Charlotte Motor Speedway Officially Moves On From ROVAL Layout in 2026

The Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL is officially gone, as Speedway Motorsports announced on Tuesday afternoon that the October NASCAR race weekend, featuring the NASCAR Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck Series will return to the traditional 1.5-mile oval track layout.

The announcement confirmed a prior report from The Athletic, which revealed the Charlotte ROVAL would be axed last month.

While the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL will be remembered most for being a layout that many within the NASCAR fanbase loathed, for the first few seasons after it was added to the NASCAR schedule in 2018, the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL produced some chaotic moments on the track, which is something NASCAR desperately needed as on-track action at 1.5-mile speedways had waned in the gen 6 race car.

With the Next Gen car producing some of its best racing on 1.5-mile facilities, Speedway Motorsports felt the time to shelve the ROVAL was right in 2026.

“Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been about innovations and opportunity,” said Marcus Smith, president of 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.”

With the removal of the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL from the schedule, there will be no road course events within the NASCAR Cup Series’ 10-race chase for a championship during the 2026 season.

Bank of America, which has been partnered with Charlotte Motor Speedway for more than two decades as the title sponsor of the Fall NASCAR Cup Series event, will continue its relationship with the Bank of America 400 on Sunday, October 11. That race will go green at 3 PM ET and can be seen on USA Network.

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase race at Charlotte will be the Blue Cross NC 250 on Saturday, October 10. That race will go live at 4 PM ET, and can be viewed on TV on The CW. And the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will kick off the race weekend at the 1.5-mile speedway on Friday, October 9, with the EcoSave 250. That race will be televised on FOX beginning at 5 PM ET.

While the Charlotte ROVAL had some competitors, like Shane van Gisbergen, and fans who liked the layout, this will be a welcome change for a large portion of the industry.