Appearances by several NASCAR personalities including team owner Joe Gibbs and officials from Motor Racing Outreach also part of spectacular pre-race service at Bristol Motor Speedway
BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 8, 2022) – Grammy Award-winning worship leader Chris Tomlin and best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado will headline a live Easter celebration service prior to the start of the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 17. Special guest Gary LeVox, most well-known and beloved as the lead singer of Rascal Flatts, also will perform during the much-anticipated event that was announced today by BMS officials.
The Easter celebration will begin at 4 p.m. (ET) on a stage in the BMS fan midway area outside the stadium near the E Parking lot between the Green and Orange bridges. Lucado will provide the main message during the service, Tomlin will sing several of his most acclaimed songs and a variety of speakers from the NASCAR industry will make appearances, highlighted by team owner Joe Gibbs and the Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) chaplain. Meanwhile, LeVox, who is now pursuing a solo career, will perform during the Easter celebration and also sing the National Anthem during pre-race ceremonies for the Food City Dirt Race.
The Easter celebration precedes the start of the Food City Dirt Race NASCAR Cup Series race, which will take the green flag at 7 p.m. (ET) and air nationally on FOX (NASCAR RaceDay at 6 p.m. ET on FOX/5:30 p.m. ET on FS1). Food City is celebrating its 30th anniversary as sponsor of the BMS spring Cup race.
“We are honored to provide an amazing late Sunday afternoon Easter service highlighted with appearances by Chris Tomlin, Max Lucado and Gary LeVox,” said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. “Hosting the Food City Dirt Race under the lights that night gives us and our partners the opportunity to recognize the importance of the day, while complementing our tremendous on-track action. Our community is a faithful one and we can’t think of a better place for this mega-celebration to culminate than right here at Bristol Motor Speedway, the ‘Home to Big Events.’”
It is estimated that 20 to 30-million people across the world sing one of Tomlin’s songs every week in church services in nearly every language. The Texas native now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and is considered to be one of the most successful Christian touring artists today, having sold out venues everywhere including New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Tomlin has over 4.5 billion global streams and has earned a Grammy, for one of his most esteemed songs, “How Great Is Our God.”
“For me, Easter is a reminder of the hope we have in Jesus and to be able to celebrate that hope together with thousands of NASCAR guests this year is a dream come true,” Tomlin said. “I am so grateful to everyone at Bristol Motor Speedway for inviting me to join them for this historic event.”
Lucado is a pastor, speaker and best-selling author who has more than 145 million products in print. A minister for more than 40 years, he was named “America’s Pastor” by Christianity Today and was also called “The Best Preacher in America” by Reader’s Digest. He currently serves at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas.
“One of my favorite days of the year to speak has always been Easter,” Lucado said. “Having this amazing opportunity to share God’s word with the NASCAR guests gathered at Bristol Motor Speedway through a special Easter celebration event is an honor. I would like to encourage all prayer warriors out there to say a prayer for all who will hear the Easter story during this gathering.”
After 20 years as front man to one of the most influential groups in music, Rascal Flatts’ LeVox is embarking on a solo career that combines his love of music and strong Christian faith. The Ohio native’s debut single “the Distance” is one of five songs on LeVox’s debut Christian collection, ONE ON ONE, out now via Big Machine Records.
“I’m more than excited and honored to sing our beloved national anthem at Bristol Motor Speedway on Easter,” LeVox said. “I can’t wait to see everyone there!”
In addition to Gibbs and MRO’s Billy Mauldin, several other special guests from the NASCAR industry also will be featured during the special Easter celebration, with additional inspirational messages, music and videos planned to take place during the 90-minute celebration.
“Easter has always been a special time for our NASCAR community,” said Mauldin, president and senior chaplain, MRO. “This year, gathering together at Bristol, to worship and celebrate with Chris Tomlin, Max Lucado and all the NASCAR fans, has everyone looking forward to the day. It’s Bristol, and Easter, Baby!”
