From Daytona International Speedway
Brooks & Dunn, the most awarded duo in country music history with more than 80 industry awards, including 20 Country Music Association Awards and 26 Academy of Country Music Awards, will highlight the Sprint Pre-Race Show for the historic 50th running of the Daytona 500.
In addition to the country duo, Chubby Checker. Michael McDonald and Kool & the Gang will rock the high-profile pre-race entertainment stage, bringing together a collection of musical icons from different musical eras.
Brooks & Dunn will perform "Hard Workin' Man" and their newest release "Proud of the House we Built" at the pre-race extravaganza, which will air live before millions of national television viewers on Fox and more than 200,000 energized race fans on-site at historic Daytona International Speedway (DIS) prior to the Sunday, Feb. 17, race.
"The pre-race extravaganza, the culmination of events leading up to NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race, will set the standard for pre-race activities in the industry," said DIS President Robin Braig. "The energy and talent behind the Sprint Pre-Race show will be a great compliment to the many exciting things we have in store for the historic 50th Running Weekend."
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn are the most awarded duo in country music. They have produced 23 No. 1 hits, such as "Brand New Man," "Only in America" and "Red Dirt Road," and have sold more than 30 million records.
Legendary rock and roll singer Chubby Checker will chime in with his hit from the summer of 1960--"The Twist." Checker changed the way America danced and is the only artist to have five albums in the Top 12 all at once.
Soul singer Michael McDonald, a mainstay in the '70s, will perform "Takin' It To The Streets." As a member of The Doobie Brothers, McDonald recorded some of his most memorable songs, such as "Little Darling," "It Keeps You Runnin'," "Minute by Minute" and "What a Fool Believes," which became a No. 1 single in the United States and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Kool & the Gang will perform their international hit single "Celebration," which remained at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B charts for six consecutive weeks and was the No. 1 Billboard Pop single.
Joining Brooks & Dunn and the rest of the pre-race talent will be nearly 4,000 cast members on the Speedway's historic, five-acre, tri-oval grass. And in the heart-pumping pre-race revelry will be a star-studded list of musical talent to be announced at a later date.
Past performers in the Sprint-sponsored Daytona 500 Pre-Race Shows include a who's who of entertainers, including Kelly Clarkson, rock band Bon Jovi, country music superstar Clint Black, Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson, John Ondrasik and Five For Fighting, singer/actress Vanessa Williams, singer Lee Greenwood and singer LeAnn Rimes.
2008 marks the fifth consecutive year that JHE Production Group and Q&A Entertainment Inc. will produce the Daytona 500 Sprint Pre-Race Show.
Tickets for all events at historic DIS can be purchased by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or by visiting www.racetickets.com.
