Reba McEntire to host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony Dec. 2 in Las Vegas
Reba McEntire sings during a memorial service for the late race-car driver Dan Wheldon in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. Wheldon was killed Oct. 16, in a 15-car crash in the IndyCar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (AP Photo)
Oklahoma-born and bred entertainment superstar Reba McEntire will serve as the host for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony on Dec. 2 at Wynn Las Vegas.
The ceremony honors the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and other drivers who finished in the top 10 of the final series standings.Increasingly, it has become a full-fledged entertainment experience with appearances by major celebrities.
Reba, who will bring her “All the Women I Am Tour” Friday to Tulsa’s BOK Center, indeed qualifies as “major.”
Her Facebook page has nearly 2.5 million “likes” and here’s why:
· 34 albums that have sold more than 56 million copies worldwide, with 64 Top 10 hits and 35 No. 1 singles
· Her reign of No. 1 hits spans four decades and Billboard, Country Aircheck and Mediabase recognized her as the biggest female hit-maker in Country music history
· 15 American Music Awards, 13 Academy of Country Music Awards (in addition to Career Achievement honors), nine People’s Choice Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards and two Grammy Awards as well as induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame
· Her television sitcom “Reba,” which ran from 2001-07, was the No. 1 sitcom for six consecutive years on two networks
· A Broadway appearance in “Annie Get Your Gun” that garnered a Drama Critics Award
· Reba is one of only four people to be honored with a National Artistic Achievement Award by the United States Congress
· The touring industry’s leading trade outlets – Pollstar and Billboard’s Boxscore – have named Reba the No. 1 female country touring artist, selling a combined total of more than 9 million tickets
In addition to her hosting duties, Reba will perform during the ceremony her hit “Turn on the Radio” from her 2010 album “All the Women I Am,” on the Valory Music Co. Other special segments involving Reba also are planned for the season-ending celebration, which will be broadcast by SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio at 8 p.m. Dec. 2 from the Wynn’s LaFite Ballroom.
“Since we moved the awards ceremony to Las Vegas, we’ve really increased our focus on the entertainment value for those in attendance and our fans watching and listening at home,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in a news release. “Having Reba at our show reflects that; she is unbelievably popular, with wide-reaching mainstream appeal. And of course, we also like the fact that she’s a fan of auto racing.”
Reba’s son Shelby Blackstock competes in GRAND-AM Road Racing competition and she attended several of his events this year. She also performed “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America” prior to this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Brickyard 400 Presented By BigMachineRecords.com.
“I’m delighted to be hosting the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards this year,” Reba said in the release. “Country music and NASCAR have shared fans for many years so I’ll feel right at home. My family and I have gotten to meet so many nice people in the racing industry this year with my youngest son, Shelby, being one of the competitors. We appreciate so much the super hospitality.”
Look for my new interview with Reba Friday, just in time for her Tulsa show.
-BAM
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