For the first time since 2017, NASCAR‘s fall weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway will return to the oval in 2026.
Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith confirmed Tuesday on the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast that the classic 1.5-mile oval will host the NASCAR Cup Series, O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series Oct. 9-11, shifting away from the Charlotte Roval after eight seasons on the road course-oval combination. The news was first reported by The Athletic.
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Charlotte has hosted NASCAR at least twice annually since the facility opened in 1960, featuring the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend in May in addition to a fall weekend in October. For 57 years, all of those events were held on the 1.5-mile oval until the Roval debuted on the sport‘s calendar in 2018.
In a year earmarked for a return toward NASCAR‘s roots as the sport returns to The Chase, Smith and his team determined the time was right to retire the Roval and return to the oval.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been about innovations and opportunity,” Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, said in a release. “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.”
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The Bank of America 400 on Sunday, Oct. 11 will be the site of the Cup Series‘ sixth race in The Chase, a return to the championship format that will determine the series‘ title winner by points accumulated over the final 10 races of the season. The O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series‘ Blue Cross NC 250 on Oct. 10 and the Truck Series‘ EcoSave 250 on Oct. 9 will also serve as events in the respective series‘ championship Chase.
The Roval event debuted in 2018, using most of the oval-track configuration with portions of the infield road-course layout that had been used in sports-car competition. The 2.32-mile circuit arrived during a road-racing boom for NASCAR’s top series, and the Roval became a fixture as an elimination race each year under the previous postseason format.
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A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 5, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina.
The 2022 debut of the Next Gen car that’s currently used in the Cup Series, however, brought newfound vibrance to the racing on intermediate-sized ovals such as Charlotte. That sentiment led to NASCAR competition officials working with Speedway Motorsports to adjust the 2026 schedule.
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“The voice of the passionate NASCAR fan is the starting point of every decision we make, and Marcus, Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR heard them loud and clear — with the return of The Chase, let‘s return to the oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Steve O‘Donnell, NASCAR president, said in a release. “As The Chase returns, we are putting a spotlight on performance while honoring the tracks and traditions that have defined championship moments. Charlotte Motor Speedway‘s historic oval has played a central role in some of the sport‘s most memorable races, so bringing The Chase back to the 1.5-mile configuration for our fans simply felt right.”
Those feelings are reciprocated by the competitors themselves. Brad Keselowski (2013) and Joey Logano (2015) are the only two active drivers who have won a fall race on the Charlotte oval. Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series title winner, championed the move back to the 1.5-mile oval.
“Moving the fall Charlotte race back to the oval really brings the sport back to its roots,” said Keselowski, the 2020 Coca-Cola 600 winner. “That race has so much history, and winning there is a big deal that I‘ve been fortunate to do. The racing with the Next Gen car at Charlotte has been some of the best we‘ve seen anywhere, and I think putting it back on the oval is going to create an incredible show. It‘s the kind of race our fans expect and deserve.”
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson each won two Cup Series races during the eight-year run for the Roval layout. Shane van Gisbergen was the most recent Cup winner, where he roared to victory by a whopping 15.160 seconds over Larson.
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AJ Allmendinger savored the most national-series success during the Roval era, winning four times in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and notching the most recent of his three Cup Series wins in 2023.
Tickets for the fall NASCAR weekend are available now. According to a track press release, fans looking for the best value can purchase NASCAR season ticket packages which include both the Coca-Cola 600 and Bank of America 400 tripleheader race weekends with discounted tickets, free preferred parking, gift shop discounts and free O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series tickets to the Blue Cross NC 250.
Fans who have already purchased fall race weekend tickets and have further questions should contact the ticket office by calling 800-455-FANS (3267). For ticket information, schedule updates and more, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
Contributing: Staff reports
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