Country Music and NASCAR have been synonymous for decades sharing lifestyle and a core fan base. Count hit-making artist Kip Moore among the stock car faithful, even if he came into the fold later in life.
Moore is performing the pre-race concert at Darlington Raceway for Saturday night’s 75th Southern 500 to help promote his album “Solitary Tracks” that come out in February. Before hitting the stage, he stopped by the Jim Hunter Media Center to talk about how he got into NASCAR, performing at tracks and his favorite past and present drivers.
Intimidator, Awesome Bill and Chase
Once Moore, a native of Tipton, GA, started following NASCAR more closely, there were two names that stuck out to him in the early days. One such name was the seven-time NCS champion of Dale Earnhardt, especially at Darlington. The other was another native of Georgia, Bill Elliott.
“When I was a kid growing up in Georgia, I loosely followed the sport,” Moore shared. “Later on, I got to know the driver’s names. Dale Earnhardt, that’s what I think of here (at Darlington). “Actually, I was big fan of Bill Elliott.
“So those two guys, as a kid, I think because “The Intimidator” was who he was, I was rooting for Bill a lot.
“Now, I know his son (Chase) and he’s become a friend and comes to some shows. So, I’ll be pulling for him today. It was Bill and Dale I was following the closest, for sure.”
Days of Thunder Sparked the Interest
Many new fans were first exposed to NASCAR by the 1990 hit movie “Days of Thunder” starring Tom Cruise, Robert Duval and Nicole Kidman. And, you can’t count Moore in that mix of the faithful.
“It started by watching the Daytona 500 early in my career,” said Moore. “As a kid, watching Days of Thunder, of course. I mean, it was like the Daytona 500 was such a distinct memory for me in the movie.
“It wasn’t like I grew up in NASCAR where I was from, but then I got into later in life. Then, to play the Daytona 500 (2017) was pretty special.
NASCAR Fans are Wild
Moore has performed at amphitheaters, indoor arenas and various other venues during his hit-making career. Because of his talent and efforts, he was twice nominated by the Country Music Association for New Artist of the Year in 2013 and 2014.
Last year, he earned the International Artist Achievement Award from the Country Music Association. He shared the best part about playing his music in front of a NASCAR crowd.
“It mirrors a festival,” Moore said. “There’s a more of a frenzied atmosphere at the show. More of like a family gathering, for me. You feel like it’s being taken in a little more internally.
“Yeah, NASCAR fans are pretty wild. So, there’s a different nature that comes with that.”
Hopefully, Moore will stick around after his pre-race show and catch the wild racing action “The Lady in Black” can produce. Tune into USA TV and MRN/Sirius XM NASCAR radio to see how the 16-Playoff Driver field does, or if someone else steals the trophy.
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