Dierks Bentley will take the pre-race stage at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the 68th Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 30, 2027, the Harrisburg speedway announced Sunday, Oct. 11.
The concert is free for all race-day ticket holders. It continues a pattern of booking major country acts for NASCAR's only 600-mile race. Brad Paisley headlined the 2026 pre-race show.
Bentley has recorded 22 No. 1 singles, eight No. 1 albums and more than 9.5 billion career streams. He has earned 15 Grammy nominations and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry. His latest album, Broken Branches, arrived alongside his Off the Map Tour in 2026, which included stadium dates with Luke Combs.
"The Coca-Cola 600 is all about delivering unforgettable moments both on and off the track, and Dierks Bentley is the perfect artist to help kick off race day," speedway General Manager Jessica Fickenscher said in the announcement.
The Coca-Cola 600 has sold out four straight years. The 2025 race drew fans from all 50 states and 12 countries, according to the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau. That weekend was a finalist for Best Professional Sports Event in the 2025 SportsTravel Awards.
The race anchors a tourism sector with a growing footprint in Cabarrus County. Visitors spent nearly $683 million in the county in 2025, up from $566.74 million in 2022, according to Cabarrus Compass. The county ranked 12th among North Carolina's 100 counties in visitor spending last year.
Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith called the Coca-Cola 600 "a can't-miss spectacle in all of sports" in a July 2025 press release announcing the event's SportsTravel nomination.
Fans who want stage-front access can purchase a Track Pass upgrade or a Race Day Bundle that combines a race ticket and Track Pass. Kids 12 and under get in all weekend for $10. Tickets are available at charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267).
