NASCAR Nation cast more than 100,000 votes during the last month to pick song choices for the 39 drivers who will enter The Last Great Colosseum during driver introductions for today’s Food City 500.
NASCAR’s best gladiators are prepared to do battle, beginning their routine with heart-pumping entrances that has their fans stamp of approval. Bristol Motor Speedway officials worked with each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver and teams to identify three songs that were eligible for the fan vote.
Kyle Busch, a master of the iconic East Tennessee half-mile, has won a lot at Bristol (20 wins across NASCAR’s top three series and six in Cup), so it was only fitting that the fans chose “All I Do Is WIN” by DJ Khalid, which received 47 percent of the vote. The 2015 Cup Series Champion swept the August Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race week last year and will take today’s 1 p.m. green flag from the pole.
Brother Kurt Busch, who has a not-to-shabby five Cup wins at Bristol, qualified second and will enjoy the fans choice. Nicknamed the Outlaw, fans chose Chris Stapleton “Outlaw State of Mind,” garnering 47 percent.
Fans of seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson decided to honor him in style. The two-time and defending Food City 500 winner will have his “Seven Nation Army” with him as The White Stripes classic earned 50 percent.
Chase Elliott has perhaps the most unique driver intro song. The fans went to bat for the Elliott family, voting for “A Crazy Racin’ Man” by Bill Elliott, a song off the 1983 album Stock Car Entertainers of the Year. The song garnered 58 percent of the vote.
William Byron and Trevor Bayne will have school spirit for their walkouts. Byron, a Liberty University student, will enter to “Fan the Flames” (41 percent of the vote), while Bayne, a Knoxville native, will get the crowd going with “Rocky Top” (60 percent), representing the orange and white of the University of Tennessee.
Two-time Bristol winner Kevin Harvick may have the most ironic song choice in the field. Harvick will be using the Pharrell song “Happy,” but the driver of the No. 4 is starting 39th. It remains to be seen whether Harvick will be a happy camper at The Last Great Colosseum.
Other top highlights included Brad Keselowski (The Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe”), Ryan Blaney (Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”), Daniel Suarez (“Speedy Gonzalez” by Pat Boone) and Chris Buescher (“Pork and Beans” by Weezer, an ode to his sponsor for the race, Bush’s Beans).
Winning Fan Vote Songs
Kyle Busch “All I Do is WIN” by DJ Khaled, 47 percent
Kurt Busch “Outlaw State of Mind” by Chris Stapleton, 47 percent
Brad Keselowski “Little Deuce Coupe” by The Beach Boys 40 percent
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “People Back Home” by Florida Georgia Line, 44 percent
Ryan Blaney “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, 54 percent
Kyle Larson “Dirt Road Anthem” by Jason Aldean, 56 percent
Paul Menard “R.O.C.K. in the USA” by John Mellencamp, 50 percent
Alex Bowman “Rise” by I Prevail, 60 percent
Michael McDowell “Taken it to the Streets”, by The Doobie Brothers, 66 percent
Joey Logano “Brass Monkey” by The Beastie Boys, 47 percent
William Byron “Fan the Flames” by Liberty University, 41 percent
Daniel Suarez “Speedy Gonzalez” by Pat Boone, 50 percent
Erik Jones “You Ain’t Seen Nothin Yet” by Bachman Turner Overdrive, 37 percent
Clint Bowyer “Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams Jr., 51 percent
Kasey Kahne “5-1-5-0” by Dierks Bentley, 41 percent
Chase Elliott “A Crazy Racin’ Man” by Bill Elliott, 58 percent
Jimmie Johnson “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, 50 percent
AJ Allmendinger “I’m Alright” by Kenny Logins, 46 percent
Aric Almirola “Miami Vice”, 50 percent
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. “Into The Fire” by Asking Alexandria, 65 percent
Austin Dillon “Cowboy” by Kid Rock, 58 percent
Chris Buescher “Pork and Beans” by Weezer, 42 percent
David Ragan “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band, 49 percent
Matt DiBenedetto “John Cena Theme Song”, 41 percent
Denny Hamlin “Forever” by Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem, 45 percent
Martin Truex Jr. “Nothing But The Taillights” by Clint Black, 57 percent
Ross Chastain “Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd
Gray Gaulding “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins
Landon Cassill “Going to Mars” by Judah and the Lion
Ryan Newman “Huntin, Fishin & Lovin Every Day” by Luke Bryan, 53 percent
Jamie McMurray “One” by Metallica, 42 percent
Ty Dillon “Walk it Like I Talk It” by Migos, 51 percent
Trevor Bayne “Rocky Top” by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, 60 percent
Corey LaJoie “Walmart Yodeling Song”
DJ Kennington “The Hockey Song”
Reed Sorenson “Motorsport” by Migos
Harrison Rhodes “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
Chad Finchum “Where I Come From” by Alan Jackson, 49 percent
Kevin Harvick “Happy” by Pharrell, 37 percent
BMS PR
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