As previously reported by The Athletic, Charlotte Motor Speedway has officially announced that it will move on from the ROVAL layout for its NASCAR National Series race weekend later this Fall. Instead, the traditional 1.5-mile oval layout will take over as the layout for the NASCAR Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck Series races in the Chase in each respective series.
You asked, we listened. ?
The Bank of America 400 returns to the oval this fall for The Chase??@BankofAmerica | @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/eznYFhLQsX
— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) February 3, 2026
The ROVAL, which has been one of the most polarizing track layouts in NASCAR since its inception ahead of the 2018 season, was a track layout that people either loved or loved to hate. Regardless of where you stood, the decision to move to the ROVAL from 2018 until 2025 was an innovative move by Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been about innovations and opportunity,” said Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports. “The ROVAL™ delivered dramatic racing when many fans were calling for a road course in the playoffs. Now there’s an energy around the return of The Chase, and fans are seeing the excitement that oval racing continues to generate on mile-and-a-half tracks. This feels like the time to bring the fall race back to the legendary oval at a place where NASCAR history is made every year.”
Bank of America will continue as the title sponsor of the Bank of America 400 on Sunday, October 11, continuing one of the longest continuous race title sponsorships in the sport today. The race will now be a 400-mile contest around the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway oval.
“For more than 20 years, Bank of America has been proud to put our name on the fall NASCAR event at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” said Kieth Cockrell, president, Bank of America Charlotte in a press release from the track. “The return to oval racing and the Chase format in the Bank of America 400 will generate even more excitement for NASCAR fans this fall, and we are thrilled to continue to be a part of this great Charlotte tradition.”
The Chase for the Championship race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway will run from Friday, October 9, to Sunday, October 11. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will compete in the EcoSave 250 on Friday at 5 PM ET (televised on FOX), the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will run in the Blue Cross NC 250 on Saturday at 4 PM ET (televised on The CW), and the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America 400 will cap off the weekend on Sunday at 3 PM ET (televised on USA Network).
Tuesday’s decision to remove the ROVAL and replace it with the traditional 1.5-mile oval layout will likely be a welcome change among a large portion of the NASCAR fanbase, and with the change comes a move to a more traditional 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Chase, as there will be no road races represented in the grouping of races.
