On Sunday morning, NASCAR sent out a media advisory addressing a major change to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL ahead of Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400. The changes impact the curbing in Turn 16, which is located in the frontstretch chicane.
On Saturday, the track featured four-inch-tall “turtle” curbs, which were put in place to discourage drivers from stepping outside of the track limits in the newly redesigned, tighter frontstretch chicane. In place of the turtle curbs will be 2.25-inch-tall rumble strips. The changes were implemented on Saturday evening after the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250.
Here is the Sunday morning statement from NASCAR:
“Following feedback from drivers and a review of data, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports replaced the blue rumble strips in Turn 16. Last night, the blue rumble strips (4 inches) were replaced with red and white strips (2.25 inches). The new strips were painted blue, and the [Track Limits] rules will not change.”
As for the track limits rules, drivers have been instructed that they must run the full course at all times. Going straight through a chicane may result in a stop-and-go penalty in an assigned location. If a stop-and-go penalty is not performed, the driver will be assessed with a drive-through penalty. If a penalty occurs too late in the race for a pass-through penalty to be assessed, drivers will be issued a 30-second time penalty after the race for the infraction.
Drivers will be judged as missing or shortcutting any turn based on when all four tires are on the non-track side of the red and white rumble strips that define the apex of the turns.
Following practice and qualifying on Saturday, several NASCAR Cup Series drivers expressed concern over the hard shots they were feeling to the head when colliding with the turtle curbing with the Next Gen car, which features a very rigid chassis design.
The curbing being cut essentially in half should help reduce the impacts the drivers have been feeling on the 2.32-mile road course.
