New Additions, Returning Favorites Highlight Food City 500 Pre-Race Ceremony

Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) is connecting with old friends and welcoming new voices to offer a variety of entertainment for guests at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500.
 
Famed for its retro appeal and lightning-in-a-bottle atmosphere, Bristol’s pre-race ceremony kicks off on Sunday, April 15, with performances and special appearances by A Thousand Horses, The Cleverlys, Joe Everson, Bill Goldberg, Brownie King, DJ DU and more. Highlights to watch for include:
 

  • The Last Great Colosseum will roar to life to the sound of A Thousand Horses during the pre-race concert. The band’s sound is a unique mix of muscular country, drawling rock, high gospel harmony, low-country blues and old school soul. Their debut album, “Southernality,” spawned the No. 1 hit, “Smoke,” making the quartet the first country group to chart a No. 1 debut single since the Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” in 2008. Watch for them around 12:20 p.m. on the back stretch.

Sunday’s musical entertainment also will feature viral favorites The Cleverlys, presented in partnership with the Birthplace of Country Music. A highly entertaining bluegrass parody act, The Cleverlys pose as a family band and deliver an assortment of pop songs in a style that would make the late Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley tap their toes. The five-man group has built a tremendous YouTube following for covering chart-topping hits in their hillbilly style, including Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Flo Rida’s “Low,” Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” Watch for them throughout the pre-race ceremonies

  • Professional artist and vocalist Joe Everson, will deliver an amazing rendition of “God Bless the U.S.A.” while simultaneously painting a patriotic scene. Everson’s work went viral last year after a video of his skills earned more than 150 million views and 2 million shares across social media channels.
  • Sunday’s National Anthem will be performed by Nashville artist Morgan Myles, whose independently released EP, “Miss Morgan Myles,” charted at No. 22 on the iTunes Country Music chart. Her soulful country, with warm echoes of rock and R&B, has also landed her on multiple Artists to Watch lists.
  • Wrestling legend and current WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg, returns for his fourth consecutive appearance on the pre-race stage. The first inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, Goldberg will serve as a host for Colossus TV, participate in meet-and-greets and host Bristol’s world-famous driver introductions. Don’t forget, fans now have the chance to determine which songs will be played during driver introductions by visiting www.BristolMotorSpeedway.com/DriverSongs. Voting closes Friday, March 30.
  • Clive Standen, who plays covert operative Bryan Mills on NBC’s hit show, “Taken,” will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the Food City 500. Standen’s visit to the Last Great Colosseum offers him the chance to connect with one of his newest television co-stars — Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, who will appear as an FBI agent in an episode of “Taken” on Friday, April 20, 2018. Guests at BMS will get a sneak peek of the pair in action when they appear together at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, at NASCAR’s Trackside Live stage. An advance, live screening of the upcoming episode of “Taken” will follow at 7 p.m., along with a dance party hosted by DJ DU after the show.
  • Bob “Brownie” King, a retired NASCAR Grand National Series (now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) driver, will be honored for his historic efforts in raising awareness of racing throughout the Southeast, as well as his 1962 Track Championship at BMS. King served as former crew chief for NASCAR legends Paul Lewis and Brad Teague.
  • DJ DU (Duhamel Cassell), will serve as the resident disc jockey for The Ole Smoky Moonshine Roof at Turn 4. The first DJ to introduce his unique blend to country music fans across America, DU has performed with a number of country recording artists, including Sam Hunt, Jake Owen, Chase Rice, Rascal Flatts and Dierks Bently, and at a number of events including the American Country Awards, Grammy Block Party and Country Music Awards Fest.
  • And finally, the fan-favorite flyover, four T-38 Talons from the 469th Flying Training Squadron at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita, Texas, will race across the sky. With afterburners engaged, the Talons produce 2,900 pounds of thrust and can reach supersonic speeds up to 858 miles per hour.

“Our guests are at the heart of everything we do,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “Bristol fans bring an energy that’s unmatched at any other event, and we can’t wait to show them everything we have planned for this exciting race weekend.”
 
Tickets for the Food City 500 weekend are still available and fans are encouraged to purchase before April 1, when adult ticket prices increase. Kids’ tickets (12 and under) are free and adult tickets are $5 for Bush’s Beans Pole Day on Friday, April 13. On Saturday, April 14, kids’ tickets are free and adult tickets start at $30 for the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race and the Zombie Auto 150 NASCAR K&N Series event. On Sunday, April 15, adult tickets start at $60 for the Food City 500 and kids’ tickets are $10. For all races, each child must have a physical ticket in hand to enter the gates. The Bristol Motor Speedway ticket office is the only authorized location that can produce the free kids’ tickets.
 
Fans who want a front-row seat to all the festivities are encouraged to add a pre-race SuperPass or a pre-race Pit Stop ticket to their race weekend experience.
 
The SuperPass is available for $85 to the public, $45 for season ticket holders and platinum rewards members, and includes a Track Walk, on-track access to the concert with A Thousand Horses, and the wildly popular Food City 500 driver introductions.
 
A race-day premium for the ultimate NASCAR fan, the pre-race Pit Stop provides fans with a Cold Pit Pass for access to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage, a celebrity appearance by Kyle Larson, concessions, a cash bar, and a trackside ticket to the pre-race concert and driver introductions. This experience, only available for the Food City 500, makes the perfect addition for a high-octane weekend at BMS, and is only $150 for the public and $125 for season ticket holders and platinum rewards members.

To purchase tickets to the Food City 500, please call 423-BRISTOL or buy them online at www.BRISTOLTIX.com. Tickets can also be purchased directly from any neighborhood Food City store.

BMS PR