The Cup Series and the Xfinity Series will have home races this weekend when they complete the Round of 12 in their playoffs at the Charlotte Roval. The Gen-7 car hasn’t produced a lot of exciting races on the road courses, but that could change this weekend. There is a lot on the line for the 12 playoff drivers and we have seen in the past that many of the drivers will do whatever it takes to advance to the next round. It should be fun to see how it all plays out this week on the Charlotte Roval. The Bank of America Roval 400 can be seen Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
STRATEGY FOR CHARLOTTE
This will be the fifth road course race for the Cup Series this year. We should be able to predict which drivers will run up front this weekend by looking at the data from the races at COTA, Sonoma and Watkins Glen. I am not using the data from the Chicago Street Race because the stats from that race haven’t translated into positive stats on the other road courses. My main focus for the Bank of America Roval 400 will be on the drivers who have run well at this track in the past. There are a handful of drivers who run well on the Charlotte Roval, but do not have a lot of success on the other road courses. I will consider these drivers for my lineup too.
DRIVER GROUP GAME PICKS FOR CHARLOTTE
GROUP A DRIVERS
KYLE BUSCH (9): I was told last week by some of my followers that they simply do not want to play Busch. He has actually been the third-best driver in the Cup Series since the Olympic Break. He is also the best driver on the Charlotte Roval. His worst finish in the Gen-7 car on the Charlotte Roval is 3rd. This ranks as the best track for Busch so I will give him a chance to extend his streak to 21 consecutive seasons with a trip to Victory Lane.
WILLIAM BYRON (3): Byron is already locked into the Round of 8 because he is 74 points above the cut-line. This is his home track and he has a history of running well at Charlotte Motor Speedway and it does not matter if it is the Coca-Cola 600 or the Bank of America Roval 400. Byron finished 2nd in this race last year. He also won on the road course at COTA earlier this year. I would not be surprised if Byron went to Victory Lane again Sunday at his home track.
OTHER PICK: CHRISTOPHER BELL (6): Bell is one of the more underrated drivers on the road courses and he is pretty good on the Charlotte Roval too. Bell won the Bank of America Roval 400 in the Gen-7 car in 2022. He also finished 8th in this race in 2021. Bell finished 2nd at COTA this year and 9th at Sonoma. Bell is your driver if you are one of those people who do not trust Kyle Busch.
GROUP A RANKINGS: 1.KYLE BUSCH, 2. WILLIAM BYRON, 3. CHRISTOPHER BELL, 4. CHASE ELLIOTT, 5. KYLE LARSON, 6. MARTIN TRUEX JR., 7. RYAN BLANEY, 8. DENNY HAMLIN
GROUP B DRIVERS
CHRIS BUESCHER (4): Buescher has been one of the most consistent drivers on the road courses in the Gen-7 car and the Charlotte Roval is his best track. Buescher finished 7th, 6th and 3rd in his last three races on the Charlotte Roval. He also finished 8th at COTA, 3rd at Sonoma and won the race at Watkins Glen this year. Buescher should be a lock for a top-10 finish Sunday.
ALEX BOWMAN (4): Bowman has been the best driver in the playoffs this year and I doubt he will slow down this week. Bowman has competed in five races on the Charlotte Roval (He did not race in 2022 because of an injury) and he has NEVER finished outside the top-10. His average finishing position at the Charlotte Roval is 6th. Bowman finished 4th at COTA and won the Chicago Street Course Race this year. I expect the hot streak for the No. 48 team to continue at the best road course track for Bowman.
ROSS CHASTAIN (4): This was a tough pick. I wanted to use Ty Gibbs, but I am out of allocations. I thought about Joey Logano, but I need his three allocations for Las Vegas, Martinsville and Phoenix. I will take a chance with Chastain. His stats on the Charlotte Roaval are not great, but some of his poor finishes were not his fault. Chastain did finish 10th in the Bank of America Roval 400 last year, so there is hope. Chastain also finished 7th at COTA, 5th at Sonoma and 4th at Watkins Glen this year. Chastain should finish in the top-10, if he can get some luck in the race Sunday.
TYLER REDDICK (1): Reddick would be my pick to win Sunday if Shane Van Gisbergen was not entered in the race. Reddick has the best Driver Rating, the second-best Average Finishing Position (Behind Kyle Busch) and scored the most Stage Points in the Gen-7 car on the Charlotte Roval. Reddick finished 5th at COTA, 8th at Sonoma and 2nd in the Chicago Street Race this year. I am using Reddick for qualifying points only this week since I only have one allocation left. You can use him in the race if you have two or more allocations left with the No. 45 car.
OTHER PICK: TY GIBBS (0): It is hard to believe that Gibbs is still looking for his first win in the Cup Series. I would not be surprised if it came on a road course. Gibbs started 10th and finished 4th in this race last year. He also finished 3rd at COTA and 3rd on the Chicago Street Course. I would use Gibbs over Ross Chastain if I had any allocations left with the No. 54 car. You can also use him to replace Tyler Reddick if you are out of allocations with the No. 45 car.
GROUP B RANKINGS: 1. TYLER REDDICK, 2. CHRIS BUESCHER, 3. ALEX BOWMAN, 4. TY GIBBS, 5. ROSS CHASTAIN, 6. JOEY LOGANO, 7. BUBBA WALLACE, 8. MICHAEL MCDOWELL 9. DANIEL SUAREZ 10. AUSTIN DILLON
GROUP C DRIVERS
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN (6): SVG is the “free square” every time he is entered in a road course race. His skills behind the wheel at these tracks is much better than any driver in the field. SVG has competed in five road course races in the Cup Series. He won at the Chicago Street Course and SVG finished 2nd at Watkins Glen. He would have had a good chance to win the other races but he was taken out by Chase Briscoe at Chicago this year and the No. 16 car had mechanical problems in the other races. SVG will be a threat to win if his car can make if 400 miles Sunday.
AJ ALLMENDINGER (7): It is going to be tough to leave Allmendinger out of your lineup Sunday. He won this race last year and he finished 4th in the Bank of America Roval 400 in 2022. That is an average finishing position of 2.5 in the Gen-7 car at the Charlotte Roval. Allmendinger has also led an average of 35 laps in the Gen-7 car at this track. Allmendinger should be one of the best picks for the race Sunday.
OTHER PICK: RYAN PREECE (8): Preece should be a sneaky good pick for your lineup Sunday. He started 18th and finished 11th on the Charlotte Roval last year. Preece has an average finishing position of 14th in his last three races at this track. That is not great, but it is pretty good compared to the other drivers in Group C. I doubt Preece will finish in the top-five, but he should be a good pick for a top-15 finish in Charlotte.
GROUP C RANKINGS: 1. SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, 2. AJ ALLMENDINGER, 3. RYAN PREECE, 4. CHASE BRISCOE, 5. TODD GILLILAND
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
XFINITY SERIES PICKS
Good Luck This Weekend!
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