NASCAR’s New ‘Next Gen’ Car Will be Showcased in The Great American Race, the Season-Opener for the NASCAR Cup Series and Culmination of Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2022) – Award-winning, multi-platinum Country music icon and star of the upcoming FOX series MONARCH, Trace Adkins will perform the National Anthem prior to the start of The Great American Race – the 64th running of the DAYTONA 500 this Sunday, Feb 20 (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Adkins will give his rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner in front of a packed house for the DAYTONA 500, which is a complete sellout. The season opener for the NASCAR Cup Series, which will feature NASCAR’s anticipated ‘Next Gen’ car, gets underway at 2:30 p.m. (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
In his 25-year career in Country music, Adkins has sold over 11 MILLION albums, charted more than 20 singles, earned numerous awards, multiple GRAMMY nominations, and garnered over TWO BILLION streams. A Grand Ole Opry member for nearly two decades, the Louisiana native is known for dynamic baritone and fiery, always-memorable live performances, and has expanded his Country career to include film and TV acting.
He broke out in 1996 with the debut album, DREAMIN’ OUT LOUD, cracking the Top 5 of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with “Every Light In the House Is On” and following with the #1 smash, “This Ain’t (No Thinkin’ Thing).” Since then, Adkins has pioneered a mix of classic Country minded traditionalism and adventurous, good-natured showmanship, breaking open new avenues in modern Country through fun-filled hits like “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and “Hillbilly Bone” (with Blake Shelton).
Adkins is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut with 2021’s THE WAY I WANNA GO (Verge Records), a 25-song album that released to critical acclaim with Rolling Stone praising as “lighthearted club-ready fun…,” PEOPLE noting it’s “packed to the hilt with hits,” and Billboard applauding “a creative tour de force that serves up the lyrical and stylistic diversity that would make his hero Milsap proud.” Mixing pure-Country reverence with standout collaborations featuring Blake Shelton, Melissa Etheridge, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder on harmonica and more, the LP introduces Adkins’ latest single “Where The Country Girls At” (featuring Luke Bryan and Pitbull). Launching his headline THE WAY I WANNA GO TOUR this spring, Adkins will also host Season 3 of Ultimate Cowboy Showdown premiering in April on INSP plus star in FOX’s new drama series, MONARCH, expected to premiere in the fall.
While the DAYTONA 500 is sold out, there are still plenty of exciting ways to experience the pageantry of Speedweeks Presented By AdventHeath with an excited lineup of super-competitive races. For ticket information, log onto www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.
- Tuesday, Feb. 15: DAYTONA 500 Practices (5:05 p.m./6:35 p.m. ET).
- Wednesday, Feb. 16: DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Busch Light (8:05 p.m. ET).
- Thursday, Feb. 17: Bluegreen Vacations Duel At DAYTONA qualifying races (7:00 p.m. ET); NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice (4:35 p.m. ET) & ARCA Menards Series practice (5:30 p.m. ET).
- Friday, Feb. 18: NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race (7:30 p.m. ET); ARCA Menards (1:30 p.m. ET) and Camping World Truck Series qualifying (3:00 p.m. ET); NASCAR Cup Series practice (6:00 p.m. ET).
- Saturday, Feb. 19: Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire ARCA Menards race (1:30 p.m. ET) and Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series event (5:00 p.m. ET); NASCAR Cup Series final practice (10:30 a.m. ET); NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying (11:35 a.m. ET).
- Sunday, Feb. 20: DAYTONA 500, The Great American Race (2:30 p.m. ET).
** Schedule subject to change
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as the all-new NASCAR Tracks App, for the latest speedway news.
Fans can follow Adkins on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. In addition to at least nine major event weekends, the Speedway grounds are also used extensively for events that include concerts, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training. The iconic venue will be the site of a host of motorsports events early in 2022, beginning with AHRMA Classic Motofest and the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA in January, and the 64th DAYTONA 500, which will debut the first points race for NASCAR’s ‘Next Gen’ car as part of Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth in February. The tradition-rich 81st Annual Bike Week At DAYTONA returns in March, featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, and in May with the Heroes Honor Festival. Later in the summer during Independence Day weekend, the track, in association with Torneos, will host Soccer Fest before the NASCAR Cup Series returns for the final race of the regular season with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Aug. 27.
