A brief history of NASCAR, country music
By Staff Report | Wednesday, July 17, 2019
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1975. Four future NASCAR Hall of Fame members. One country album. Don't miss the story behind it with a special "NASCAR Goes Country" film July 17 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. Scroll through to see the sport's connection to country music.
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1970s: NASCAR Cup drivers Marty Robbins and Bobby Allison pose together. Robbins, a country music singer, also competed in 35 Cup Series races from 1966-82.
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1971: Marty Robbins joins Bobby Allison in Victory Lane at Darlington Raceway. Country music entertainer Robbins, who dabbled in Cup racing, had one of his best career finishes in the event, taking seventh.
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1972: Bobby Allison holds a victory guitar as he stands next to Junior Johnson after winning the Nashville 420 Cup Series race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Mechanic Herb Nab (L) joins the celebration.
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1974: Country music legend Marty Robbins (R) performs at one of his many concerts. His musical accomplishments included a Grammy Award for his 1959 hit and signature song "El Paso." In addition to his recordings and performances, Robbins was an avid driver.
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1975: Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been known for bringing in top entertainment for the fans prior to races. Here country starts Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty perform for the crowd prior to a race.
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1984: Geoffrey Bodine displays the guitar he won for taking the checkered flag first at Nashville Speedway.
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1984: Geoffrey Bodine celebrates his second win of the year acoustic style.
Rusty Jarrett | Getty Images for NASCAR
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2007: Back when she was country, Taylor Swift performs at Chicagoland.
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2011: Austin Dillon celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Gander Trucks race at Nashville.
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2015: Blake Shelton, whose hit "Bringing Back the Sunshine" was used to open NBC's NASCAR broadcasts for two years, chats with Danica Patrick.
Jake Matthews
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2019: The Music City will host the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards on December 5 at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville.
