Cue the late great David Bowie. There are lots of "Ch-ch-changes" in NASCAR for 2017.
Look around, and grab a hard hat, because there's a lot of construction dust around: A new playoff format. Old faces out, and new faces in the mix. A new-fangled inspection process to avoid the usual shenanigans. And oh, by the way, a new series sponsor for the highest level of racing.
All this and much more in the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series.
"I know it's a lot of change and we don't like change," said Larry McReynolds, a former championship crew chief and now an analyst for Fox Sports. "But if you don't embrace change, you'll be like the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. You're just going to fade away and go away."
That said, a quick primer on NASCAR's three-ring circus that kicks off with the Advance Auto Parts Clash (8 p.m. EST Saturday), a 75-lap exhibition race that does not pay points.
