Addition made to Charlotte for 2018 road course race

On Thursday, the speedway offered a preview of what will be the first road course ever in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs. Prior to Charlotte’s Roval debut next season, the speedway revealed the addition of synthetic turn created by Sports Fields Inc. within the new front stretch chicane beyond the Turn 4 exit.

Track officials are hoping the combination of the road course along with the turf creates new opportunities pass in the grass for years to come. 

“This is the first time ever for artificial turf in North America,” said Marcus Smith president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports. “It’s been done in Formula 1 before in limited application but this will be the biggest application for synthetic turf in motorsports and we’re thrilled that it’s happening here in Charlotte.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr., was out here the other night for a charity event giving rides to fans that had supported his charity. He came over and said, ‘Well, I’ll guess we’ll be able to do a pass in the grass with this now. That’s one of the great things about it, it’s got the right density. It’s hard enough for the cars to go over it. It’s very low to ground or the pavement. It’s at the same grade level, even with the cars with the splitters on the ground, they’re able to run over this at 200 miles per hour and make a competitive pass.”

The turf, which will actually slow the cars down on entry as opposed to accelerating the skid, stretches over 42,000 square feet — longer than half the length of a football field. The project incorporated 300,000 pounds of sand, 1,100-gallons of glue and more than 900 hours to plan  and bring to fruition. 

Smith says the first application of the turf will give the speedway an idea whether to use it throughout the entire front stretch and potentially other tracks. 

While he’s been on board with the Roval from the get go, Smith was hesitant regarding an additional chicane on the front stretch.

“The opportunity for a last-lap pass in true road racing fashion is what put me over the top with the chicane,’ Smith said. “I resisted it at first. I thought we didn’t need it. But we had great discussion with NASCAR and other manufacturers, drivers and designers that thought it would provide a signature opportunity for great passing and great racing and great competition.”

After dwindling attendance in recent years for the Charlotte playoff race, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell says the 2018 fall event will be “a huge marque event for the entire industry.”

“It’s an iconic track,” O’Donnell said. “We talked to Marcus about how do we reinvigorate the weekend. We race here twice, so I think it’s just differentiating both of those races. It’s a great place that drivers want to win at. I think you’ll have fans turn out to see this and also support the race in May as well.” 

O’Donnell said there are no plans to use road courses at any of the current oval tracks at this time. He cautioned against the sport getting ahead of itself.

“I don’t want to compare ourselves to other sports, but the Winter Classic was special. Now there’s a number of those,” O’Donnell added. “Very similar to racing on dirt with the trucks, if we were to explore that, kind of keep it small. We’ll see how it plays out.” 

After O’Donnell experienced the Roval firsthand, he said what surprised him the most was the elevation changes of the circuit. Goodyear has a two-day tire test planned for later this month and O’Donnell said officials will try different configurations with the bus stop through Turns 6 to 8. O’Donnell added that Goodyear will also have the same rain tire used at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen available for the Roval.

Fans will be able to attend the tire test on Oct. 18 and get a glimpse of what to expect next fall.

Here is some video describing the new course at Charlotte: