NASCAR at Charlotte results: Chase Elliott continues road course streak with ROVAL win

Dan Bernstein

NASCAR at Charlotte results: Chase Elliott continues road course streak with ROVAL win image

The NASCAR Cup Series playoff Round of 12 concluded Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway with another Chase Elliott road course win — his fourth consecutive victory in such a setting.

Only Jeff Gordon has a longer streak in NASCAR history with six straight wins at road courses.

Defending champion Kyle Busch was among the four drivers eliminated from the postseason field in the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon and Aric Almirola were also knocked out of contention. Bowyer announced he would retire after this campaign, meaning his playoff career is now over.

Busch held a lead with 20 laps to go but was overpowered by rivals with more fuel and fresher tires. He took a risk by staying out during a caution while almost the entire field pitted. That decision didn't pay off, and he finished in 30th place.

Alex Bowman and Joey Logano entered the race concerned poor weather and an unpredictable course could create enough hectic racing for them to crash or for someone on the wrong side of the playoff bubble to win. Despite worrisome forecasts, though, it did not rain. They advanced to the Round of Eight on points.

Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from Sunday's NASCAR race at Charlotte. Follow below for complete results from the 2020 Bank of America ROVAL 400.

MORE: Watch Sunday's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

Playoff standings for NASCAR's Round of 8

Pos. Driver Distance from cut-off
1 Kevin Harvick +45
2 Denny Hamlin +32
3 Brad Keselowski +13
4 Chase Elliott +5
CUT-OFF CUT-OFF CUT-OFF
5 Joey Logano -5
6 Martin Truex Jr. -10
7 Alex Bowman -18
8 Kurt Busch -21

NASCAR at Charlotte results, highlights from ROVAL race

5:51 p.m.: Chase Elliott wins the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon and Aric Almirola are eliminated from the playoffs.

5:50 p.m.: Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch collide. No caution.

5:43 p.m.: Three laps to go.

5:43 p.m.: Kyle Busch is in seventh place with five laps left.

5:40 p.m.: Elliott is two seconds ahead of second place Logano.

5:37 p.m.: Nine laps to go.

5:35 p.m.: Green.

5:35 p.m.: Rain update.

5:31 p.m.: And a caution comes out with 12 laps to go. Wow.

5:29 p.m.: A caution could lead to a wet finish.

5:28 p.m.: Elliott is finding separation. Kyle Busch has fallen back to fifth.

5:23 p.m.: Elliott to first place. He has three straight road course wins and could make it four this afternoon.

5:22 p.m.: Erik Jones passes Kyle Busch for first. Elliott is running hot behind them.

5:19 p.m.: Lots of bumping at the restart but no crashes. 20 laps to go.

5:13 p.m.: Kyle Busch stays out while most others pit under the yellow flag. He's going to cut it close with fuel.

5:09 p.m.: Caution for debris.

5:08 p.m.: Kyle Busch up to third place.

4:58 p.m.: 30 laps to go. Bowman and Ryan Preece battling for P1. Kyle Busch is up to sixth place.

4:55 p.m.: Bowman isn't feeling great, but he's now in the lead.

4:51 p.m.: It's not looking good right now for the drivers below the playoff cut line. Bowyer is having major vehicle problems.

4:43 p.m.: Uh-oh. Bowman is apparently feeling sick.

4:40 p.m.: That didn't last long. Caution for Austin Dillon. Might have been contact from fellow playoff contender Kylee Busch.

4:37 p.m.: Back to green with 42 laps remaining.

4:28 p.m.: Caution for Ty Dillon.

4:25 p.m.: Barring abundant cautions, this race might finish before rain rolls through.

4:16 p.m.: Hamlin gets into some trouble.

4:03 p.m.: Blaney wins Stage 2.

4:02 p.m.: Kyle Busch has a flat tire.

4:01 p.m.: Back to green with two laps remaining in Stage 2.

3:54 p.m.: Caution for JJ Yeley.

3:46 p.m.: Ryan Blaney into the lead with 10 more laps in Stage 2.

3:42 p.m.: Now Almirola spins. Flag again remeains green.

3:41 p.m.: No caution for this, but it'll set Keselowski back.

3:19 p.m.: Ty Dillon wins Stage 1.

3:13 p.m.: Caution for John Hunter Nemechek.

3:11 p.m.: Denny Hamlin spins. Has some damage, it appears, but is still going.

2:59 p.m.: Clint Bowyer, who recently announced he would retire after this season, moves into first place.

2:50 p.m.: Chase Elliott to the front.

2:45 p.m.: Drivers seem to be taking a careful approach in Stage 1, not wanting to go too hard before getting a feel for the track.

2:36 p.m.: Brad Keselowski takes an early lead.

2:33 p.m.: Green flag!

2:29 p.m.: Engines are warm and we should be underway soon. Drivers are starting with rain tires on even though there isn't rain coming down at the moment. It's a precaution for a slightly slick track after previous downpours.

NASCAR start time today

The Round of 12 NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte on Sunday should begin soon after 2:30 p.m. ET. The temperature is supposed to be in the high-70s, and rain and lightning are considered likely. Charlotte Motor Speedway does have lights, but because of concerns about the infield brightness, a night race is not considered feasible.

The elimination race is 109 laps spread over three stages and will become official after Lap 55. The distance of the race is 250 miles.

NASCAR starting lineup at Charlotte

Here is the complete starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Charlotte:

Starting spot Driver Car No. Team
1 Denny Hamlin (P) 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Chase Elliott (P) 9 Hendrick Motorsports
3 Brad Keselowski (P) 2 Team Penske
4 Kevin Harvick (P) 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Alex Bowman (P) 88 Hendrick Motorsports
6 Austin Dillon (P) 3 Richard Childress Racing
7 Martin Truex Jr. (P) 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
8 Joey Logano (P) 22 Team Penske
9 Kyle Busch (P) 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
10 Kurt Busch (P) 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
11 Clint Bowyer (P) 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
12 Aric Almirola (P) 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
13 William Byron (P) 24 Hendrick Motorsports
14 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
15 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
16 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
17 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
18 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daughtery Racing
19 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
20 Matt DiBenedetto (P) 21 Wood Brothers Racing
21 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
22 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
23 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
24 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
25 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
26 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
27 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
28 Cole Custer (P) 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
29 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
30 Jimmy Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
31 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
33 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
34 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
35 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
36 Gray Gaulding 127 Rick Ware Racing
37 James Davison 53 Rick Ware Racing
38 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daughtery Racing
(P) Playoff driver.

Dan Bernstein