Jake Owen, Dierks Bentley to Rock NASCAR Pre-Show Stages

It's a great day for country music lovin' NASCAR fans! Jake Owen will take his show to the Kansas Speedway on June 5 for NASCAR’s Kansas 400, and Dierks Bentley will perform a pre-race concert at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 21 to open the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Owen's pre-show concert will kick off the Kansas 400 festivities, and fans may also get an added bonus: the show could include never-before-heard tunes. The country star says, "It's kind of like a NASCAR race, you know. I mean, you wanna take your car out on the track and drive it before the race, you know what I mean? And make sure that it’s running right!" He adds, "For me, as a songwriter or a guy that’s getting these songs, thank goodness -- these outside songs from these writers -- they’ve been so cool to allow me with my band to work 'em up and go play ‘em live, and see if it’s working in our set."

A few weeks before Owen will light up the stage, his pal Dierks Bentley will be playing live at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bentley says, "I'm really looking forward to kicking off the All-Star Race in Charlotte. It's always great to watch a race in NASCAR's hometown. I can't wait to cheer my buddies on!"

NASCAR is very familiar with Bentley, as he re-recorded his No.1 hit 'Sideways' just for them, and Fox is using it on broadcasts for this years NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He also narrated the DVD 'The Rise of Kahne,' the story of NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne, a few years ago.