Hardy Named Grand Marshall For Nashville NASCAR Race

NASCAR is taking over Nashville later this month as the Ally 400 race weekend is scheduled for Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30. It has been announced that country-rocker Hardy has been named the Grand Marshall of the race on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.

Hardy, the Grand Marshal of the 2024 Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, will take part in the event at 2:30 pm CT which will broadcast live on NBC. The Nashville hitmaker follows previous Ally 400 Grand Marshals Old Dominion (2023), Kane Brown (2022), and Luke Combs (2021).

“HARDY’s presence at the Ally 400 as our grand marshal perfectly embodies the dynamic energy and diverse talent that Music City is known for,” said Matt Greci, general manager of Nashville Superspeedway, in a news release. “We are honored to have such an acclaimed artist, who has made significant contributions to country and rock music, join us for this exciting event. His command to start engines will undoubtedly set the stage for an unforgettable race day.”

Hardy is currently out on the road for his headlining Quit!!! Tour with special guests Kip Moore, Travis Denning, Ella Langley, and Stephen Wilson Jr. He will play New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire this weekend.

The country-rock will drop his next album, QUIT!!, on July 12, featuring the previously released songs "Rockstar," "Six Feet Under (Caleigh's Song)," and the title-track, "Quit!!." The 13-track collection follows Hardy’s 2023 album The Mockingbird & The Crow, which contains a mix of country and rock music.

Most recently, Hardy took the stage at Nissan Stadium in Nashville as part of the CMA Fest lineup. He performed eight of his songs throughout the night with surprise guests Big & Rich, Lauren Alaina, and Carly Pearce during his set.

Country singer Tim Dugger will also be in attendance to perform at the "Pre-Race Concert" on Sunday.

HARDY has been making a big splash in country music in the last couple of years. "Wait In The Truck," in particular, has become an huge hit and an award winner.

Last week, CMA nominations were announced for the 57th Annual CMA Awards, and HARDY landed four nominations this year with his hit collaboration "Wait In The Truck," which features fellow nominee Lainey Wilson. "Wait In The Truck" was co-produced and co-written by HARDY. Justin Clough directed the music video for the song. HARDY now has nine career nominations, three of which are for Song of the Year.

As he celebrates his 33rd birthday today (9/13), he is headlining his own "The Mockingbird & THE CROW Fall Tour" with his duet partner and friend Lainey Wilson as an opener. This week, the tour plays shows in Kentucky and Ohio.

In a recent interview, HARDY said his signature song, "Wait In The Truck," is based on something that happened one night with his then-girlfriend. He noted that the song came about fairly simply. He explained, "I was in Atlanta, and my girlfriend was at a party and said a guy made a pass at her." HARDY said he was "fired up about it" and thought if it had gotten any worse, he would have found out where he lived and told my girlfriend to "wait in the truck." Then he decided to write a story about it. He noted that "The song wrote itself."

HARDY added that the song got heavier than he originally intended. He said in the second verse when he murdered and "say how we did it," he didn't think he would do that at the start. By then, he knew he was going to cut the song. He said to himself, "'If I'm doin' it, we're killin' the guy.'"

As HARDY celebrates his 33rd year in this world today (9/13) with his wife Caleigh by his side, we share what we believe are four songs he released as an artist that made him a country music star.

HARDY said that "Give Heaven Some Hell" is a "stirring" tribute to anyone who has lost a loved one. He said it is one of his favorite songs that he has ever written. When he released it, he said, "I just hope this helps anyone that's ever suffered a loss of a loved one. I'm excited for this song to exist in the world." The chorus includes the lyrics, "I hope you hit those gold streets on two wheels / I hope your mansion in the sky's got a ten-acre field / With some mud and some hubs you can lock in / Make some thunder, make 'em wonder how you got in / Hide your beer, hide your clear from the man upstairs / Crank it loud, hold it down 'til I get there / And when I do, I hope you got some new stories to tell / 'Til then, give Heaven some hell."

"One Beer" tells a story about how just a single Bud Light led to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and a shotgun marriage. Though the twist of fate resulted in the shelving of life plans, there is the ultimate blessing of a happy family of three. The song reached number one on the country charts, becoming HARDY's first number-one as an artist.

This was HARDY's very first single from his debut album. The music video was shot on a farm in Cottontown, Tennessee, and features some of HARDY's songwriting collaborators: Brett Tyler, Joe Clemmons, and Benjy Davis. The group was able to relax and have a fun day just being buddies and hanging out. Their day consisted of mudding, mattress surfing via his jacked-up 4x4, shooting catfish in a lake, paintballing, and shotgunning Busch Lights.

HARDY's biggest hit as an artist. This modern day murder ballad has been certified platinum, selling almost one million copies. The song's dramatic video won Collaborative Music Video of the Year at the 2023 CMT Music Awards and was nominated for Video of the Year. The song and video won Musical Event and Video of the Year at the 2023 ACM Awards. The song depicts a man who, upon finding a battered woman on the side of the road, confronts her abuser in his trailer, shooting him when he reaches for his shotgun, killing the abuser. The video has been viewed on YouTube over 63 million times.