NASCAR in Charlotte, Live Race Updates, Results, ROVAL 400 Highlights

There will likely be chaos on Sunday as 39 cars line up for the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, round 12.

The Bank of America ROVAL 400 on the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be the last opportunity for 11 of the 12 drivers of the playoffs to advance to the round of 8. Denny Hamlin has qualified after his victory in Las Vegas ago two weeks. He leads the playoff standings with 3,116 points. Kyle Larson fell to second after suffering a crash at Talladega. He trails Hamlin by 19 points.

Chase Elliott, who is seventh in the standings, has won the 2.28 mile Charlotte course each of the past two years. Another win from him on Sunday would give Hendrick Motorsports the perfect boost. The team has won just one playoff win (Larson) and two Hendrick drivers face elimination. William Byron and Alex Bowman are both outside the top eight.

As the playoffs get more competitive, chaos ensues. Monday’s weather-shortened race in Talladega, which was won by non-qualifying driver Bubba Wallace, increased the likelihood of chaos on Sunday in Charlotte.

Sporting News follows live updates and highlights from the NASCAR playoff race on Sunday. Follow for the full Bank of America ROVAL 400 results.

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NASCAR in Charlotte Live Updates, ROVAL 400 Highlights

All Eastern hours.

5:00 p.m .: Elliott’s bumper comes off and you need to be careful with 23 to go. Keselowski is five points ahead of the cut line while Harvick is five points below.

4:56: Elliott’s bumper flutters behind him after the repair cover breaks. It signals a friction of the left rear tire with 26 to go.

4:52: Hamlin gives Byron the lead as he heads for the pit lane. Hamlin fell back to eighth after the pit stop.

4:48: Denny Hamlin takes the lead after Buescher heads for the pit lane. DiBenedetto is nine seconds behind, followed by Byron. Harvick is two points above the cut line while Elliott is two points below after the pitstop.

4:45 p.m .: Byron leads down the pit route. Kurt Busch takes the lead followed by Chris Buescher and Denny Hamlin.

4:40: Byron is two seconds ahead of Reddick with 35 laps to go.

4:34: Elliott confirms he loses about a second per lap and runs in 33rd position, 11 points below the cut-off line with 39 to go.

4.30 p.m .: Denny Hamlin falls to sixth after missing the rear chicane.

4:25: Larson passed Busch in 18th place and returned to the peloton.

4:20: Elliott reports tire friction in turns three and four. He is 36th on lap 62 of 109.

4:17: Allmendinger goes to the side and falls to the back. He heads to the pit lane and determines that his car has an engine failure, which prevents him from continuing the race. Elliott tries to reach minimum speed.

4:12: Elliott falls below the cut line as he heads to the pit lane to assess the damage. Harvick appears to have damage to the front of his car.

4:10: Chase Elliott suffers severe damage to his tracking bar as a result of a contact from Harvick that sent him through the wall. Cole Custer got caught in the path and sped over the grass. Joey Logano escaped unscathed.

4:09: William Byron leads at the start of the third stage followed by Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin.

3:57: Elliott passed Harvick in second. Kyle Busch wins in the second stage.

3:56: Larson climbs back to seventh place and lands above the cut line on the last lap. Harvick falls below the cut line.

3:54: Busch leads the pit route with three laps to go in the second stage. Several cars follow and tread the pit route.

3:38: Christopher Bell turns too far and goes off the track at turn 6.

3:36: Larson falls below the cut line with 13 laps remaining in stage two. He’s struggling to keep his position in the middle of the pack while dealing with an alternator belt problem.

3:34: Kyle Busch takes the lead followed by Harvick and Byron coming out of the yellow.

3:32: Larson and Alex Bowman will head to the pit lane for a battery change. Bowman had his tires changed and went green after his team manager advised the battery change at the end of stage two. Larson had his battery changed, but his team couldn’t fix an issue with the alternator belt.

3:28: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pushes Chase Briscoe and spins him on the front stretch. Caution is required as he leaves.

3:26: Kyle Larson clears Allmendinger and Harvick in third place.

3.20 p.m .: Kyle Busch takes the lead in the first special followed by William Byron. Kevin Harvick faces Allmendinger for third place.

3:12: Elliott clears Allmendinger and wins the first stage.

3:11: Blaney and Elliott close in on Allmendinger, who holds the lead before the last lap.

3:10: Ryan Preece spins around and climbs up against the wall. After evaluation, he can continue.

3:08: Allmendinger and Blaney fight for the lead after the warning.

3:05: Denny Hamlin gets a penalty for speeding on the pit lane, forcing him to start at the back of the pack with four laps to go on the first stage.

2:59: Ryan Newman suffers from a tire problem that causes him to spin and crash into the wall, narrowly missing Keselowski. After his return to the pit route, he is confirmed for the day.

2:56: Blaney, Logano and Elliott extend their lead over the peloton with eight laps to go in the first stage.

2:53: Keselowski is pushed by Alex Bowman and goes into a spin. He is able to start again from the rear.

2:49: Ryan Blaney takes the lead after the yellow. Joey Logano and Chase Elliott fight for second place in the peloton.

2:44: Joey Logano takes the lead in the yellow followed by Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.

2:42: Bell receives a penalty for speeding on the pit lane.

2:41: Christopher Bell arrives early on the pit road for fuel-less tires. Hamlin leads the field in the pit lane before the competition warning.

2:38: Almirola takes a hit and goes for a short lap, but goes to the back of the pack.

2:32: Denny Hamlin quickly takes the lead. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are fighting for second place.

2:30 p.m .: The Roval 400 race is underway.

2:20: Engines are fired before the green flag.

2:10: The flyby kicks off the start procedures at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

1h45: The pilots are presented before the race this afternoon. Here is one of Charlotte’s most popular.

1h30: NASCAR confirms Garrett Smithley is heading to the rear after several technology failures.

NASCAR start time today

• Time: 2 p.m. ET
• TV channel: CNB
• Direct: NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, fuboTV

The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is expected to drop at 2:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch NASCAR in Charlotte

• TV channel: CNB
• Direct: NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, fuboTV
• Radio: PRN

NBC’s programming will begin at 1 p.m. ET with the network’s pre-race show “Countdown to Green”, hosted by Marty Snider with analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Rick Allen will handle the play-by-play appeal of the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte will provide analysis.

Snider, Dave Burns and Parker Kligerman will be the stand reporters. Rutledge Wood will provide additional reports during the race.

NASCAR Cup Playoff Standings

Denny Hamlin took the lead with a seventh place in Talladega. He passed Kyle Larson, who fell to second after a 37th place caused by a wreck. Larson also lost much of his cushion between his place and the playoff cup line. He will enter Sunday with 22 points ahead of the ninth, Kevin Harvick.

The playoff bubble is under a lot of pressure after Talladega. The difference between sixth place (Ryan Blaney) and ninth (Harvick) is only 15 points. Between the tuck standings, the fact that 11 of the 12 drivers are still battling for a spot in the round of 16 and the history of the Roval wrecks, Sunday promises more chaos before NASCAR narrows the playoff field to four drivers.

NASCAR starting eleven in Charlotte

Here is the full NASCAR start list for Sunday’s playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bank of America ROVAL 400. Playoff drivers are marked with a “P” next to their names.