PREVIEW: Two “reconfigured” fields on hand to tackle latest incarnation of Charlotte “Roval”
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Josh Bilicki, @joshbilicki
Saturday, October 12, 2024 (3:30 P.M. ET, USA)
XFINITY Race 29 of 33
Round of 12: Race 3 of 3
Drive for the Cure 250 at Charlotte “Roval”
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Brett Moffitt
ENTRY LIST
Elimination weekend at Charlotte begins with the XFINITY Series, where 38 drivers are entered for 38 spots, so all will qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #14-SS-Green Light Racing
Nathan Byrd returns for his third series start and first since his 36th-place showing in Loudon. While his first two came with Mario Gosselin’s team, he this time drives for Bobby Dotter with sponsorship from ASAP Commercial Doors. Byrd takes the place of David Starr, who finished an impressive 8th in Talladega.
DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing
Josh Bilicki returns to the XFINITY Series for the first time since Bristol, where he also drove for Gosselin with a 20th-place finish. This time, he makes just his second start of the year with Joe Gibbs Racing, his first since a 12th-place finish in Portland – his second-best run of 2024. Bilicki has remained particularly persistent in seeking sponsorship, and this week is no exception. In addition to his longtime backers Insurance King and Wisconsin Lighting Lab, the #19 carries backing from Trim-Tex Drywall Solutions and Chimney Mechanix, LLC. Bilicki takes the place of Taylor Gray, whose crash in Talladega left him 32nd, and will compete double-duty with the Cup Series race (see below).
DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing
The “Roval” marks Ed Jones’ fifth series start, his frit since a 24th-place showing in Watkins Glen. He takes the place of Dean Thompson, who finished 20th after two close calls during the Talladega race. This will be the former IndyCar driver’s first start on this track.
DRIVER SWAP: #38-RSS Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #39-RSS Racing
To improve the Owner Points ranking of the #28 team, brothers Ryan and Kyle Sieg will swap rides for the rest of the season, starting with Saturday. Kyle Sieg takes the controls of the #28 with Ryan Sieg in the #39.
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing / Peterson Racing Group
After a crash in the opening laps at Bristol handed him his first last-place finish, Austin Green resumes the road course portion of his season, his first since an 11th-place finish in Watkins Glen. Green takes the place of Jordan Anderson, who finished 33rd after a crash in Talladega.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports
MISSING: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports
Thomas Annunziata makes his own return to the XFINITY Series for his fourth start of the year and first since a 29th-place showing at Watkins Glen, which was also his first start with Joey Gase Motorsports. This week, he takes the place of Gase himself, who claimed a 21st-place finish in Talladega. The Gase team will only enter Annunziata’s car this week, leaving home the #53 and its Owner Points from JD Motorsports with which Carson Ware took 22nd last Saturday.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
As of October 3rd, Brad Perez is still looking for a sponsor who will also join his efforts in helping the victims of Hurricane Helene. For now, his return to Alpha Prime will be in a flat white Chevrolet with associate backing from both the Loose Is Fast Podcast and KSDT CPA. Perez takes the place of team co-owner Tommy Joe Martins, who came in clutch as the last-minute replacement for Caesar Bacarella at Talladega, taking home a solid 13th-place finish. A frayed oil pump belt left Perez in 37th in his most recent series start at Kansas, and his only other “Roval” start in 2022 yielded a 23rd-place finish for the Gase team.
RETURNING: #50-Pardus Racing
Preston Pardus makes his fourth start of the year on the Charlotte “Roval,” and seeks to turn around what has been a frustrating road course season in 2024. In his three previous starts, he’s finished no better than 25th, came home last with track bar issues in Portland, and failed to qualify at COTA after another mechanical issue. Pardus last ran the “Roval” in 2022, when he finished 21st, and a year earlier took home a track-best 7th.
MISSING: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
Mike Harmon’s team is not entered after they withdrew from Talladega with no listed driver.
