Corey Kent, a fast-rising, breakout country music artist already with a Platinum-certified No. 1 radio single, will serve as the featured pre-race entertainment for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Sunday, March 2.
Kent will perform a one-hour concert, which will be highlighted by his Platinum-certified hit “Wild As Her,” beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT at the Pre-Race Stage located on COTA’s frontstretch. Fans can purchase an Ultimate Fan Pass or Track Pass upgrade for enhanced stage access for Kent’s performance as well as NCS pre-race driver introductions.
Kent, a Bixby, Okla. native now based in Dallas, has been described as a new-school country rocker with a reputation for red-dirt swagger and blue-collar grit. He was a rapidly rising talent since his teens in Nashville, but the pandemic coincided with the loss of his first publishing deal. Kent moved to Texas and secured a job on a paving crew to pay the family bills but never abandoned his dream.
He continued to play honky-tonks and dance halls, and in 2022, the hit single “Wild As Her” from his major label album debut “Blacktop” relaunched his career. In addition to going Platinum, the single also has garnered more than 750 million career streams. A second single off that album – “Something’s Gonna Kill Me” – went Gold and is approaching Platinum status.
Kent began touring alongside stars such as Jason Aldean, Ashley McBryde, Eli Young Band, Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson and more and became the most-played new artist on country radio for all of 2023. His popularity and fan base began to explode.
The 30-year-old singer/songwriter released his latest album “Black Bandana” this past September with Sony Music Nashville. He followed with a nationwide tour that also includes a few international stops. Kent co-wrote six of the album’s 10 songs with the goal of mixing themes of integrity, resilience and family with a sonic setting along with finding the midway point between Bruce Springsteen and Brooks & Dunn. The album title gives a nod to his pendant for wearing a black bandana during his performances as well as his rally cry.
“It started from riding motorcycles and wanting something over your face, so you didn’t swallow a bug,” Kent said. “But then it turned into a staple I wear on stage, and then a symbol of the path through my career and life. Through all the ups and downs, the one constant thing was this relentless hope – this relentless pursuit of believing that if I don’t give up, I can get where I’m going.”
The NASCAR at COTA weekend will feature both the NCS and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) along with the IMSA-sanctioned VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. The NXS will compete Saturday, March 1, at 1:30 p.m. with the Focused Health 250. The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will stage two 45-minute races that same day, one at 8:40 a.m. and the second at 5 p.m. The weekend will culminate with the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 2, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Click HERE for the full weekend schedule.
The NCS and NXS will return to the Lone Star State along with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for a May 2-4 visit to Fort Worth and Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Fans can take advantage of the “Texas Two-Step” promotion between NASCAR at COTA and TMS. Speedway Motorsports will offer ticket purchasers of either NCS race a 20 percent discount if they would like to attend both. Click HERE for more information on the “Texas Two-Step” promotion or to purchase tickets.
Tickets:
Tickets for children ages 12 and under are just $10 for the March 2 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NCS race and free for the March 1 NXS Focused Health 250 and IMSA-sanctioned VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. For individual tickets, weekend packages and camping, fans can visit NASCARatCOTA.com.
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