Kicking off the 2026 NASCAR season with some country music. Today, Miranda Lambert is set to headline a concert at Daytona International Speedway, as the Daytona 500 kicks off this year’s season of racing. The race, often better known at the Great American Race, start time has been moved up to 1:30 p.m. due to the threat of inclement weather, but Miranda should be able to get her show done without any issues, and it’s impressive that they got an artist of Miranda’s caliber, so I’m sure race fans will be looking forward to seeing her perform before the race gets underway. Before she takes the stage, though, she had a press conference with NASCAR and sports media, and when asked about playing a venue as big as Daytona International Speedway, which holds 101,500 people, she had a hilarious response. She said that it’s easily one of the biggest stages she’s played on, and joked that Noah Lewis, who asked the question, had her “nervous” now that she thought about it that way. Of course, she’s a pro, so I’m sure she won’t really be that nervous, because she also called race fans “[her] people,” noting that she has already seen people out tailgating and having a good time, very much like a typical concert environment, where she’s of course right at home: “I mean, I think this would be one of the biggest stages, now that you mention it… thanks for making me nervous. Yeah, it’s just incredible, the amount of people here. But you know what, coming in here, it feels like… these are my people. Everybody was tailgating, it kind of felt like a concert already, you know what I mean? Everybody’s in a good mood, it’s a celebration, and it’s going to be a fun day.” I’m excited to see what songs she’s chosen for her set, which will occur before the green flag drops with pole winner Kyle Busch in first position, and Chase Briscoe sharing the front row with him. This event is the first of 36 points-paying races for the NASCAR Cup Series’ 2026 season, and it’s becoming a trend for rain to impact this race, as the last two editions of the Daytona 500 have been affected by rain. Last year, there were over three hours of red-flag time, and the 2024 race was pushed to Monday because of so much rain. Today’s race is sold out (okay, I can see how she might be a little nervous… that’s a LOT of people), and the drivers will compete for a record purse of $31,045,575, and hopefully, they’ll be able to get through it without any rain especially considering the adjusted start time. Sorry for making you nervous, @mirandalambert! She breaks down what it means for her to play the #Daytona500. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/zNhn4qWjyf — Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) February 15, 2026 Speaking of Miranda, in terms of touring and putting out new music last year, she was pretty quiet, spending her time doing a limited run of shows and focusing on helping artists like Ella Langley write, produce and record, as Miranda was a huge part of Ella’s smash hit single “Choosin’ Texas,” which is from her forthcoming sophomore album Dandelion that Miranda co-produced. “Choosin’ Texas” The post Miranda Lambert Jokes She’s “Nervous” To Play Sold-Out Daytona 500: “It’s Just Incredible, The Amount Of People Here” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.