Charlotte Roval layout adjustment?
On October 18, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted a Goodyear tire test. They were there to test the new configuration of the Charlotte Roval.
“There is some conversation about changing the infield section a little bit, maybe eliminating the last little loop,” said Greg Stucker, director of racing for Goodyear told Motorsport.com.
“I don’t know how much traction it’s going to get.”
“I know that was some of the input from our test and it came up in a call with NASCAR. It’s being investigated,” Stucker concluded.
Related: Drivers comment on Charlotte Roval
They are discussing a change of turn 9 in the track map above. It’s expected that a said change would reduce the lap times of the Charlotte Roval by 8 seconds.
With the exception of the Coca-Cola 600, the Charlotte Roval is expected to the longest race of the year. Meaning, the two longest races of the year, will likely be be at Charlotte.
Shaving 8 seconds per lap could rather dramatically shorten the expected race distance.
Here’s another tidbit on the Charlotte Roval. That final chicane was installed to create final lap drama. A high braking point, just ahead of the finish line is likely to facilitate NASCAR playoff drama in 2018.
“The opportunity for a last-lap pass in true road racing fashion is what put me over the top with the chicane,’ Smith said. “I resisted it at first. I thought we didn’t need it. But we had great discussion with NASCAR and other manufacturers, drivers and designers that thought it would provide a signature opportunity for great passing and great racing and great competition.”
“I don’t want to compare ourselves to other sports, but the Winter Classic was special. Now there’s a number of those,” O’Donnell added. “Very similar to racing on dirt with the trucks, if we were to explore that, kind of keep it small. We’ll see how it plays out.”
