The road course race at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s The Roval ended the second round of the playoffs on October 10. By the end of the race, four drivers were eliminated from the playoffs and the field of eight was set.

Even before the end of the race, there was a good deal of excitement and apprehension among the playoff drivers themselves and the remainder of the field. Kevin Harvick continued the feud with Chase Elliott, making contact and causing some significant damage to the number nine car. Late in the race, Harvick himself hit the wall hard and not only knocked himself out of the race; but also, out of the round of eight. It is the first time since the creation of the playoff system that Harvick has not been a part of the field of eight.

William Byron led several laps but in the end could not maintain the position to race his way into the playoffs.

Alex Bowman, through no fault of his own, failed to make the cut after his car had serious voltage issues that required several battery changes.

The fourth driver eliminated was Christopher Bell.

A disconnected alternator belt and a voltage issue of his own that required a battery change threatened Kyle Larson’s chances to move on to the next round despite having won a series leading five races. But in the end, Larson conquered his gremlins to win the race. As a result, Larson enters the round of eight in first place with 65 playoff points.

Like in previous rounds, NASCAR resets the points and each driver in the round receives 4,000 points plus any playoff points. Kyle Larson’s 65 points dominates the field by over 30 points.

Drivers in the round of eight:
Kyle Larson – 4,065
Denny Hamlin – 4,030
Martin Truex Jr – 4,029
Ryan Blaney – 4,024
Kyle Busch – 4,023
Chase Elliott – 4,022
Joey Logano – 4,013
Brad Keselowski – 4,008

The round of eight kicks off at Texas Motor Speedway on October 17 with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500.