The Bank of America 400 returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile oval Oct. 9-11, bringing a NASCAR playoff race back to Concord for the first time since 2017.

The fall race moved to the ROVAL road course-oval hybrid in 2018. Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith said fan enthusiasm for intermediate ovals and the return of The Chase format drove the decision to bring it back. Ahead of race weekend, seven drivers from all three national series described the speedway as one of the most meaningful places to win in NASCAR.

For Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports, a Charlotte win carries extra weight because the team's shop is nearby. Larson said race-team employees pack the grandstands on race day, and a victory there lets the whole organization share the moment in a way other tracks cannot match.

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 for JR Motorsports in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, won his first series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He said the significance did not fully register until he reached Victory Lane.

"I remember as a kid coming to the racetrack, and probably my most vivid memory was Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the silver GM Goodwrench car and the start of the All-Star race and all of the flashbulbs going off," Allgaier said in a speedway media release. "To be able to not only race at Charlotte Motor Speedway … but also to get my first win there was huge."

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 for RFK Racing, said he has been going to the speedway since he was 13 years old. Buescher grew up racing on the quarter-mile track on the front stretch before reaching the Cup Series.

He is not alone. Ben Rhodes, driver of the No. 99 for ThorSport Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, said he raced on the quarter-mile track, the road course in the infield, and made his first laps around the big oval as a fan. Rhodes called his eventual Truck Series win on the big track surreal, a childhood goal checked off.

Rajah Caruth, driver of the No. 88 for JR Motorsports, and Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 18 for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, both said a Charlotte victory would carry personal meaning. Caruth listed the quarter-mile, the fifth-mile on the backstretch, the road course and Legend Cars among the tracks he has raced at the facility. Ankrum called the speedway "a colossal property" and said adding your name to the winners' list is a dream for every driver.

Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 19 for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, said he has not yet won at Charlotte in a NASCAR vehicle but won there at short-track levels. Hemric credited the Smith family for building the track into what he called "a crown jewel stop on the schedule twice a year."

Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were the only two active Cup drivers to have won a fall race on the Charlotte oval when the speedway announced the return in February.

Country artist Tyler Hubbard will perform a 60-minute pre-race concert before the Bank of America 400 on Sunday, Oct. 11. The concert is free for ticket holders. Kids 12 and under can attend all weekend events for $10 through the Dollar Tree program. Tickets are available at charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.