FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 16, 2022) – A certified guitar goddess will deliver an electrifying rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner before the WISE Power 400 on Sunday, Feb. 27.
Auto Club Speedway announced today that Nita Strauss will perform the National Anthem prior to the track’s NASCAR Cup Series race. She will also shred during driver introductions, delivering the same sonic energy to NASCAR fans that she delivers to fans of the Los Angeles Rams each week as the in-house guitarist at SoFi Stadium.
“Nita Strauss has taken guitar playing to a whole new level,” said Auto Club Speedway President Dave Allen. “She combines energy and style to create soul-stirring sounds that connect with audiences all over the world. It’s an honor that she’ll rev up our fans before the best drivers in the world rev their engines.”
Strauss is a modern guitar virtuoso par excellence. Although the Los Angeles native rose to fame as the lead guitarist for Alice Cooper’s band, her work as a solo artist includes some of the best music ever produced on the instrument. Her 2018 album Controlled Chaos put her atop the Billboard charts as the No. 1 Top New Artist, furthering a reputation that has led to countless industry endorsements and critical acclaim.
Moreover, Strauss has been featured in dozens of albums, trailers, and soundtracks, including Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard) and the Grammy-nominated Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Konami/ Platinum Games). Since 2018, she has thrilled Los Angeles Rams fans during the weekly Rampede, adding to the electric ambiance of the stadium.
“I’m a lifelong sports fan, so I can’t wait to perform at a NASCAR race so close to home,” said Strauss, who also was the official in-house guitarist for the LA KISS arena football team owned by rock icons Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. “This will be a day I’ll remember for a long time to come.”
The 2022 WISE Power 400 caps two great days of NASCAR racing on the high-speed, 2-mile oval of Auto Club Speedway. Racing begins Saturday, Feb. 26 with the Production Alliance Group 300, the second race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season. And then on Sunday, Feb. 27, the WISE Power 400 will thrill fans with Auto Club Speedway’s first NASCAR Cup Series race since Alex Bowman took the checkered flag on March 1, 2020.
Tickets for both days are on sale now at www.autoclubspeedway.com
About Auto Club Speedway
Located 50 miles east of Los Angeles in Fontana, Auto Club Speedway is California’s premier motorsports facility, hosting over 320 days of track activity each year including a NASCAR Cup Series weekend. The two-mile D-shaped oval is one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. The Speedway is also home to numerous movie, television and commercial productions, photo shoots, new car testing, club racing and a variety of racing schools. For more information on events at Auto Club Speedway, call 1-800-944-RACE (7223), visit www.AutoClubSpeedway.com or download the new NASCAR Tracks App at www.autoclubspeedway.com/nascar-tracks-app/
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series, NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
