Miranda Lambert has been announced to headline the Daytona 500 pre-race concert on Sunday, February 15. The USAF Thunderbirds are also slated perform a flyover and kickstart the 68th edition of The Great American Race.
Lambert is on a generational run with three Grammy nominations this year. Furthermore, her latest album, Postcards from Texas, has broken into the top-10 Country Albums Chart for the tenth consecutive time, while her recent collaborations with country music singers Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson have also garnered Grammy nominations.
The country music legend boasts seven No. 1 solo albums, 10 No. 1 hit radio singles and over 80 prestigious awards in her nearly 25-year career. She began with her self-titled and independently-released album in 2001, before nabbing her first chart-topping studio album, Kerosene, in 2005.
NASCAR reporter Joseph Srigley shared the news with an X post, writing:
“Miranda Lambert will be the pre-race concert for the #DAYTONA500 — announced during the Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers game.”
Daytona International Speedway President, Frank Kelleher, addressed the announcement and said (via Jayski.com),
“To have this level of talent with an artist such as Miranda Lambert performing our pre-race concert adds an incredible amount of energy for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. Her powerhouse vocals and passion for music are the perfect mix to represent the prestige of this event. Get ready for the thunder of country music before we wave the green flag and engines roar to kick off the 2026 season!”
The Daytona 500 begins with a qualifying session on Wednesday, February 11, followed by a Duel for Daytona on Thursday, February 12.
Jimmie Johnson secures guaranteed spot for Daytona 500
Daytona 500 is targeted by multiple open teams for a slot on the 40-car grid, but Jimmie Johnson’s No.84 Carvana Toyota won’t need to go through the time trials or the Duel races. The seven-time Cup Series champion made use of the Open Exemption Provisional to secure a guaranteed spot.
The OEP was created ahead of the 2025 season as part of a ‘promoter’s choice’ to support accomplished, world-class drivers. Four-time Indy 500 champion Hélio Castroneves was the first driver to seize the opportunity.
NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass shared the latest development and wrote,
“Jimmie Johnson has guaranteed spot in Daytona 500. Legacy applied for and has been granted the “open exemption provisional” … so Johnson is guaranteed spot and field will be 41 cars. Johnson won’t get purse $. Where he starts I’d expect depends on finish in duels. @NASCARONFOX”
Jimmie Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 champion himself. It’ll be Johnson’s 701st Cup Series start and one of two scheduled starts for the 2026 season. He’s also slated for the inaugural road course race in San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado.
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