BRISTOL, Tenn. (July 11, 2023) – Grammy-nominated country music group Midland will perform the pre-race concert to kick off the popular Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 16 (7:30 p.m., USA Network and PRN Radio) at iconic Bristol Motor Speedway. The crown jewel event serves as the elimination race during the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16.
Midland will take the pre-race stage inside The Last Great Colosseum at 5:30 p.m. ET for a 45-minute set that will lead into Bristol’s highly-anticipated pre-race ceremonies that culminates with Cup Series stars like Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick, among others, walking out to the tunes of their favorite music. Guests are able to add-on a Pre-Race Infield Experience for front-row action for $90 per adult and $35 for children 12-and-under until August 15, when prices increase for all tickets.
Midland, from Dripping Springs, Texas, is a powerhouse trio that plays ‘neotraditional country’. The band is comprised of front man and lead vocalist Mark Wystrach, lead guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson and bass player Cameron Duddy.
Their critically-acclaimed sound and style, which Rolling Stone called, “a mix of George Strait, Urban Cowboy and ‘70s Yacht Rock,” has pushed their hit singles up the charts at a frenetic pace since emerging on the scene.
Midland’s three studio albums have produced seven chart-topping songs, including the Grammy Award nominated “Drinkin’ Problem.” Bristol fans also will recognize some of their other hits, including “Burn Out,” “Mr. Lonely,” “Make A Little,” and “Cheatin’ Songs.” The band also gained notoriety for famously covering Jerry Reed’s “East Bound and Down” from the movie Smokey and the Bandit during the 2018 CMA Awards appearance and the band says they still perform that cover in many of their live shows.
This is the third time that Midland has performed at NASCAR races. The band also sang in March 2022 before the Echo Park Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas and played earlier this year before the NASCAR All-Star Race at revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend features three nights of electrifying NASCAR Playoff action under the lights on the all-concrete half-mile that’s been called “The Holy Grail of Short Tracks.” In addition to Saturday night’s Cup Playoff race, the weekend also includes the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Bristol’s high banks in the Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday night, Sept. 15 (7:30 p.m., USA Network and PRN Radio). The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will get the fun started on Thursday night, Sept. 14, with the running of the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (9 p.m., FS1 and MRN Radio). The ARCA Menards Series will open Thursday’s racing to make it a doubleheader night with the Bush’s Beans 200 (6 p.m., FS1 and MRN Radio).
To purchase tickets for any or all of these events at Bristol Motor Speedway, please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.
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.