DRIVER CHANGE: #88-JR Motorsports
Connor Mosack makes only his second series start of 2024, his first since a strong 6th-place finish on the Chicago Street Course. He again takes the wheel of JR Motorsports’ #88 entry, this time with sponsorship from Apollo Pex, a range of fittings and valves produced by his family’s company, the Mosack Group. Connor takes the place of Carson Kvapil, who finished 27th in Talladega after crash damage.
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing
Alex Labbe has yet to finish worse than 15th in all six of his prior XFINITY Series starts on the “Roval,” including a track-best 4th in the rain-soaked 2020 running. This year, he takes the wheel of the #91 in place of 31st-place Talladega finisher Kyle Weatherman, who’s not entered. Unlike in previous races where Weatherman has been swapped out, the DGM team has not fielded their part-time #36 Chevrolet.
DRIVER CHANGE: #92-DGM Racing
Dawson Cram’s second start for Mario Gosselin – his first since his most recent 35th-place run in Kansas – sees him again sponsored by Trade With The Pros. This will be Cram’s first-ever start on the “Roval” as he takes the place of 37th-place Talladega finisher Nick Leitz, who averted his first last-place finish after Sam Mayer’s disqualification (which has since been upheld by NASCAR).
DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing
Sage Karam will also compete on Saturday, his first XFINITY start since his 33rd-place run on the Chicago Street Course for Sam Hunt Racing. This time, he drives for Bobby Dotter in place of C.J. McLaughlin, who finished 17th in Talladega. The North Carolina personal injury attorneys of the Kellum Law Firm sponsor Karam this week.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, October 13, 2024 (2:00 P.M. ET, NBC)
CUP Race 32 of 36
Round of 12: Race 3 of 3
Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte “Roval”
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Denny Hamlin
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 27th short field in 32 races in 2024.
DRIVER SWAP: #13-Kaulig Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #16-Kaulig Racing
Two of the heavy favorites for both races this weekend swap rides on the Cup side with Shane van Gisbergen in the #13 with WeatherTech as sponsor, and A.J. Allmendinger in the #16 with Celsius branding. Van Gisbergen took home a 15th-place finish in last Sunday’s Talladega race while Allmendinger finished 28th, both leading nine laps apiece.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing
Kaz Grala returns for his first Cup start since a 31st-plce showing in Kansas. Grala has four XFINITY starts on the “Roval,” including a track-best 5th in last year’s Saturday race, when he drove for Sam Hunt Racing. This will be his first attempt at tackling the track in a Cup car. He takes the place of Cody Ware, who finished 12th in Talladega.
MISSING: #44-NY Racing Team
MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports
MISSING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
Three of the four “open” teams from Talladega – with the exception of Kaulig Racing’s #13 entry – will not compete this weekend. This includes the NY Racing Team with which J.J. Yeley took home 27th last Sunday, the Beard Motorsports car that Anthony Alfredo brought to 24th, and B.J. McLeod’s Live Fast car, which yielded the best run of the group in 22nd.
RETURNING: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Completing his full weekend on the “Roval,” Josh Bilicki returns to the Cup garage for the first time since Bristol, where he struggled nearly the entire race with power steering issues and managed to come home 34th. This time, he makes his 100th Cup Series start in a race he’s run four times before with a best of 28th in 2021. This will be the first time he runs the track with Carl Long’s MBM team, which carries logos for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol as part of a donation effort for victims of Hurricane Helene.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
TRUCKS Race 21 of 23
Round of 8: Race 2 of 3
Truck Series 200 at Homestead
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Zane Smith
The Truck Series returns in two weeks to kick off the action in Homestead.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 11, 1981): Harry Gant picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the National 500 at Charlotte when his #33 Skoal Bandit Pontiac started outside-pole, took the lead from Cale Yarborough on Lap 3, then broke the crank, ending his day after 4 laps.
