The Charlotte Roval has undergone some significant changes this season and will offer new challenges to drivers. First off, there will be a longer straightaway between Turns 5 and 6. The tail of this stretch will convert an extremely right-handed Turn 6 into a sweeping left-handed hairpin at Turn 7. The hairpin will then lead back to the banked turns of the track.
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Cup Series star Austin Cindric spoke about this reconfiguration in a recent media interaction. He expects the changes to make the upcoming race more dynamic. The hairpin will be particularly difficult to navigate owing to its narrowness. The steep climb that will follow to lead back to the oval will be another challenge.
Fans can most certainly expect chaos to unfold in this region. Cindric said, “I think anytime you have a bit of an unknown there are different things you might need in your car that you don’t know of. Or a different way that the race is gonna be more challenging. I think the hairpin there could make the restarts and the racing may be a bit more dynamic.”
The No. 2 Team Penske driver is 29 points behind the Round of 8 elimination line and needs a win to make it through to the next round. However, with so many road course specialists running on Sunday, it’s not going to be an easy task.
Where is the steep downhill section of the Roval track?
Going onto the oval from Turn 7 won’t be the only elevation change on the track. The straightaway that runs between Turns 5 and 6 is a quite steep decline. This poses some complexities. Cars going downhill naturally carry more speed and are more prone to accidents. Should a car carry enough speed through Turn 6, it could get airborne and offset its balance.
Cindric explained this, “I got to do a couple of laps in the sim once we got the updates this week, just to kind of see what it was like, and it will be interesting to see if we keep all four on the ground going over that hill.” The 26-year-old’s words do add a lot more hype to the upcoming race.
Now, he does not have the best record on road courses. And after narrowly missing out on victory lane in Talladega, his confidence level must not be skyrocketing either. However, the Charlotte Roval has produced surprise winners in the past and Cindric will hope that the ball of luck lands on his lap this time.
