NASCAR Cup Series returns to Charlotte oval for Bank of America 400
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 8, 2026
Charlotte oval returns
NASCAR’s Cup Series is back on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, and the move changes the feel of the fall race at one of the schedule’s most familiar tracks. Charlotte is hosting its first fall Cup race on the oval since 2017 after using the Roval, the infield road course, from 2018 through 2025. Now the series goes back to the traditional layout for the Bank of America 400, with the oval once again setting the tone for the race. The race is No. 32 of 36, so every stage point and finish carries weight this deep into the season. With only a handful of races left, Charlotte returns to a format that has still kept the results moving in different directions.
Bank of America 400
The Bank of America 400 is scheduled for Sunday at 3:19 p.m. EST and will go 267 laps at Charlotte. USA will televise the race. The entry list has 39 cars, and weather wiped out qualifying, which put Tyler Reddick on the pole. That gives Reddick the first starting spot before the green flag. BJ McLeod is entered in the No. 44 for NY Racing, Gray Gaulding is in the No. 66 for Garage 66 and Corey Heim is in the No. 67 for 23XI Racing. The combination of qualifying canceled because of weather, a pole awarded through circumstance and a large field gives the race a different setup before the green flag even drops.
Larson leads standings
Kyle Larson enters Charlotte with the points lead after finishing second at Kansas. He is 40 points ahead of Denny Hamlin. Christopher Bell sits third, 55 points behind Larson, and Joey Logano is fourth, 71 back. Larson also carries a strong playoff trend into the weekend. His 2.2 average finish through the first five playoff races is the best since NASCAR introduced the postseason format in 2004. That kind of consistency has kept him in control of the standings while the field moves toward the final stretch of the season. Charlotte adds another layer of context because Daniel Suarez is the most recent winner on the oval after taking the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 earlier in the year. The track also has a long record of competitive finishes. No driver in Sunday’s field has more than one Charlotte oval win. Charlotte has produced 10 different winners in the last 10 Cup races there, and five of the past 12 were decided by a pass in the final six laps. Those numbers point to a race that has stayed open to more than one contender, even with the championship fight tightening around Larson and the top of the standings.
