DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson and his Legacy Motor Membership race workforce welcomed Creed to NASCAR with arms large open. So singer Scott Stapp and the remainder of the multi-platinum rock band stuffed them — they handed Johnson an autographed guitar.
Johnson, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, joked he rapidly wanted classes.
Seems, with Creed on board, they took Johnson larger within the No. 84 Toyota on the scoring pylon and now the band and the seven-time NASCAR champion are within the Daytona 500.
Johnson, who was inducted into the Corridor of Fame final month, raced his method into the Daytona 500 with a three-wide transfer via the ultimate flip of Thursday evening’s first qualifying race.
Legacy Motor Membership reached an affiliate sponsorship take care of the band to offer Creed a spot on the Toyota for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Creed decals face the “Creed Tour In-Automobile” cameras which can be plastered contained in the automobile.
“I assume we’re giving him some inspiration on the within, as nicely,” Stapp mentioned Thursday contained in the Daytona Worldwide Speedway storage. “Get him pumped up.”
Johnson’s connections with Gibson guitars and music business relationships, together with leisure large Reside Nation, had been instrumental in touchdown rock band Weapons N’ Roses final season on the hood of Legacy driver Erik Jones’ No. 43 Chevrolet. Johnson mentioned the GNR diecast was NASCAR’s second best-seller final season.
Jones crashed and completed twenty eighth.
“We’re going to alter that,” Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti mentioned.
Legacy ambassador Richard Petty, the one different dwelling seven-time NASCAR champion, caught “Petty 75” patches on Stapp, Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips.
Creed is a part of the superstar taste on the Daytona 500 that this yr consists of honorary tempo automobile driver Miss America 2024 Madison Marsh, honorary starter DJ Khaled and grand marshal Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Pitbull will carry out earlier than the race.
The band was one of the profitable rock acts of the Nineties, promoting greater than 40 million albums. Creed gained the Grammy for greatest rock track for “With Arms Vast Open” in 2001.
Creed final toured collectively in 2012. The band launches its “Summer season of ’99” tour on July 17 and just lately introduced extra dates via December.
“We’ll play the hits, we’ll play some deep cuts that we love,” Stapp mentioned. “For us, too, a few of our favourite tracks that perhaps we didn’t get to play on the final run that we at all times needed to play dwell.”
Tremonti mentioned the band was informed the age group shopping for essentially the most tickets for the tour was 25 to 35.
“When our music got here out again within the day, it was simply in every single place,” Tremonti mentioned. “All people again within the day got here to see the live shows they usually wish to relive these moments. All people desires to return to when occasions had been easier they usually beloved their rock on the radio.”
Creed’s cease at Daytona was its first at a NASCAR occasion because it performed the 2010 All-Star race.
Creed’s anthemic hits “Increased” and “My Sacrifice” helped the band grow to be an arena-rock staple by the point it first broke up in 2004. Very like Johnson on the superspeedway, Creed is just wanting forward.
“Man, it seems like 2000 once more,” Stapp mentioned. “It’s good to have these optimistic experiences with the fellows and get equipped for the large yr forward.”
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing