Changes to NASCAR's Charlotte Roval layout pay off

After the past two NASCAR Cup Series races at the Charlotte Roval saw some underwhelming action, the speedway decided it could use some adjustments for Sunday's Bank of America ROVAL 400.

Notably, Turn 7 was shaped into a sharp braking zone that created prime opportunities for passing and it led to some enticing moments.

Tyler Reddick was the story of the afternoon, as the regular-season champion found himself fighting an uphill battle after getting involved in a stack-up in said turn. A gritty effort from his No. 45 team and some heady pit strategy to put on fresh tires for the final run allowed him to climb his way back into position to advance to the Round of Eight.

In 2022 and 2023, such a drive might not have been possible due to the Next Gen car being harder to make passes with on road courses. Reddick was able to make most of his moves during the closing laps in Turn 7 by dive-bombing the cars in front of him, as he went from outside the top-25 to an 11th-place finish.

Turn 7 saw plenty more action, such as when pole-sitter and pre-race favorite Shane van Gisbergen got turned around . All in all, it added a compelling wrinkle to a track that had been lacking in drama for the past couple years, helping to make the fight to advance in the playoffs come right down to the wire.

With Kyle Larson nothing short of dominant — he led 62 of 109 laps en route to the victory — the battle between Reddick and Joey Logano for the final transfer spot was the primary storyline of the afternoon. Logano ran inside the top-10 all race long and finished eighth, but ultimately it was not enough as he had entered the race on the outside of the bubble looking in.

Reddick, meanwhile, entered 14 points to the good and further helped himself by winning the race's opening stage before his troubles arose. Had he not earned those 10 valuable bonus points from the stage win, he would have been eliminated. Instead, Logano joined Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Chase Briscoe in watching their seasons come to an end.

The Round of Eight will begin in Sin City next weekend with Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.