On Sunday evening the NASCAR Cup Series will return to its roots with the Food City Dirt Race. The green flag is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) (FOX, PRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
The weekend starts on Good Friday with Bush’s Beans Practice Day that will have both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series machines on track for two 50-minute practice sessions during the afternoon.
On Saturday, Bush’s Beans Qualifying will be held for both Cup and Truck competitors with each series participating in four blind-draw 15-lap qualifying heat races to set the fields for the main races. The Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt will follow Bush’s Beans Qualifying with an 8 p.m. (ET) start (FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
For ticket information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.
About Chris Tomlin
It is estimated that 20-30 million people across the world sing one of Chris’ songs every week in church services in nearly every language. TIME magazine heralded him as the “most often sung artist in the world” as his music has inspired and uplifted an entire generation of believers. Along the way, Chris has scored 17 #1 one singles at radio, placed 29 top ten hits (more than any other Christian artist), sold more than nine million albums with 4.5 Billion career global streams, earned a Grammy, three Billboard Music Awards, 27 Dove Awards, became a two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year honoree and an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year. In 2016, he was named one of only four artists ever to receive the Sound Exchange Digital Radio Award for over 1 Billion digital radio streams, alongside Justin Timberlake, Pitbull and Garth Brooks. Chris is also the first Christian artist to reach the Billion streams threshold on Pandora and was presented with their BILLIONAIRE award. As one of the most successful Christian touring artists today, Chris Tomlin has sold-out venues everywhere including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Red Rocks in Denver and more. For more information visit: www.christomlin.com or follow Chris on Twitter Instagram Facebook and YouTube.
About Max Lucado
Max Lucado is a pastor, speaker, and bestselling author with more than 145 million products in print that have been translated in 45 languages and distributed in 80 countries worldwide. Max entered the ministry in 1978. As a writer, Max is known for combining poetic storytelling and homespun humor with the heart of a pastor. In 2021, Max was awarded the ECPA Pinnacle Award for outstanding contribution in publishing. Max currently serves as Teaching Minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Max and his wife Denalyn live nearby in Central Texas. They have three grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren. Visit his website at www.MaxLucado.com. Or follow Max on Twitter Instagram Facebook and YouTube.
About Gary LeVox
After 20 years as front man to one of the most influential groups in Country history, Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox is embarking on a solo chapter that combines two of his biggest passions – music and faith. With his debut Christian single “The Distance” (Big Machine Records/Capitol Christian Music Group), the Ohio native unveiled the empowering first taste of that mission, delivering an epic expression of the power of belief that’s tailor made for the COVID-19 era. Grounded in the Flatts legacy, but clearly existing on a different sonic plane, the track features an exhilarating mix of LeVox’s stratospheric vocals and high-energy instrumentation, encouraging fans to never give up – and it’s a message he knows by heart. “The Distance” is one of five songs on LeVox’s debut solo collection ONE ON ONE (Big Machine Records), which includes multiple compelling collaborations as LeVox leans on his “congregation” to explore his new purpose. GRAMMY-winning Jonathan McReynolds offers a testimony of gratitude for “Never Forget,” and LeVox’s daughter Brittany joins the family business on “While I Wait.” Then, with the reflective “All I See,” country-rap firebrand BRELAND helps the superstar keep his eyes on the ultimate prize and LeVox and MercyMe mix California pop and sunny spirituality on “A Little Love.” His latest offering is the prayerful new track “Working On Sunday,” which LeVox co-wrote alongside Cledus T Judd, Wendell Mobley and Tony Martin. Earlier this year, LeVox released “We Got Fight,” featured as the coveted end credit in Netflix’s new film The Ice Road, out now. For the first time, LeVox will hit the road solo in Spring 2022 to bring his ONE ON ONE LIVE! show to fans. For tickets and more, visit GaryLeVox.com.
About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and in 2021 began converting to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.
