Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval 2025 NASCAR Track Profile

[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

The Roval is a 2.28-mile road course that runs on both the Charlotte Motor Speedway racing surface and throughout its infield. Dale Earnhardt Jr. referred to it as a “Frankenstein’s monster” of a racetrack, combining the twists and turns of road course racing with the high banks of an intermediate oval.

The Roval serves as the Round of 12 cutoff race, so drama is high as drivers battle for the win and every point before the playoff field shrinks to eight participants.

Though this course has produced some exciting finishes, that wasn’t the case in 2024, when Kyle Larson led 62 of 109 laps en route to the win. His Hendrick Motorsports team has been the organization to beat at the Roval, having notched four of the seven wins. Larson and Chase Elliott have each won twice on the roadie.

Larson has also led the most laps (122), with Elliott close behind (109). Elliott has the highest-average finish in Roval history at 7.7, a tick ahead of Tyler Reddick (7.8).

In the three Next Gen races held at the Roval, 2023 winner AJ Allmendinger has a 3.7-place average finish, the best in the series. The ’Dinger has led the most laps in that span with 84 and has a top 10 in each event. With Allmendinger returning to full-time Cup competition with Kaulig Racing, he’ll be an even bigger threat.

Shane van Gisbergen is also expected to be a major player here, as he moves from a part-time Kaulig Cup driver to a full-time pilot at Trackhouse Racing. SVG won the pole and led 21 laps in his Roval debut in 2024. With an upgrade in equipment and more experience, he is certainly a driver to watch.

Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval) track info

Site: Concord, North Carolina

Laps: 2.28-mile road course

Banking/Turns: 17 degrees; 17 turns with a 35-degree elevation change throughout the course

2025 Date: Oct. 5 (Oval race on May 25)

Distance: 109 laps; 252.88 miles

2024 winner

Kyle Larson

Scouting report

The Next Gen car finally gave the Cup Series a product that matched the prestige of Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 last year. It’s no secret that the previous-generation car made for spread-out racing around the 1.5-mile track in NASCAR’s backyard. However, this car excels on intermediates, keeping drivers close while requiring enough talent from the wheelmen to race side-by-side.

The surface is old enough to force drivers into mistakes, but still fresh enough for close finishes. Drivers have also found it to be a technically-challenging track, finally rewarding fans for their patience the past four years.