Kellie to Sing National Anthem on Oct. 14th

Kellie Pickler will return to her home state of North Carolina on Saturday night, Oct. 14th, to perform the national anthem. Her performance will mark the opening of the Bank of America 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Pickler, who grew up approximately 20 miles from the speedway in Albemarle, N.C., recently hit the airwaves with her debut single, "Red High Heels." Her first CD, "Small Town Girl?, will be released on Oct. 31 by 19 Recordings/BNA Records. Kellie recorded the CD between her commitments to the American Idols Live Tour 2006, which took the Idols to 55 cities during a 10-week span this summer. The CD contains several songs that she co-wrote, including her debut single. "I'm so excited to sing the national anthem at the race in Charlotte," said Kellie. "The national anthem is a challenging song and when you sing it you have to start off low so you can hit that high note. I'm proud and honored to have been asked to perform it for such a prestigious event." "With her small-town charm, Kellie caught the imagination of the American public during the 'American Idol' competition," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, President and General Manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway. "Her popularity will rival that of many of the drivers when she performs for the Bank of America 500. She represents all that is good about Americana."