Front Row Motorsports Readies for Charlotte Roval Road Course

Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval Competition Notes

---

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

The Charlotte Roval awaits Front Row Motorsports as Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland turn left and right this weekend. This year, the Charlotte Motor Speedway reconfigured the Roval, extended the straight-away coming out of Turn 5 and created a new Turn 6, which will send McDowell and Gilliland toward a much sharper hairpin in Turn 7. Additionally, on the frontstretch, a sharper apex in Turn 16 of the final chicane was created.

McDowell's No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will feature the Love's Travel Stops colors this weekend as McDowell will make his seventh start at the 2.28-mile, 17-turn circuit. McDowell's best finish at the Roval was 12th in 2019, but this year he has had three Top-10s in his last three road course races, most recently scoring a 7th place finish at Watkins Glen International in September.

This will be Gilliland's third visit to the Roval and is looking to best his career-high finish of 23rd at the track. Gilliland has two Top-10 finishes at road courses this season, earning a 10th place finish at the Sonoma Raceway and a seventh-place finish at the Chicago Street Course. Boozy Jerky will partner with Gilliland for the 109-lap event and will debut a new scheme featuring their mascot, Tipsy.

The NASCAR Cup Series will kick the weekend off on Saturday, October 12th with practice and qualifying at 12:30 pm ET on USA Network. The Bank of America ROVAL 400 is scheduled for Sunday, October 13th at 2:00 pm ET. Fans can watch the action live on NBC or listen in via the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

CUP SERIES COMPETITION NOTES:

No. 34 Love's RV Stop Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL: 

"The ROVAL is one of my favorite races of the year. We haven’t had the best results there in the past, but I’m glad that there are some changes to the course. Anytime we get to race on a road course, it’s an opportunity again to try to go there and win. I am confident that the team and I can put together a solid run this weekend, especially with how we have been doing on road courses this season. I’m looking forward to it with our Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse."

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

"The Roval is super challenging because it’s not a typical road course. It’s a technical and tight layout especially with the changes they made. But it’s going to be a fun weekend because we’re always a threat on road courses. I have all the confidence in the world that this group can put together a great car for Michael."

No. 38 Boozy Jerky Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

"I like the road courses. It's a nice change of pace from the oval tracks we normally run. Our road course program has improved this season, so I think we'll have a pretty good shot on Sunday. The reconfiguration kind of puts everyone back to "square one". It's almost like a new track, and no one knows how it will race. I think that gives us an advantage."

"It's great to see Boozy Jerky back on our Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and with a new paint scheme, too. Nothing can beat their jerky, everyone on the team loves it."

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

"We have really amped up our road course program this year, and we have shown that at Sonoma and Chicago. Speed can only get us so far, though. We have to qualify upfront, execute all day, and minimize our mistakes. I think if we can do that, Sunday will be a good day."