Drivers prepare to race the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Sunday afternoon

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The first playoff road course in NASCAR history will be run Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Bank of America Roval 400 races Sunday afternoon, using a track unlike anything used before in NASCAR.

The Bank of America Roval 400 is one of the most anticipated races of the season and it is coming to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday. 

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It isn't an oval or a road course; rather, it's a hybrid that uses Charlotte's existing speedway along with a winding course through the infield.

[Column: Charlotte's 'roval may be NASCAR's race of the year]

The 17-turn, 2.28-mile course has a 35-foot change in elevation and everything about it is a mystery even after a handful of test sessions.

The ticket office opens at 8 a.m. and the Fan Zone opens at 9 a.m.

Gates for all fans will open at 10 a.m.

The race will be Sunday at 2 p.m.

Qualifying was held Friday for Cup drivers to tackle the brand-new track configuration.

A number of big names struggled at practice.

Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all found trouble during Friday’s practice session, from tagging the wall to spinning out.

Kurt Busch will start on the pole. He was one of three drivers with a lap time under one minute and 17 seconds.

AJ Allmendinger will start second.

“I think we're going to be surprised to see the crowd that shows up for this race,” driver Clint Bowyer said. “We're trying something new. I'm happy our sport is doing that. Sometimes in this day and age, everything is oversold, but I think for this, we will deliver in a big way.”

NASCAR has had flagging attendance and seen a dip in ratings, so NASCAR officials hope this experiment will put a charge back into the sport.

The buildup to Sunday's race started Saturday with the XFinity Series Drive for the Cure 200.

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