Luke Bryan will perform during the  Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show, the prelude to the start of the “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 23 (1 p.m. – FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
All race fans that purchase a Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Daytona 500 can enjoy Bryan’s Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show, as well as driver introductions.
“We’re thrilled to have a talented artist such as Luke Bryan perform prior to the start of the Daytona 500,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “We’re expecting Luke to put on an exhilarating show that will energize our race fans as we kick off the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.”
Bryan joins previous Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show performers including Zac Brown Band, Lenny Kravitz, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Bon Jovi.

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Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton will be on hand to help Jay Leno end his run on NBC’s The Tonight Show. Shelton will appear on Wednesday, Feb. 5, while Brooks will appear on Thursday, Feb. 6. Also appearing on Feb. 6 is Billy Crystal, who was Leno’s first guest on the show in May 1992. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno airs weeknights at 10:35 CT. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon will begin Feb.12.

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Kenny Chesney filed a copyright lawsuit this week in federal court regarding the unauthorized use of his name and trademarked logo to sell branded merchandise, reports The Tennessean.
The suit demands that merchandising company T&M Enterprises cease producing T-shirts and other gear without the entertainer’s permission. Chesney has contracted with licensing company Latitude to use his name and logo to sell merchandise.
Chesney notified T&M Enterprises to stop producing merchandise; the two parties reached an agreement in January 2013 that allowed T&M to sell its remaining items. However, according to the current suit, the company has continued to sell merchandise after it was supposed to have ceased under the settlement agreement.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and requests for a judge to require T&M, along with its designer Harneet Pasricha, to cease producing the merchandise.

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Steven Curtis Chapman will kick off the second leg of his The Glorious Unfolding Tour on Feb. 13, with opening acts The Afters and Josh Wilson. The tour will support Chapman’s recent album, The Glorious Unfolding, as well as Show Hope, an organization that promotes care for orphans.
“The Glorious Unfolding Tour has been an incredible experience so far!” said Chapman. “But we didn’t get everywhere we wanted to take this new music, so we’re headed out again. I’m so honored to still be getting to do this and I look forward to seeing all of our friends that can make it out to the concerts.”
Glorious Unfolding Tour 2014 Dates
Feb. 13-Baton Rouge, La.
Feb. 14-Texarkana, Texas
Feb. 15-Austin, Texas
Feb. 16- Tulsa, Okla.
Feb. 19-Hattiesburg, Miss.
Feb. 20-Athens, Ala.
Feb. 21-Atlanta
Feb. 22 – Nashville, Tenn.
Feb. 23-Anniston, Ala.
Feb. 25 – Pensacola, Fla.
Feb. 26 – Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 27 – Jacksonville, Fla.
March 11 – Syracuse, N.Y.
March 12 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
March 13 – Grand Rapids, Mich.
March 14 – Flint, Mich.

It’s no surprise that critical darling Kacey Musgraves swept the Nashville Scene’s 14th annual Country Music Critics’ Poll. The results are out in today’s (Jan. 23) issue of the alternative weekly newspaper, and show Musgraves winning Artist of the Year, New Artist, Album, Singles Artist, and Female Vocalist. Musgraves was also a big winner at the industry-voted 2013 MusicRow Awards.
In the survey led by Geoffrey Himes, the Scene polled 98 music critics from outlets across the nation including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and Country Weekly.
Right behind Musgraves in all five categories were Brandy Clark and Ashley Monroe. According to the Scene, it was an unprecedented sweep by three artists releasing their first nationally distributed albums. It’s interesting to note that female singer-songwriters dominated critics’ lists, while males continue to dominate radio airwaves.
Taylor Swift was voted Best Live Act, Pistol Annies was named Best Group, and Jason Isbell earned Best Male Vocalist. Shane McAnally, who has received notable national attention, is the only non-artist who made the best Songwriters list. [Given Nashville’s bounty of talented tunesmiths, perhaps that ranking should be reserved for songwriters who aren’t artists.]
In an hourlong special today at 9 a.m. Central (and again on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m./8 a.m. Central), CMT and host Katie Cook will count down the poll’s Top 10 Country Singles of 2013.

The Big Machine Label Group will be off to the races again at the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26. The label group has partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) for the big event. The No. 01 and No. 02 Prototypes will carry branding with the Big Machine Records logo.
To coincide with race day activities and create fun experiences for music and racing fans alike, Big Machine will conduct hourly contests throughout the Rolex 24 At Daytona, beginning at 2pm EST on Saturday (1/25) and ending 2pm EST on Sunday (1/26). Fans who follow Big Machine Label Group on Twitter and Facebook will be eligible to win premium giveaways that include music packages featuring Big Machine artists, signed merchandise from CGRFS drivers and luxury pillow products from Comfort Revolution. Details on how to participate will be revealed on both social media platforms.
“The Big Machine Label Group continues to find great value in connecting Country music fans with race fans during key events like the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said BMLG President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “Both groups of fans are extremely loyal and passionate toward the drivers and the artists and we are proud to partner with Chip and his teams to become the intersection of Country music and sports car racing.”
The No. 01 Ford EcoBoost Riley will be driven by a team of champions led by Scott Pruett, three-time and defending Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Memo Rojas, 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray along with Rolex 24 At Daytona rookie and 2013 Indy Lights Champion Sage Karam.
The No. 02 Ford EcoBoost Riley will feature another All-Star cast of drivers including three time and reigning IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon, 2004 IndyCar Series Champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson and 2013 LMP2 American LeMans Series Champion Marino Franchitti.
Television for the Rolex 24 At Daytona will included coverage on FOX (2 – 4 p.m. on Jan. 25), FOX Sports 2 (4 -9 p.m. on Jan. 25), IMSA.com (9 p.m. on Jan. 25 – 7 a.m. Jan. 26) and FOX Sports 1 (7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Jan. 26).