, who won at New Hampshire, and Chase Elliott, who won last week at Kansas. Hendrick Motorsports has a chance to add a third driver to the Round of 8, with William Byron hoping to join Larson and Elliott.
AJ Allmendinger leads field to green to start Stage 2
AJ Allmendinger elected to stay on track at the end of Stage 2 and took the lead on the restart to start the second segment. Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick also stayed on track and run in the top 5. Shane van Gisbergen, who won the opening stage, took new tires and moved up to sixth place immediately.
Kyle Larson, who also took new tires to start the stage, runs in seventh.
Shane van Gisbergen wins Stage 1 of NASCAR Roval playoff race
Shane van Gisbergen retook the lead with six laps remaining in the opening stage of the Bank of America Roval 400 and cruised to the Stage 1 win over Kyle Larson. Van Gisbergen led 17 of 25 laps, beating Larson by nearly 8 seconds. Ty Gibbs finished third, Christopher Bell fourth and Ross Chastain fifth. Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Ty Dillon rounded out the top 10.
With tire falloff a big issue on the part oval-part road course circuit, the majority of drivers elected to change tires during the middle of the stage. There were a few exceptions, however, including 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace and Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, electing to pit with three laps remaining in order to stay out on track at the end of the stage.
NASCAR Roval playoff race goes green
Playoff driver Tyler Reddick won the pole Saturday and leads the field to start the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Road course ace Shane van Gisbergen starts second.
What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte start?
The Bank of America Roval 400 is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 5 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte on?
The Bank of America Roval 400 will be broadcast on USA Network, the home for the Round of 12 part of the Cup Series playoffs. Pre-race coverage will start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte?
Yes, the Bank of America Roval 400 will be streamed on Peacock, HBO Max, Sling TV and Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.
Stream the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte on Fubo
How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte?
The Bank of America Roval 400 is 109 laps around the 2.32-mile track for a total of 252.9 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 25 laps; Stage 2: 25 laps; Stage 3: 59 laps.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings
Here’s how things look after the playoff round in Kansas with the gap to the leader in parentheses. The bottom four drivers will be eliminated after Charlotte as the playoffs move on to the Round of 8.
Kyle Larson
Denny Hamlin (+6)
Christopher Bell (+10)
William Byron (+14)
Chase Elliott (+20)
Ryan Blaney (+25)
Chase Briscoe (+33)
Joey Logano (+41)
Ross Chastain (+54)
Bubba Wallace (+67)
Tyler Reddick (+70)
Austin Cindric (+89)
Who won the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte last year?
Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson took his second playoff win of 2024 with a comfortable victory over Christopher Bell in last year’s playoff race at Charlotte. Larson led the most laps – including most of the Stage 3 running – to take the win at the final road course event of the season. Bell, William Byron, Austin Cindric and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five runners. One of the biggest stories from the race was Alex Bowman’s disqualification after he failed post-race weight inspection.
NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte starting lineup
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota