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It's no exaggeration to say that the last round of the World Cup Cup qualifying round last year at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval could be one of the most exciting rounds of the history of NASCAR.
Leaders crushing within sight of the finish line. The car that runs third wins suddenly. A mutilated car bouncing off the wall and heading for the checkered flag, passing a broken down car within 100 meters of the finish line, took 25th place to qualify for the playoffs. And a tie to three for the last two places to pass to the next round.
The Roval was great for the fans and stressful for the competitors.
A year ago, Aric Almirola came sixth in Roval. He was 23 points ahead of the first driver outside a transfer point and six drivers between them. Although not sure, it was not a terrible place.
And even …
"Entering the Roval last year was very trying for me," said Almirola. "It's difficult because you're in that position and you want to go to the next round so much and you feel like you're holding on. You are almost competing with not losing (mindset) that with this mindset to go looking for it, and that is a difficult way to run. I do not like running this way. I like to run in attack, but I also do not want to be on the other side of the limit.
"I think I learned a lot last year. I had never really experienced this experience before, during the last playoff race (one round) of the playoffs. In 2014, when I was with Pettys, we jumped into the very first race and we never really participated in it. So (in) this year, I gained a lot of valuable experience from being in this position. I will feel better this year and find out more, be more relaxed and better understand what to expect. "
Expect chaos.
Almirola survived a day last year in which he was involved in three incidents before finishing 19th, connecting Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson for the last two playoff spots. Almirola and Larson both advanced on the tiebreaker of the best finishes of the first round.
Almirola enters the elimination race on Sunday (14:30 ET on NBC) in a worse position than last year. He is 11th in the standings, three points ahead of Alex Bowman, the first driver outside of a transfer spot in 13th place.
Bowman understands the pressure after experiencing it last year. He was 11th in the Roval standings a year ago, with five points ahead of the first driver after a playoff spot.
"It was a very stressful situation, a lot of anxiety and nervousness," said Bowman, who qualified for the second round last year. "In entering this race, I did not think it would be a good day for us because I was not very confident in my road racing skills. The day went well for us and it worked. Just stressful. "
Last year, Roval showed that everything was possible.
"It's an ink game," Almirola said, "but it's a test for everyone."
2. Do not just watch the battle to avoid elimination
The dominance of Martin Truex Jr. in the first two playoff races has allowed him to score 12 of 14 points in the playoffs, which is probably a source of concern for his competitors.
Although the points in the playoffs can count in the next round, they will probably be decisive in the third round, which will determine the four drivers who will play the championship on November 17 in Miami.
At least one of the four drivers of the championship race will advance from the third round via points. The difference could be playoff points.
That's why every stage win is important and every win is critical for the playoff points. And why the race on the front of the field could be as significant as the race to the last transfer place, Sunday.
Here are the drivers with the most points in the playoffs this season:
46 – Kyle Busch
41 – Martin Truex Jr.
30 – Denny Hamlin
29 – Joey Logano
28 – Kevin Harvick
24 – Brad Keselowski
18 – Chase Elliott
The road course strategy often involves giving a chance to the stage points to be in a better position to win.
Last year, during the Roval race, Truex, the points leader, entered the first stage, unlike other series drivers, hoping to win the stage. He finished fourth in the stage.
Truex refueled in the middle of Phase 2 to prepare for a final pit stop with just under 40 laps to go in the finals. That would have led to the winning strategy and five points in the playoffs if Jimmie Johnson's spinning car had not touched Truex at the final chicane in the last lap.
3. A better trip the second time?
Although the teams tested at Roval last summer and participated in three trials, some drivers struggled to follow the course a year ago.
Eleven drivers sped or fell during testing or qualifying last year. Bubba Wallace experienced the toughest moments, making four different turns and hitting the tire barrier on the rear baffle (which was redesigned this summer).
Wallace was one of four drivers who went to rescue cars for racing after incidents at training or qualifying last year. The others were Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones.
The practice should be interesting Friday and Saturday.
MORE: Weekend schedule for Cup teams, Xfinity to Charlotte Roval
4. Do not neglect those who are at the bottom of the rankings
In the last four years of the playoff-style playoff format, a driver ranked 10th or worse after the second playoff race entered the championship race. It could be a sign for these drivers 10th or worse this year.
In 2014, Ryan Newman was ranked 11th in points before the first elimination race. He went to the title race and finished second. Also that year, Denny Hamlin finished 13th in points before the elimination race. Hamlin also went to Miami, finishing third in points.
In 2015, Kyle Busch finished 13th in the lead-up to the first elimination race. He won the crown that year. Kevin Harvick was 15th in points before the elimination race – which he had to win to advance and was successful – before qualifying for the title race, finishing second in the championship. Jeff Gordon finished 10th in the first elimination race and won the title by placing third in the championship.
In 2016, Carl Edwards finished 10th before the elimination race of the first round. He went to Miami and finished fourth in the championship.
In 2017, Kevin Harvick finished 10th before the last race of the opening round. He progressed to Miami and ranked third in the championship.
Last year, Joey Logano was the lowest ranked driver after two playoff races among those competing in the championship race. Logano was fifth in points at the time.
5. New case, similar plan
The rise of Christopher Bell in the World Cup next year in the car # 95 Leavine Family Racing will not put an end to its racing capabilities. But Bell admits he will not be racing so much next year.
"Twe do not intend to put an end to this, "said the owner of the car, Bob Leavine, this week. "I know he'll be cautious in the races he's running because he understands the commitment we're going to ask him in the cups.
"We have to tell someone who does it as a hobby not to do it, we're glad he still wants to do it and happy to see him win over there." his level of trust will be contagious. "
Bell said, "I understand that my race on earth will have to slow down a bit. With the series of cut, the program is much longer, it is a little bigger than what Xfinity cars are and it will take a long time to learn entering the series of cut. … I will be allowed some races, but I understand that the schedule will not be as close to what it has been for several years. "
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