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For five drivers, it’s 800 miles of racing at Charlotte on Sunday

By Ted Fleming

March 13, 2015; Avondale, AZ, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) reacts after winning pole position in qualifying for the CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 13, 2015; Avondale, AZ, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) reacts after winning pole position in qualifying for the CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Larson, Logano, Austin Dillon, Keselowski and Harvick will pull double duty in the Bank of America 500 and Drive for the Cure 300.

It will be a long afternoon for five NASCAR drivers on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway because Mother Nature threw a monkey wrench into the weekend’s activities. Hurricane Matthew forced the cancellation of the Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 300 Friday night and things did not get any better on Saturday as officials called off the Sprint Cup Bank of America 500 late in the morning in advance of the prime time race.

CMS is the scene of the longest race on the Cup circuit when it hosts the Coca-Cola 600 in the spring, but Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick will test their endurance to the tune of 800 miles in one day taking part in the noontime start of the Bank of America 500 and then climb into a completely different car for the Drive for Cure 300. It is not like a Kurt Busch Indianapolis 500 then flying in for the 600, but it is pretty close.

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The rare doubleheader at the iconic Concord, NC track will set up like this, with the 500 starting spot first followed by the 300:

Kyle Larson (25th – Pole)
Joey Logano (Defending 500 winner – 10th – 3rd)
Austin Dillon (Defending 300 winner – 19th  10th)
Brad Keselowski (500 winner in 2013 – 20th, 17th)
Kevin Harvick (500 winner 2014 – Pole, 19th)

All five drivers qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Logano, Dillon, Keselowski and Harvick each advanced to the Round of 12.

The winner of today’s Bank of America 500 will clinch a spot in the Round of 8 when it kicks off in three weeks. Today, the remaining ten drivers in the opening round of the first ever Xfinity Chase will have a chance to move on to the Round of 8 which starts next week. Daniel Suarez and Elliott Sadler have already punched their ticket with wins.

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