American Idol finalist and 19/Interscope recording artist to sing “Star-Spangled Banner” before NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship race
Pia Toscano - Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
MIAMI— Homestead-Miami Speedway today announced that American Idol finalist Pia Toscano will sing the National Anthem prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Ford 400 race on Sunday, November 20. Track President Matthew Becherer made the announcement.
The 19/Interscope recording artist just completed the American Idol Live Tour and is currently putting the finishing touches on her debut album, scheduled for release early next year. Toscano has opened for the Barenaked Ladies and performed with Josh Groban at Madison Square Garden.
“I am so excited and honored to sing the National Anthem at the NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series Championship race – the Ford 400,” said Toscano.
“It’s fitting that an entertainer of Pia’s caliber presents the Anthem at NASCAR’s Championship race,” said Becherer. “We are excited and confident that it will be a rendition that fans at the track and those tuning in worldwide will enjoy.”
More About Pia Toscano:
19/Interscope recording artist and American Idol finalist, Pia Toscano, began her singing career appearing in talent shows when she was four, was the official National Anthem singer at her middle school, and performed at every event including graduation.
Widely considered one of American Idol’s Season 10 frontrunners thanks to her powerhouse vocal ability and dark-haired beauty, Pia‘s early elimination shocked and visibly upset judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler. The latter said of the voting public:
“They’re wrong. I don’t know what happened with this. She’s beautiful. When she sings, she’s a bird.” Outraged fans took to Twitter to express their support, including celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Jennifer Hudson, Ellen DeGeneres, Alyssa Milano, Dax Shepard,
Marlon Wayons, and Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher phoned in to “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” to opine: “I think she was probably the best pure singer on the show, and she’s got all the makings of what it means to be a star in my opinion, so I was just irked [when she was voted off].”
About Homestead-Miami Speedway:
The Speedway has been open since 1995 following an initiative to spur economic recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The 640-acre facility is active more than 280 days per year and hosts NASCAR’s Championship Races during Ford Championship Weekend (November 18-20, 2011). The Sprint Cup Championship Ford 400 is broadcast live on TV and radio to 175 countries and into 24 languages. Homestead-Miami Speedway, featuring a 1.5-mile oval and 2.21-mile road course, generates more than $250 million annually for the region. Tickets start at just $55 for the Ford 400 (Sunday, November 20) – NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series Championship. For more information, please visit www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com or call 866.409.RACE.
New for 2011: The Ford 400 winner will take home a 25-foot Tournament model fishing boat, built by Homestead-based Contender Boats.
- Homestead-Miami Speedway, Press Release
