NASCAR Bank Of America Roval 400: Schedule, How To Watch

CHARLOTTE, NC — This weekend will be one for the NASCAR history books and promises to be memorable, starting with what will likely be a flurry of cautions, as the Charlotte Motor Speedway unveils its brand new road course in the Bank of America Roval 400 Sunday.

The Roval road course will feature 13 turns spread out over 2.4 miles, and NASCAR officials expect fans will be thrilled by the physical and mental challenges it will create for drivers.

If the twists and turns aren’t dramatic enough, the race is the first road course in the 2018 NASCAR playoffs and is the cutoff race for Round 1.

SEE ALSO: NASCAR: 6 Things To Look For In 2018 Season

“Like NASCAR’s first 600-mile race and the first superspeedway race at night, the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400 is going to be a can’t-miss event that fans will remember forever,” said Marcus Smith, the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

While it’s a given that fans will love the new format, what do the drivers think about it?

“There's a lot of opportunities for guys to make mistakes,” said Kyle Busch, who drives the No. 18 Toyota. “Crashes will happen, but you want to do what you can to not be one of those guys who gets caught up in the mess.”

Says Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet, says, “The mentality going into it is going to be tough to decide, if you're going to be aggressive or just try to finish.”

But perhaps it was Chase Elliott of the No. 9 Chevrolet who summed it up best: “There's going to be a lot of hurt feelings at the end of the day."

Read more about what drivers think about the Roval here.

Race day at Charlotte Motor Speedway promises a list of attractions off the track, as well, from a performance by Sammy Hagar and the Circle, a giant ferris wheel and bullfighting. Also on site will be new menu items, such as Rocky Roval ice cream that has bits of candied bacon mixed alongside marshmallow in salted caramel ice cream, and a Redneck Roval burger that is a thick-cut bologna topped cheeseburger.

If you don't have a ticket to the big race on Sunday, it will be broadcast at 2 p.m. on NBC.

Here's this weekend's schedule of events and programming leading up to the Bank of America 400 on Sunday, Sept. 30 and how to watch it on NBC.

Friday, Sept. 28

• 12:05-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN
• 1:05-1:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN
• 3:00-3:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN
• 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
• 6 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying

Saturday, Sept. 29

• 11:00-11:50 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, NBC Sports App
• 12:10 p.m.:Xfinity Series Pole Qualifying, CNBC/NBC Sports App
• 1:30-2:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App
• 3 p.m.: Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (55 laps, 125.4 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
• 5:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Sunday, Sept. 30

• 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America Roval 400 (109 laps, 248.52 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Watch live)

Going to the race? Charlotte Motor Speedway has an app that provides race day information. You can find more information here.

Here are the current top 10 drivers on the NASCAR Playoffs Leaderboard:

1. Kyle Busch — Toyota
2. Brad Keselowski — Ford
3. Martin Truex — Toyota
4. Kevin Harvick — Ford
5. Joey Logano — Ford
6. Aric Almirola — Ford
7. Kyle Larson — Chevrolet
8. Kurt Busch — Ford
9. Chase Elliott — Chevrolet
10. Austin Dillon — Chevrolet

Photo: Chase Elliott leads Kasey Kahne through the backstretch during testing on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway on July 10, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Bob Leverone/Getty Images)