Montgomery Gentry to sing national anthem at Brickyard

Montgomery Gentry to sing National Anthem at Brickyard 400

INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, July 21, 2003 -- Popular Columbia Records recording group Montgomery Gentry will sing the national anthem before the start of the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The race, which is the largest-attended NASCAR event and the second largest single-day sporting event in the world behind the Indianapolis 500, is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. (local time) start Sunday, Aug. 3. It will be televised live by NBC.

Honky-tonk duo Montgomery Gentry, which consists of Kentucky natives Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, has recorded three nationally released albums, including their 1999 debut "Tattoos & Scars," their 2001 sophomore effort "Carrying On," which was certified gold, and their most recent album, "My Town," which was released in August 2002.

The duo's new single, "Hell Yeah," was recently shipped in the wake of their top-five hit, "Speed," and is receiving airplay across the United States.

Although artists Montgomery and Gentry are self-professed "NASCAR junkies," the Brickyard 400 will mark Montgomery Gentry's first visit to the world-famous 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and their second time singing the national anthem at a NASCAR Winston Cup race. Their first performance of the anthem at a Winston Cup event was in 2002 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Montgomery has a No. 3 embroidered on the sleeve of the black duster he wears in concert every night, in honor of the late Dale Earnhardt, who won the 1995 Brickyard 400.

Reserved-seat Race Day tickets for the Brickyard 400 remain available. Tickets and parking can be purchased on the World Wide Web via www.imstix.com or by calling the IMS Ticket Office at (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700.