Music and sports go hand in hand as evidenced every weekend in college football to the National Football League (NFL). Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” and Styx’s “Renegade” are but two small examples of how music has integrated into the very fabric of home game experiences for the Florida Gators and Pittsburgh Steelers. Little did Queen know when they wrote “We Are the Champions” that it would become the go-to sports anthem heard in every pro sports venue across the globe.
The National Hockey League (NHL) has featured house bands for several years and some NFL teams have also followed suit (Las Vegas Raiders). Concerts are an added feature to many multi-day motorsports events and usually add to the overall draw and fan experience.
Hank Williams Jr. became synonymous with ABC’s theme song for Monday Night Football and Carrie Underwood does the same for NBC’s Sunday Night Football programming. These theme songs have long been used to build anticipation across their respective networks and are wholly engrained in their marketing efforts.
Enter the SMX World ChampionshipTM (SMX). In its third year of being a combined-discipline sport split between indoor stadium racing (Supercross) and outdoor Pro Motocross racing, that culminates in a postseason playoff, the SMX LeagueTM is soaring in popularity. Proven by year over year growth in live attendance and streaming viewership, the sport is capturing the attention of the often-sought after and hard to deliver 18-34 demo that music decision makers are always seeking.
Ghost Hounds band are fully embracing SMX by creatively partnering with the league and arguably two of the sport’s most popular stars – Jett and Hunter Lawrence, which includes prominent placement inside the Lawrence Factory Fan Zone VIP Experience. The Ghost Hounds new single “She Runs Hot” from their recently released fifth studio album Almost Home is being incorporated into FanFest, live event, broadcast and streaming programming throughout the remainder of the season, providing the band with 360-degree marketing integration with the sport.
Additionally, the Ghost Hounds will be playing a special performance as part of FanFest at their upcoming hometown race on Saturday, April 26 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Ghost Hounds performance time will be announced as the event gets closer, but fans can expect the performance to be included with their live event and FanFest ticket purchase.
Ghost Hounds branding is prominently displayed inside the Lawrence Factory Fan Zone as the album’s new single “She Runs Hot” is creatively integrated into FanFest, live event, television and streaming programming.
Ghost Hounds released their fifth studio album Almost Home on Saturday, March 21 and “She Runs Hot” is the first single.
Earlier in the season, country artist Blake Redferrin made a grand entrance into Angel Stadium at Round 3 of the series by riding a Supercross bike into the stadium as part of opening ceremonies. Redferrin then joined his band on stage to perform two of his biggest hits – “Just Like Johnny” and “Jack and Diet Coke”. Redferrin returned later in the evening during intermission and performed two additional songs – “Red in My Last Name” and “Lil Bit” to a California crowd that ended up being the largest (42K+) of his career.
Blake Redferrin performing as part of opening ceremonies at Round 3 of the SMX World Championship series at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
On Saturday, March 22 at Round 10 at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, country sensation Bailey Zimmerman was in attendance and although he did not perform was an integral part of opening ceremonies getting the Alabama crowd fired up and on their feet prior to the racers being introduced.
Platinum selling country artist Bailey Zimmerman getting the Alabama audience fired up for racing at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo credit: Issac Mason
The SMX World Championship series begins a four-week Northeast run this week beginning at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, April 5, followed by Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 12, then MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, April 19 and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 26.
The final two stops of the indoor stadium season of Supercross racing will take place at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, May 3 and Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 10. Afterwards, the series will start the 11-round outdoor Pro Motocross season followed by the postseason playoffs taking place at zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Saturday, September 6, then the Dome At America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, September 13, and finally The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 20.
For more information on the Ghost Hounds or to sample “She Runs Hot” or any of the other tracks on the new album Almost Home, please visit the following social pages: