To secure a top-8 spot in the NASCAR Cup Series, drivers will have to survive the unpredictable Charlotte ROVAL. Last year’s race showed just how chaotic it can get, with A.J. Allmendinger playing spoiler amidst crashes and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s car literally catching fire—it was pure chaos! The ROVAL has never been your typical road course, and the recent reconfigurations make it even more intense.

To up the drama, NASCAR extended the straight after Turn 5 and created a sharper Turn 6, leading into a treacherous hairpin at Turn 7. While that hairpin is nerve-wracking, the changes to the final chicane are really stirring things up. After practice and qualifying, even Kyle Busch is sounding the alarm.

Kyle Busch is not impressed with the reconfiguration

ROVAL was the reason why Kyle Busch’s playoff journey was cut short last season, as he finished 3rd in a must-win race. However, this time the two-time Cup Series champion is not part of the playoffs but is still hoping to continue his 20-year win streak. And the Charlotte track provides a great opportunity, as the track has been kind to him in the past. All of his last three races have been top-5 finishes. But this time it’s a changed track, and Busch did not like what NASCAR has done to it.

Post qualifying for the Roval race in the 11th position, the Richard Childress driver was seen to be critical of the final Chicane. The turn 16 has now been made tighter than before, probably a move by NASCAR to cause drama, something that Busch felt was unnecessary. In a post-qualification media interaction, he said, “I don’t understand the reasoning behind making it tighter; just to make us slower through there so we don’t get into Turn 1 as fast? I don’t really know. But the turtles over there, the sharper corner, if you don’t ramp them, you miss the exit, you miss the second set of them. You have to ramp them to give yourself a shot to be able to miss the exit ones.”

What Busch is trying to say is that the turtles at the Chicane led to cars launching off during the practice and qualifying sessions. Turtles are six-inch-high steel rumble strips that act as speed bumps to slow the cars down. They are the plastic elevated curbing that we see at the chicanes. The possible reason for making the turn sharper is to increase braking and make it a passing zone. The goal of NASCAR and the track authorities with the reconfiguration has been to enable more passing. However, it can just as easily become a crashing zone, a concern raised by FOX Sports Bob Pockrass in the media interaction. To this Kyle Busch answered, “I thought we already had calamity the first year Bob, didn’t we? I mean, it doesn’t happen every time, but it has happened.”

Not just a crash zone, but the chicane also proved to be causing headaches. Busch on the problem said, “It’s not overblowing it. It’s 1000% correct. I don’t know when I’ll see the data, probably not until Monday but it (expletive)… my head hurts.” This comes as he agrees with Martin Truex Jr., who complained of having concussions going through the chicane. Truex Jr, qualified 30th, his worst ever on the track. Post the session, he said, “It feels like you get a concussion every lap, basically, if you hit them. It’s not much fun.”

Similar problems were faced by drivers at Watkins Glen, but NASCAR, ahead of this year’s race, fixed them. Would the same happen with the ROVAL? As the #8 has called the Charlotte track chicane to be even more violent.

Kyle Busch draws a comparison with ‘The Glen’

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The Bus stop corner at the Watkins Glen track has the same elevated rumble strips. The data from the NASCAR driver’s mouthpieces showed drivers feeling discomfort and headaches while passing them. However, ahead of this year’s race, a smoother curb transition was put over the elevated curbing, this seemed to have solved the issue.

NASCAR needs to act fast with making the changes at the ROVAL since, according to Busch, the problem is much bigger here. Further, in the media interaction, he said, “I actually here I think it’s a sharper faster hit um but it’s one versus the bus stop the old bus stop at Watkins Glenn it would be three of them going through there you know what I mean yes it’s more violent here.”

Even 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski echoed the same emotions after the qualification. He said, “The front stretch chicane reminds me of Watkins Glen before they redid it. You just really crush the curb but that’s where the speed is at, so you kind of have to. It doesn’t feel good, no. But I don’t know if it’s supposed to.” 

Since so many veterans have raised the same concern it is evident the problem exists. However, it is unlikely a solution would be implemented ahead of the race. Hopefully, some changes can be brought in next year.

Do you think NASCAR would make some changes to the chicane?