By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com

CONCORD, N.C. – NASCAR is reviewing data, video, and radio transmissions from the No. 41 car due to an incident that occurred on the backstretch during the final lap of Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The incident occurred as Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Erik Jones streaked toward the backstretch chicane. Briscoe needed to gain positions so he could advance in the playoffs. 

The three were side-by-side as they exited the road course onto the oval. Dillon was on the inside, Briscoe in the middle and Jones on the outside. Dillon surged ahead, but then Briscoe dove low, leaving Dillon leading Jones in the outside lane. Suddenly, Dillon and Jones had to back off when they came upon Briscoe’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Cole Custer who appeared to slow and block Dillon and Jones. That gave Briscoe the points he needed to make the Round of 8. Briscoe finished ninth, Dillon 10th, Jones 11th and Custer 24th, all on the lead lap in the overtime race.

NASCAR said it would announce the results of the review early this week, but any potential penalties wouldn’t affect the Round of 8 field. 

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Kyle Larson’s name is being floated as one driver who might do the double next year – competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. 

Larson said Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway that he would “love to do it”, that it was “just timing.”

“I want to be in the best equipment possible with the best crew,” Larson said. “I’ve mentioned to Jeff (Andrews, Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager) and Rick (Hendrick, team owner) that I would like to do it, but I also did a year ago, too. It’s kind of up to them to find something.”

Larson said Hendrick didn’t want him doing the double this year but told him he could in the future. 

Marco Andretti, who made his NASCAR debut in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Charlotte believes Larson wouldn’t have any problem adapting to an Indy Car. 

“He’s a shoe. He’ll pick it up nicely,” Andretti said. “We’ve seen a lot of success from NASCAR drivers going over there. Kurt Busch being one of those. I think he would pick it up good. It’s all about the right place at the right time with the right team and the right people behind you.”

Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson became the oldest driver to earn Indianapolis 500 rookie honors this year. Donnie Allison was the top rookie in the race’s 1970 edition and Busch in 2014. Tony Stewart won rookie honors in 1996 before transitioning his career to NASCAR as did Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000 and Danica Patrick in 2005.

Stewart remains the only driver to do the double and complete the entire 1,100 miles. On May 27, 2001, he finished sixth in the Indianapolis 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600. 

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Despite a steep learning curve, Marco Andretti said he would like to return to NASCAR. The third-generation driver made his NASCAR debut Saturday in the Driver for the Cure 250 Xfinity race with a 36th-place finish. He occasionally ran in the top 20 before being caught-up in a crash with 27 laps remaining in the double-overtime event. 

Andretti said he would like to tackle a short-track race in NASCAR and would be interested in Cup or Xfinity, whichever series provided the best opportunity.

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Daniel Hemric announced Sunday he will compete in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series fulltime with Kaulig Racing in 2023. The defending series champion joined Kaulig this year and in 29 races has earned one pole, two top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. 

Prior to Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, Hemric also announced that Kaulig Giving was joining him in supporting Rowan-Cabarrus Community College students by contributing to Hemric’s Be The Change Scholarship endowment. This allows the scholarship, begun in 2019 by the Kannapolis, N.C., native, to be awarded to two students in 2022 instead of just one. 

Through the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Foundation, the scholarship is available to a student from Cabarrus or Rowan County that qualifies for financial aid and has chosen a field of study in motorsports, welding, or mechanical engineering. 

Charlotte Motor Speedway is located in Cabarrus County.

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A.J. Allmendinger is driving fulltime in the NASCAR Cup Series next year for Kaulig Racing, but before making the move he left his mark on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL. 

In Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250, Allmendinger won his fourth straight Xfinity race on the 2.280-mile road course. The accomplishment means Chase Briscoe is the only other Xfinity winner at Charlotte since the ROVAL opened in 2018.

Allmendinger’s second straight victory and fifth this season allowed him to easily advance into the Round of 8. Others advancing in the playoffs, which open the next round Saturday at Las Vegas, are Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill and Brandon Jones. Those who were eliminated from the playoffs in Saturday’s race were Ryan Sieg, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst and Jeremy Clements. 

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Richard Childress Racing Vice President of Competition Andy Petree is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Smokey Yunick Award. Speedway Motorsports Inc. President and CEO Marcus Smith presented Petree the award Sunday before the Bank of America ROVAL 400. 

Petree’s more than 40-year career journey has taken him from a weekly short-track racer to a NASCAR championship crew chief to a NASCAR Cup winning team owner. Born in Newton, N.C., Petree joins a lengthy list of NASCAR greats who have received the honor, including Cotton Owens, Banjo Mathews, Ralph Moody, Ray Evernham, Dale Inman, Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Waddell Wilson, Larry McReynolds and Gary Nelson.

Legendary car owner and mechanic Henry “Smokey” Yunick instituted the award in 1997 to annually recognize an individual who rose from humble beginnings to make a major impact on the motorsports industry. Yunick passed away on May 9, 2001, and Charlotte Motor Speedway has continued the award in his memory.   

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