HAMPTON, Ga. (Feb. 10, 2016) – Warner Robins, Georgia native and Miss America 2016 – Betty Cantrell – will attend the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 28 and present a special performance of “Georgia on my Mind” prior to the start of the race.
Cantrell, whose astounding rendition of “Tu, Tu Piccolo Iddio” elevated her to the Miss America 2016 title this past September, was raised on a farm in Warner Robins and admits she’s not the typical “pageant girl.”
Growing up, she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She fully embraced her southern roots, learning skills unconventional to pageant participants, like driving a tractor, plowing fields and even tagging along on hunting trips with her father.
Before 2013, Cantrell had never even competed in a beauty pageant. Early success that year propelled her to her first pageant win as the Miss Presidential Pathways 2014. That summer, she was crowned Miss Warner Robins 2015, making her eligible to compete in the 2015 Miss Georgia Competition. She went on to win Miss Georgia in June of last year before becoming only the second Miss Georgia ever to win the Miss America title later in September.
“I am thrilled to attend the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” said Cantrell. “It is a joy to be able to attend such an exciting event in my home state of Georgia and to have the opportunity to meet with some of our nation’s greatest NASCAR drivers!”
Cantrell will appear on the AMS Fan Stage at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, along with Robin Meade, host of HLN’s Morning Express, before performing “Georgia on my Mind” leading up to the start of the race.
NASCAR racing returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway Feb. 26-28, 2016, featuring the Heads Up Georgia 250 XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series Georgia 200 doubleheader onSaturday, Feb. 27 and the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 28. For more information, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
