NASCAR’s postseason continues on Sunday with the third race of the playoffs as the Monster Energy Cup Series heads to Charlotte for the Bank of America Roval 400. It’s a 2 p.m. ET start from Charlotte Motor Speedway and televised on NBC. Check back for the latest NASCAR odds this weekend.
Keselowski gave his bid for a fourth consecutive victory a ride Saturday at Richmond, leading 67 laps — most of them in the late going. But with a No. 2 Team Penske Ford better suited to short-run speed, he eventually gave way to Busch on Lap 364 of 400, fading to a ninth-place result.
“We didn’t quite catch the breaks we needed there,” Keselowski said. “Burned off the rear tires. We ran good but we still have some things to work on.”
2018 Bank of America Roval 400 Betting Preview
One week from today, the @NASCAR Cup Series will be racing at @CLTMotorSpdwy‘s ROVAL for the first time.
If testing was any indication, we’re in for chaos Sunday at 2PM ET on NBC. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/uLX6QSgq9D — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) 23 de septiembre de 2018
- Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
- Surface: Asphalt
- First race: 1960
- Distance: 400 kilometers
- Laps: 109
- Most wins (Driver): Jimmie Johnson (4)
- Most wins (Team): Hendrick Motorsports (8)
Defending Champ
The defending champion of this race is Truex Jr, but again that was at 500 miles and on the oval track, not the road track. At the end of the two-lap shootout that sent the race three laps past its scheduled distance of 334 laps, Truex took the checkered flag 0.911 seconds ahead of runner-up Chase Elliott, who finished second. Harvick ran third after leading a race-high 149 laps and hounding Truex from a restart on Lap 284 until NASCAR called a caution for debris on Lap 325. Harvick lost four spots on pit road under yellow on Lap 327 and never recovered.The Favorites
Kyle Busch won the second race of the playoffs Saturday at Richmond, sweeping the two events at the track in 2018 despite starting 32nd in the spring and 39th on Saturday. Busch, sent to the rear of the field at the start because of unauthorized adjustments to his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, passed Brad Keselowski with 38 laps to go and held off hard-charging Kevin Harvick. It was Busch’s 50th victory in 490 Monster Energy Cup Series races all-time. It was Busch’s seventh victory and 23rd top-10 finish in 2018 and his sixth victory and 20th top-10 finish in 27 races at Richmond. The 50 wins ties Busch for 11th on the all-time list with Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. “The 50th is kind of a number at this point, but obviously it’s a great number to have, and it’s a great achievement,” Busch said. Pole-sitter Harvick finished second. He led 40 laps of the 400-lap event and posted his 23rd top-10 finish in 36 races at Richmond. It is his 23rd top-10 finish in 2018. Martin Truex Jr., who finished third, leads the point standings by 16 points over Busch. Busch and Keselowski have already clinched spots in the next round of the playoff by winning the first two playoff races, and Truex joined them on points by winning the first two stages. They are the only three drivers to have qualified for the next round so far – Charlotte is an elimination race as noted above. The playoff field cuts from 16 to 12.
Keselowski gave his bid for a fourth consecutive victory a ride Saturday at Richmond, leading 67 laps — most of them in the late going. But with a No. 2 Team Penske Ford better suited to short-run speed, he eventually gave way to Busch on Lap 364 of 400, fading to a ninth-place result.
“We didn’t quite catch the breaks we needed there,” Keselowski said. “Burned off the rear tires. We ran good but we still have some things to work on.”
