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NASCAR heads to the Charlotte Roval for the Round of 12 cut-off race this weekend, with the 2.28-mile oval set to host the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 PM ET.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. played spoiler at Talladega Superspeedway, becoming the third non-playoff driver to win a race in the postseason. Meanwhile, a late-race wreck turned the fortunes for several playoff drivers, including Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, while Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney benefitted from the chaos.
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has punched his ticket to the Round of 8, while Christopher Bell (+57) and Kyle Larson (+52) are almost guaranteed a spot. Denny Hamlin (+30), Alex Bowman (+26), and Ryan Blaney (+25) are relatively safe, but Tyler Reddick (+14) and Chase Elliott (+13) cannot afford any mistakes this weekend.
Two-time NASCAR champion Joey Logano (-13), Daniel Suarez (-20), Austin Cindric (-29), and Chase Briscoe (-32) find themselves below the cutline. Given their points deficits, these four drivers are likely facing elimination this weekend as they chase Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott, two of NASCAR's top road course racers.
Let's rank these drivers from most likely to advance to the Round of 8 to least likely.
4 Potential eliminations from the NASCAR cut-off race at Roval
Joey Logano (-13)
Two-time NASCAR champion, Joey Logano is 13 points below the cutline and is in a good position to capitalize on the misfortune of playoff drivers above the cutline. Logano also has a good record at the Roval, having secured two top-five results and five top-10 results in his six starts at the road course.
Logano has a second-place best result at the track and finished fifth last season. The #22 Penske driver needs a solid performance, including strong stage points and a high finish, to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Austin Cindric (-29)
Logano's teammate, Austin Cindric was in contention for the win at Talladega, but the late-race wreck has put him 29 points down on the cutline. Overhauling the points deficit to the best road course drivers won't be an easy task, with Cindric having failed to crack the top 20 in his two starts at the Charlotte Roval. The #2 Penske driver needs some good fortune to keep his playoff hopes alive.
Chase Briscoe (-32)
Chase Briscoe's dream playoff run in Stewart Haas Racing's swansong NASCAR season has encountered obstacles in the Round of 12. Briscoe finds himself last in the playoff standings, 32 points below the cutline. In his three starts at the Roval, Briscoe has secured one top-10 finish, when he managed to advance into the Round of 8 in 2022, at the cost of then-reigning champion Kyle Larson.
Daniel Suarez (-20)
A bad outing at Talladega Superspeedway has left Daniel Suarez 20 points down on the cutline heading into the cut-off race. In his six starts at the 2.28-mile circuit, Suarez has finished outside the top 20 in five races. He has a 13th-place best result at the Roval and needs a significantly better performance this weekend to advance into the Round of 8.
