NASCAR drivers are about to be thrown out of the loop again, as the circuit rolls into Charlotte Motor Speedway's ROVAL course.
This weekend, the playoff field will be trimmed from 12 to eight, and one of the drivers on the elimination bubble has dominated this track of late.
We're here to help you steer your NASCAR betting with Covers Experts' Auto Racing Advisor preview and picks for the 2021 Bank of America Roval 400, which gets underway at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 10.
Bank of America ROVAL 400 favorites
Kyle Larson (+450)
Definitely the favorite. He won in Sonoma and Watkins Glen, should have won in COTA but finished second with the rain ending the race early, should have had a Top 3 in Road America, and was third in Indy in what should have been a win with the fastest car.
Chase Elliott (+220)
He’s won the last two ROVAL races, was sixth in the prior one and has four Top-2 finishes in his last five road course starts on the season.
Martin Truex Jr. (+700)
He should have won the inaugural race and was seventh in the two races since. This season, he has three Top 10s in his last four road course starts.
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Bank of America ROVAL 400 long-shot picks
Joey Logano (+2,000)
He’s had a Top 10 in all three ROVAL starts, including a runner-up last year. Logano also has three Top-4 finishes in six road course starts this season.
William Byron (+1,300)
He was sixth in his last two ROVAL starts, sixth in Watkins Glen and had a Top-6-or-7 car at Indy before that fluke crash at the end.
Bank of America ROVAL 400 matchup pick
Chase Elliott (-150) vs Kyle Larson (+120)
Elliott may have won the last two races here, but you’re getting plus-money on the best driver with the fastest car this season. Larson beat Elliott in Sonoma and Watkins Glen as well as being ahead of him for most of the day on the Indy road course.
PREDICTION: Larson (+120)
Bank of America ROVAL 400 fades
Brad Keselowski (+4,000)
He’s not been his best on road courses including the ROVAL. He was fifth in 2019 but his other two results are 31st and 18th, respectively. On the season, Keselowski was fifth on the Daytona ROVAL but 19th, 15th, 13th, 35 and 24th everywhere else.
Kevin Harvick (+2,500)
While he was ninth in 2018 and third in 2019, Harvick has no Top-5 finishes in six road course appearances in 2021, including three of his last five results being 22nd or worse.
Bank of America ROVAL 400 preview
The final race of the Round of 12 is here. 1 driver (Denny Hamlin) already knows that he’ll be in the third round of the Cup Series playoffs via his win two weeks ago at Las Vegas. 11 more drivers will fight for six spots. Four go home, with three likely facing must-wins.
Five of the last seven years have seen someone new bump their way back in on the final race of the second round. Despite that, the largest margin someone made up without winning was 19 points. So, for someone new to make it back in, it would have to be historic. Kevin Harvick is the only one that can via those trends, as he’s -9. Christopher Bell (-28), William Byron (-44) and Alex Bowman (-52) are also on the outside looking in.
If they bump their ways back in, they’ll have to get by the past two series champions, who each hold the final two spots to the Round of 8. Plus, the two drivers to have won the three ROVAL races take up two of the final three spots to the Round of 8 at the moment.
But, it can be done. With this being a wildcard event, does that open up a chance for another surprise winner?
Trends say no. Chase Elliott has won the last two years here and has to enter as the one to beat because of that.
Bank of America ROVAL 400 key stat
In the three years this race has occurred, the winner finished in the Top 2 in all three second stages. Ryan Blaney won the second stage in 2018, Elliott won it in 2019, and he was second in 2020.
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