NASCAR Preview: Charlotte 400
With half of the Chase in the rearview mirror, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Charlotte oval for 400 miles of racing.
Track Preview
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile quad-oval located in Concord, North Carolina. The track features 24 degrees of banking in the corners and 5 degrees on the straightaways. The upcoming event will mark the third consecutive Cup race on an intermediate oval, following Kansas and Las Vegas. This comes after nine years in which the fall race was held on the Roval configuration.
Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted NASCAR events since 1960 and is known for the World 600 (currently Coca-Cola 600 for sponsorship reasons) each May. The venue is considered a home track for the sport, as most NASCAR teams and some sanctioning body headquarters are located nearby. Jimmie Johnson holds the track record for most wins, with eight.
Weather Forecast
The weather report indicates a chance of showers throughout the day, although the biggest threats are predicted for the morning. Temperatures are expected to hover around 21 degrees Celsius.
The race is set to include 267 laps. Stage 1 will be 80 laps, Stage 2 will be 85 laps and Stage 3 will be 102 laps.
The race is scheduled to begin on October 11 at 15:00 EST (12:00 PT, 20:00 BST).
The Storylines
Kyle Larson is looking dangerous. Since coming into the 2026 Chase winless, he has finished no worse than fifth and added two victories to his name. In Las Vegas last weekend, Larson’s team bounced back from a lacklustre first two stages to challenge Chase Briscoe for the lead, ultimately finishing second. The performance showed he cannot be counted out. Larson won at Charlotte in 2021 and was fifth in the spring race this year.
If anyone can take the fight to Larson this weekend, it is Denny Hamlin - and it is a fight he must win if he wants to stay within reach of the Cup title. Hamlin won the 2022 race and was third this spring. He has accumulated 22 top-10 results at Charlotte throughout his Cup career. This has been one of Hamlin’s best seasons, but Larson’s points lead has grown substantially in just two weeks. To capture his elusive first championship, Hamlin cannot let off the throttle now.
Tyler Reddick finished third last weekend. Could it signal a return to his early-season form? After winning five of the first nine races, Reddick struggled throughout the summer, but he has historically performed well at Charlotte. He has scored five top-10 finishes in the last six races on the oval, including a fourth back in May, a race in which he led 119 laps. He may find his way to the front again this weekend.
William Byron has been one of the most consistent drivers at Charlotte in recent years, with four top-10 finishes, two of which were runner-up results. In 2026, a ninth-place finish at Bristol was his worst result of the last four events. While he has not led any laps since the Chase began, his solid performances may be building towards a trip to victory lane.
Christopher Bell won at Charlotte in 2024, finished eighth in 2025 and was runner-up this spring. His results have been up-and-down since the Chase began, but he is strong on intermediate ovals and is likely to be among the frontrunners this weekend.
Dark Horse: Brad Keselowski
Keselowski has won twice at Charlotte, most recently in 2020. He finished fifteenth at this track in May, but notched back-to-back top fives before that. While results have been mixed in 2026, Keselowski has demonstrated he can still have solid performances, with two top fives and over 200 laps led throughout the year. After announcing last week that he would not be returning to RFK Racing in 2027, this will be one of Keselowski’s final opportunities to score a win before his departure.
A Look at The Chase
Kyle Larson’s second-place finish in Las Vegas extended his points lead over Denny Hamlin, and he now holds a 40-point advantage. Christopher Bell is third, 55 points behind Larson. Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are fourth and fifth, respectively, with Blaney only four points ahead of last week’s winner Chase Briscoe.
Weekend Snapshot
The Craftsman Truck Series is set to compete on Friday at Charlotte with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series to follow on Saturday. Five races remain in the season for both series.
In the Craftsman Truck Series, Kaden Honeycutt leads the standings by 37 points over Layne Riggs. Chandler Smith is currently third. Riggs won the Charlotte race back in May.
In the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Sheldon Creed enters the weekend first in the standings. Carson Kvapil trails him by 19 points. Jesse Love is third. Back in May, Ross Chastain won the O’Reilly race at Charlotte, but Jesse Love was the highest finisher of the series regulars.
Schedule
Friday
Craftsman Truck Series Practice - 13:00 EST (10:00 PT, 17:00 BST)
Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying - 14:05 EST (11:05 PT, 18:05 BST)
Craftsman Truck Series Race - 17:00 EST (14:00 EST, 21:00 BST)
Saturday
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice - 10:30 EST (7:30 PT, 15:00 BST)
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying - 11:35 EST (8:35 PT, 16:35 BST)
Cup Series Practice - 13:00 EST (10:00 PT, 18:00 BST)
Cup Series Qualifying - 14:05 EST (11:05 PT, 19:05 BST)
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race - 16:00 EST (13:00 PT, 21:00 BST)
Sunday
Cup Series Race - 15:00 EST (12:00 PT, 20:00 BST)
Edited by Tarun Suresh
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