By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – A rare mistake by seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson resulted in his elimination from the 2018 Playoffs. The Hendrick Motorsports driver gave it his all trying to win the Bank of America ROVAL 400, instead of looking at the big picture. After avoiding a multi-car melee, Johnson restarted second in a two-lap shootout. His No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 closed the gap on race leader Martin Truex, Jr. in every corner. Johnson loosened the defending
Read More By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jamie McMurray ended up one position shy of becoming a Playoff spoiler. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran shined in the Bank of America ROVAL 400, battling with the Playoff Grid drivers throughout the race. On the final restart, McMurray was the only non-Playoff driver inside the top-five. He battled primarily with Ryan Blaney and Clint Bowyer as the two race leaders, Martin Truex, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson drove away. However, contact from Johnson sent the two leaders
Read More By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – A late-race pit call by crew chief Greg Ives followed by a strong drive from Alex Bowman kept the Hendrick Motorsports driver in the Playoffs. In the chaotic run to the finish to the Bank of America ROVAL 400, Bowman bounced in and out of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff bubble until the checkered flag. After avoiding a multi-car pile-up on lap 103, Bowman found himself in fifth. On the restart, his No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was boxed
Read More By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service CONCORD, N.C. – In a race that was as wild as advertised in the closing laps, Ryan Blaney sped past crashing Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. in the final corner to win Sunday’s inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. With his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and the second of his career, Blaney advanced to Round of 12 in the Playoffs. Johnson wasn’t as lucky. The seven-time series champion was pressuring Truex
Read More By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor CONCORD, N.C. – The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season started with so much promise for Austin Dillon after winning the Daytona 500, but his hopes of contending for a championship to go along with that triumph came to a screeching halt Sunday on the new Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Entering the Bank of America ROVAL 400, Dillon had a 10-point advantage over the cut line and just needed a clean weekend to be able to advance on to the second round of the
Read More By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor CONCORD, N.C. – Final practice seemed to be going exactly as planned for 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, but things went awry for him just minutes after blazing around Charlotte Motor Speedway with the fastest lap of the session. Keselowski toured around the Charlotte road course with a lap of 1 minute, 17.730 seconds at 105.596 mph, but as the session neared its final moments, the frontstretch chicane became the bane of his existence. The lap looked to be going just fine
Read More By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service CONCORD, N.C. – Kurt Busch and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford crashed the Chevrolet party at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Friday, winning the pole for a race in which the word “crash” could be commonplace. Running late in the final round, Busch toured the 2.28-mile, 17-corner course in 76.805 seconds (106.868 mph) to edge road course ace AJ Allmendinger (76.846 seconds at 106.811 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC,
Read More By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – In qualifying for the Bank of America ROVAL 400, Ryan Blaney avoided the trouble that some of his Playoff Grid rivals encountered. His Team Penske teammate, Brad Keselowski was not as lucky, breaking the power-steering pump after hitting one of the blue ‘turtle’ curbs at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Compared to the first round of qualifying, the second round was tame. Blaney ended up ninth on the starting grid, running a 105.919 mph, 1:17.493 second lap. He was the seventh-fastest
Read More By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor CONCORD, N.C. – Denny Hamlin already had his work cut out for him heading into the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but after the first day on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course, he and the No. 11 team have a challenging road ahead if they are to transfer on to the next round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. After two poor performances in the first two races of the postseason, Hamlin enters Charlotte with a 28-point deficit to
Read More By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – In NASCAR’s first race weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, everything is coming full circle for road course ringer Justin Marks. Prior to the start of the race weekend, the Rocklin, CA native tweeted that he will be stepping away from NASCAR competition following the completion of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday, Sept. 30. “It’s just run its course,” Marks said. “Honestly, I have pretty lofty ambitions on the business side, have some projects that I’m working
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