NCS AT CHARLOTTE ROVAL: Chevrolet Looking to Keep NASCAR Cup Series Road Course Win Streak Alive

The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) is geared up to face the last road course circuit race of the season this upcoming weekend, with the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course holding the position as the Round of 12 playoffs elimination race. Chevrolet has a history of success in making left- and right-hand turns in NASCAR’s premier series, with the manufacturer riding the momentum of victories in 15 of the last 16 NCS road course races, including a streak of the last 11 in a row. The Bowtie brand’s strength on road course circuits is proven across the Chevrolet field, with six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams contributing to the manufacturer’s recent streak of road course dominance.

With playoff implications on the line, 109-laps around the 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will determine the eight drivers that will remain in the championship title hunt. Of the six Chevrolet playoff drivers, four have at least one road course victory on their NCS resume: 

    ·       Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – Elliott is commonly known as NASCAR’s “King of the Road”, leading all active NCS drivers with seven career road course wins in NASCAR’s premier series. One of those wins includes his first career NCS victory, captured at Watkins Glen International in 2018. The 26-year-old Georgia native has taken the checkered flag in two of the four NCS races that have been held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, taking back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2020. A win in this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 would move Elliott up the NCS all-time road course wins ranking to second to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart’s eight career NCS road course wins. Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, sits atop that list with nine career NCS road course wins.

    ·       Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1: Larson added his first career NCS road course victory to his name during his championship season, taking a home state win at Sonoma Raceway in June 2021. The reigning series champion now has four career NCS road course wins, including the series’ last appearance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October 2021. The 30-year-old California native is the series’ most recent road course winner after sweeping the NCS and NXS races at Watkins Glen International in August.

    ·       Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1: Chastain became a winner in NASCAR’s premier series for the first time earlier this season, taking the victory at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in March; a victory that punched his ticket into the 2022 NCS playoffs. The victory also gave Chevrolet team, Trackhouse Racing, its first triumph in NASCAR’s premier series in only the organization’s second season in the series.

    ·       Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1: Following suit to his Trackhouse Racing teammate, Suarez secured his berth into the 2022 NCS playoffs with his first career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway in June.

Also adding to Chevrolet’s road course wins in 2022 was Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who became a first-time NCS winner at Road America in July… a win that was celebrated by a Chevrolet sweep of the top-five finishing positions. Reddick went on to become a back-to-back road course winner just a few weeks later, taking the victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.