It’s one of the sport’s most popular new traditions: drivers picking out their own favorite song to come out to an introduction in front of 150,000 screaming fans at Bristol. But this year’s Thunder Valley starting grid was missing a few perfect additions to the list; find out the song pairings that were left off their PA feed in the latest edition of the Frontstretch Top 10.
Note: The requests may be fake, but the song titles on this list? They’re real.
10. For Matt Kenseth: “Mr. Roboto” by Styx.
9. For David Ragan: “It’s Hot In Here” by Nelly (played from inside the driver’s seat, quietly, with UPS executives writing up pink slips in the background).
8. For Carl Edwards: “A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course” by Mr. Ed. Sung by the singing trio of a talking horse, the AFLAC Duck and suspiciously out of tune by Brad Keselowski.
7. For Scott Speed: “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Sheryl Crow. Only valid if Speed enters the track with freshly painted, NASCAR-themed visible toenails.
6. For Joey Logano: “If I Had a Hammer” by Peter, Paul, And Mary. During the line, “I’d hammer out a warning” calmly raises a sign to the camera that reads, “Don’t mess with me, Home Depot.”
5. For Terry Labonte: “Slow Ride… Take It Easy” by Foghat (but performed by a cover band from the local senior housing complex).
4. For Kyle Busch: “Nice Guys Finish Last” by Green Day.
3. For Jeff Gordon: “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. For how a career has come full circle.
2. For Tony Stewart: “2nd Sucks” by a Day To Remember. (With the special verse… “When I lose on my own team, I knock down cameras, yell and scream…”)
1. For Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch: “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen (as the two walk out as far apart from each other as possible).