CONCORD, N.C. — Charlotte Motor Speedway says more fans turned out for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 this year than in 2019 and in 2021.

Fans filed into the Fan Zone before the race on Sunday, buying merchandise from vendors.

Roger Burgess runs one of the trailers and has done so for a decade. He has seen attendance change through the years, but he says NASCAR fans aren't going anywhere.

"I think that they have kind of lost their way a little bit because there is a lot less traffic, but I think COVID helped boost because everyone was sitting at home, they couldn't do anything, and now they can come out, and just a lot more people now are getting back into NASCAR," Burgess said.

The ROVAL 400 is the final round of 12 for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Christopher Bell won the race Sunday afternoon, advancing to the Round of 8, while Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Alex Bowman were eliminated from the playoffs.