CONCORD, N.C. -- Cars will hit the track this weekend for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing of 2017.
The unofficial start to the season comes Saturday night with the exhibition race The Clash.
Below is a quick refresher on the non-points event.
The Clash is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The race will consist of 75 laps and will be broken up into two segments, with a competition caution at Lap 25 splitting the stages.
Drivers eligible for the field include only 2016 pole award winners, former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2016 and the 16 drivers that made the postseason in 2016.
For Hendrick Motorsports, that leaves Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Alex Bowman eligible.
Earnhardt offered Bowman the chance to drive the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS in The Clash as a thank-you for the young driver's efforts filling in for him for 10 races last season.
"I’m excited for Alex to get that opportunity and I’m happy that it’s with (No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the guys that he has worked with over the last several races," Earnhardt said.
But while Earnhardt will sit out the race, he will be plenty active throughout The Clash as he joins former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and the rest of the FOX broadcast crew in the booth.
To check out the Hendrick Motorsports paint schemes for The Clash, click here.