Iconic country music artist to perform popular anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.” during Bristol Motor Speedway’s spectacular pre-race ceremonies
BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 31, 2026) – Legendary country music artist Lee Greenwood is returning to Bristol Motor Speedway this fall to perform his popular patriotic anthem, “God Bless the USA,” as part of the spectacular pre-race ceremonies during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 19.
America’s Night Race is race No. 3 in the 10-race NASCAR Chase for the Cup Series championship. In the Chase, 16 eligible drivers will battle over the 10-race postseason series to determine the season champion. The race weekend also will feature Chase races in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the future stars of the sport will compete in the ARCA Menards Series.
Greenwood hasn’t performed the song during a Bristol NASCAR race weekend since the summer of 2018. Before that he performed the song during pre-game festivities for the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol college football game played at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016 between border rivals Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee. Overall, Greenwood has performed God Bless the USA more than a half-dozen times at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Lee Greenwood has been a friend of Bristol Motor Speedway for many years and we are thrilled to announce that he will be joining us once again during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race this September to perform his beautiful “God Bless the U.S.A.” during pre-race ceremonies,” said Jerry Caldwell, President and General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “The feeling of patriotism is electric when Lee sings that song and the crowd gets revved up for an amazing evening of entertainment.”
American icon Greenwood’s timeless rendition of “God Bless the USA” was originally released in 1984 and then gained prominence during the 1988 U.S. Presidential campaign. It later became popular again in the 2000s following the September 11 attacks and reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Southern California native Greenwood, 83, has had seven No. 1 hits in his career, including “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “Dixie Road,” and Mornin’ Ride,” among others.
Greenwood will perform the song as “Lincoln” the soaring bald eagle is released to fly high above the stadium. It is always a goosebump producing spectacle as the energetic crowd knows the words to the song and sings along with Greenwood. Lincoln is trained by handlers at the non-profit American Eagle Foundation in Kodak, Tenn.
The race weekend features the crown jewel Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday night, Sept. 19, a 500-lap post-season race in the NASCAR Cup Series and also the Food City 300 on Friday night, Sept. 18, a Chase race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series opens its Chase at Bristol with the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics in what promises to be a thrilling Thursday night double-header with the ARCA Menards Series, which will open the racing that afternoon with the Bush’s Beans 200 as the future stars of the sport take to the track. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website or call the BMS Tickets Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.
About Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, known as The Last Great Colosseum, sits in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line. The 0.533-mile concrete oval, with 28-degree banking, hosts two major NASCAR Cup Series weekends each year, the tradition-rich Food City 500 and the crown jewel Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The venue has staged iconic moments such as the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol football game between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech (NCAA-record 156,990 fans), the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds (MLB regular-season record crowd of 91,032), the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race, the rebirth of NASCAR Cup Series racing on dirt from 2021–2023 and sold-out concerts for Morgan Wallen and Kenny Chesney. Fans enjoy Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided screen video board. The adjacent Bristol Dragway is the home to the NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals, and the dragway can transform into the Thunder Valley Amphitheatre for music concerts. Opened in 1961 and acquired by Speedway Motorsports in 1996, Bristol remains one of America’s most unique and versatile sports and entertainment destinations. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.
