NSCS: MULTIPLE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING COUNTRY MUSIC ICON, DWIGHT YOAKAM, NAMED HONORARY STARTER FOR AUTO CLUB 400

FONTANA, Calif. (March 19, 2015) – Global country music legend and superstar of the screen, Dwight Yoakam, will serve as Honorary Starter for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 22. With more than 25 million albums sold worldwide, and major motion picture roles alongside some of the world’s top thespians including Jodie Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Forest Whitaker, and Nicolas Cage, Yoakam is amongst an elite cadre of global superstars.

As Honorary Starter, Yoakam will wave the green flag to start the Auto Club 400, and watch the stock cars take their first lap on the circuit’s final stop on the West Coast Swing. The event will be televised at Noon (PT) on FOX.

As an Honorary Race Official, Yoakam will be involved with pre-race ceremony activities including driver introductions and special NASCAR awards. He will be joined by Miss Sprint Cup, Eric Stonestreet from “Modern Family,” Latin GRAMMY-nominated musical artist, El Dasa, and other dignitaries.

For over three decades, Yoakam has entertained fans across 12 gold and 9 platinum or multi-platinum albums, 5 of which have topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart, with another 14 landing in the Top 10. He is a 21-time nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award-winner, and in 2013 was named the Americana Music Association’s Artist of the Year, the most prestigious honor offered by the organization. In addition to his unparalleled music career, Yoakam has commanded the spotlight in both television and film, including the Academy Award-winning “Sling Blade,” David Fincher’s box office smash “Panic Room,” and “Wedding Crashers” alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. On April 14, 2015, Yoakam will release his latest album, ‘Second Hand Heart,’ on Warner/Reprise records. The album is available for pre-order here, and you can listen to the title track here. Visit www.dwightyoakam.com for more information.

To see Dwight Yoakam get the Auto Club 400 underway at Auto Club Speedway or to purchase tickets to race weekend call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com, or visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.

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About Auto Club Speedway:  Located 50 miles east of Los Angeles in Fontana, California, Auto Club Speedway is California’s premier motorsports facility, hosting over 320 days of track activity each year including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 weekend, March 20-22 and INDYCAR’s MAVTV 500, June 26-27.  The two-mile D-shaped oval is one of the fastest tracks on the INDYCAR and NASCAR circuits.  The Speedway is also home to numerous movies, television and commercial productions, photo shoots, new car testing, club racing and a variety of racing schools. For more information on events at Auto Club Speedway call 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or visit www.autoclubspeedway.com .  For more information on event lodging, visit the Hilton Garden Inn, Fontana, the official hotel partner of Auto Club Speedway and Auto Club Dragway.