NASCAR will remove the Charlotte Roval from its calendar, effective immediately.
The Athletic report that the 2018 decision to run the season's second Charlotte race on the road-oval hybrid track will be reversed, giving the Charlotte Motor Speedway a second oval race, with fans reacting positively to the news.
Fans aren't the only ones who appear to be excited – Cup Series star Carson Hocevar replied to Jordan Bianchi's post on Twitter with the news story, saying simply 'W'.
There will be at least one driver who doesn't share those sentiments, however. The Roval's reversion to oval form means that there will be no road course races in this year's Chase and one fewer on the calendar, a disaster for road course specialist Shane van Gisbergen.
NASCAR decision another blow for SVG
The switch away from 'win and in' this month probably hit Van Gisbergen harder than any other driver due to his relative inexperience on the ovals which make up the majority of the calendar, and another road course being stripped takes away a race he'd have been a hot favorite to win.
23XI owner and Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin encouraged a move back to the oval layout last season, saying: “The best racing you are going to find is the oval.
"It’s really hard to bring an example of when the Roval will be better, unless you throw in a green-white-checkered (finish), and then you can have some chaos at the end that saves the day.
“The oval and this car work well together. I believe the reason the Roval is staying is because NASCAR wants to keep a road course in the playoffs, just as a competitive balance. Other than that, I can’t really see where it has a place.”
NASCAR is expected to confirm the decision in the coming weeks.
NASCAR TODAY: Kyle Busch issues heartfelt message and Cup Series driver suffers Daytona setback
