NASCAR 2023 Charlotte Roval Recap

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Cup Series headed into Charlotte Motor Speedway to take on the Roval, where four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention and the other eight will make the Round of 8.

The Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina ended with a walk-off must-win for Sam Mayer, punching his ticket to the Round of 8. Mayer’s win cost the 2021 Champion Daniel Hemric a chance to advance, as he finished the race in a three-wide photo finish between Parker Kligerman and Kaz Grala. Hemric finished seventh when he needed to place fifth to advance in the playoffs. All three of Mayer’s wins this season have come on road courses.

“We may be Allmendinger 2.0,” Sam Mayer said in reference to the driver who won the Xfinity Roval race for the past four years.

I knew we had time,” said Mayer, who led five times in the race for 50 laps. “Our car was so fast – it really felt unbeatable. We kicked their tails today, and it just feels so great.”

“This is our second-chance moment,” Mayer added. “I think we can make something out of it. We can go on and do great things because of this win.”

Parker Kligerman, Josh Berry, and Jeb Burton, along with Daniel Hemric, have been eliminated and will not be racing for the championship. While Berry finished third with power steering issues and Burton had an incident with Justin Allgaier on a lap 60 restart, Sheldon Creed was able to sneak by and advance with a tenth-place finish. Creed, still in the hunt for his first career Xfinity Series win, will not be returning to Richard Childress Racing as it was announced Wednesday after the Roval race.

“We had no front turn,” Creed said. “I was talking to our teammate Austin (Hill) about it. Both of our cars did not turn all day. I had to work for that one. I did not think we would be in by two – I thought we would be better than that.”

Cole Custer finished second to Mayer, while Berry finished third, Herbst was fourth, and Kaz Grala was fifth. Kligerman, Hemric, John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top ten.

Speaking of Allmendinger earlier, it was an emotional win for AJ Allmendinger as he scored the win in the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte. He had to hold off the hottest driver in the playoff field, William Byron, to get the win as led a race-high of 46 laps, including leading the final 33.

Behind them was Kyle Busch, who was in a must-win situation to make the Round of 8 as he joins Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, and Brad Keselowski in the list of four drivers who have been eliminated from playoff contention.

The 41-year-old was emotional after his burnout and after his post-race interview he went into the stands to celebrate with the fans.

“I hate crying right now, but it’s a freaking Cup race, man,” he said. “You don’t know when it’s ever going to happen again …

“This is why you do it. This is the only reason you do it. You fight. All the blood, sweat, tears, everybody at Kaulig Racing has just been such … I’d say a down year, but up-and-down year. It’s our second year in the Cup Series.”

Byron and Ryan Blaney were able to secure their spots with wins at Texas and Talladega, while Denny Hamlin locked in his spot during the race thanks to gaining enough stage points. Joining them in the Round of 8 are Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr.

Ty Gibbs went on to finish fourth and Joey Logano finished fifth. Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain finished out the top ten.

Kyle Busch also reflected on his elimination after the race.

“The guys gave me a great piece today,” he said. “The Lenovo Camaro was pretty fast, just lacked a little bit on the long run, just didn’t quite have the feel of the tire that I was really looking for to be able to turn into the corners and to be able to drive out of the corners and keep pace with the front two there at the end.”

“But overall, this rides on me anyway. The first two weeks of this round were obviously not very good, and we didn’t score any points. That’s where it’s at. That’s where it lies. Texas, Talladega, just not being able to execute and do a good job when points were on the line.”

Both series will run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend and will both open the Round of 8, with just four races left in the season for the Xfinity Series and Cup Series.