TALLADEGA, AL – Artist Chris Shrader, who has a rocking style of traditional country music, will open Talladega Superspeedway’s popular Saturday Night Infield Concert, May 6, as part the track’s anticipated triple-header motorsports weekend (May 5-7), featuring the GEICO 500.
Shrader, along with DJ Michaelis, a mainstay in NASCAR circles and a past performer at Talladega, will join the iconic Charlie Daniels Band in the track’s infamous infield – NASCAR’s “Party Capital.” Admission is free with the purchase of a GEICO 500 race ticket (for Sunday, May 7). It all starts Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
Shrader’s electrifying songs and singing style reflect the music that surrounded him growing up: Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Reba McEntire. But his music is also flavored by the electric rock music he listened to as a teenager with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Pearl Jam and Tom Petty. Mix in a dash of contemporary country and you have a soulful sound of music that is Shrader’s alone. Fans hear just that in the Nashville resident’s songs – “Better Off Alone” and “I Love My Country.”
After Shrader and Michaelis perform, Daniels, the legendary Southern rocker who has been in the industry for over 50 years, will take the stage as the night’s headliner. The Charlie Daniels Band is best known for its hits “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” and “Uneasy Rider.”
The Saturday Night Concert will put an exclamation point on a full slate of Saturday activities at the 2.66-mile venue, which will see two rounds of qualifying for both the Sparks Energy 300 and the GEICO 500 (at 3:30 p.m. CDT), as well as the drop of the green flag on the Sparks Energy 300 for the NASCAR XFINITY Series at 12 Noon CDT.
Free tram transportation – both into the track prior to the concert and back outside the track after the concert – is provided for Sunday GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series grandstand ticket holders.
The Talladega spring race weekend kicks off Friday, May 5, with all-day on-track activity which includes practice sessions for the Sparks Energy 300 and GEICO 500, plus the drop of the green flag for the General Tire 200 ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards event.
Fans can get more ticket information for all three days of racing by logging on to www.talladegasuperspeedway.
The action-packed race weekend event schedule includes the following:
Friday, May 5
8:30 AM – 10:20 AM General Tire 200 ARCA Racing Series Final Practice
10:30 AM – 11:25 AM Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice
12:30 PM – 1:25 PM Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Final Practice
1:30 PM – 2:25 PM GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice
3:30 PM – 4:25 PM GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice
4:30 PM ARCA Driver Introductions
5:00 PM Green Flag – General Tire 200 ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards Race (76 Laps, 202.16 Miles)
7:00 PM “Big One On The Blvd” Fan Infield Parade & Competitions
Saturday, May 6
9:30 AM Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series Qualifying
11:30 AM NXS Driver Introductions
12:00 PM Green Flag – Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series Race (113 Laps, 300.58 Miles)
3:00 PM GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying
7:30 PM Traditional Infield Concert – Headlined by The Charlie Daniels Band
Sunday, May 7
12:20 PM MENCS Driver Introductions
1:00 PM Green Flag – GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race (188 Laps, 500.08 Miles)
About Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), most banked (33 degrees), and longest (2.66 miles), as well as the most fun and fan-friendly, offering up hundreds of acres of free camping, amazing kids ticket prices and special offers for military members and college students. The historic venue, built in 1969, is NASCAR’s “Party Capital” thanks to the track’s infamous infield, which features the traditional Saturday Night Concert and the world-renowned Talladega Blvd, home of the “Big One on the Blvd” party. It is the site of the most comfortable seats in motorsports, large video viewing boards lining the frontstretch and endless activities for fans throughout its event weekends. Talladega Superspeedway’s next NASCAR weekend is set for May 5-7 with the Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race and the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event, in addition to the General Tire 200 for the ARCA Racing Series. Log on to www.talladegasuperspeedway.
