We’ve reached the point in the 2017 season with one of the most exciting races in the sport, Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, which kicks off two straight weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

When does the All-Star Race start?

There are two parts to Saturday night’s fun. First comes the Open, which has a green flag time at 6:20 p.m. ET, followed by the All-Star Race, set to begin at approximately 8:25 p.m.

How can I watch this race?

Fox Sports 1 will televise this event, with Open coverage beginning at 6 p.m., followed by the All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET. Mike Joy will call the race, along with analysts Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds, plus pit reporters Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum.

Online streaming will be available through Fox Sports Go.

What makes this race different?

For one thing, the All-Star race does not count against the seasonal points totals. This race is also limited to just 20 drivers.

Sixteen have already qualified for the All-Star Race, led by pole-sitter Kyle Larson. The other four spots will be filled by the three stage winners of the Open race — 20, 20, and 10 laps — plus one driver by fan vote.

In an homage to 1992, the first time the All-Star Race was held under lights, Saturday’s race will feature three 20-lap segments, followed by a 10-lap shootout to finish it off.

Quotable

“Most people in the sport thought it couldn’t be done successfully — to have enough light so that the drivers could see and the fans could see, but there wouldn’t be glare in everybody’s eyes, including the competitors’. It was a daunting task to come up with major-league-stadium-level lighting that didn’t somewhere, somehow, shine in everybody’s eyes. But the folks at MUSCO figured out a way, with their mirror system, and pulled it off to the surprise, I think, of just about everybody.”

-Mike Joy, who called that 1992 race and will also call Saturday’s race.