Country music icon Charlie Daniels pulls double duty March 17 prior to the start of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
After the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist and members of the Charlie Daniels Band perform the pre-race concert, Daniels will lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Straight off an appearance in the Super Bowl with San Francisco 49ers, Kingsport, Tenn., native Daniel Kilgore is the Honorary Starter. Kilgore played his high school ball at Dobyns-Bennett and spent his college career at Appalachian State University.
Keeping with the football trend, University of Tennessee head football coach Butch Jones is the Grand Marshal.
Specialist Mary Potts of the 129th Army Band and Tennessee National Guard sings the national anthem Sunday.
Jeff Foxworthy, comedian and host of television’s The American Bible Challenge and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader, is the Grand Marshal for Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 on Saturday while Sean McDonough, CEO of Roswell Food Group, is the Honorary Starter.
Sprint Cup driver Austin Dillon gives the command to start the DRIVE4COPD 125 K&N Series race, which takes the green flag directly after the Grit Chips 300 Saturday.
Practice for both the Food City 500 and Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 Nationwide Series event take place Friday, March 15, starting at 10:30 a.m. Qualifying for the Food City 500 is set for 3:40 p.m. while qualifying for the Grit Chips 300 is Saturday at 10:35 a.m.
The Food City 500 goes green just after 1 p.m. Sunday while the Grit Chips 300 is Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the DRIVE4COPD 125 K&N Series race.
BMS PR
