NASCAR in Nashville Will Always Be Remembered for the Invocation and a Certain Smokin’ Hot Wife originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway is significant for a couple of reasons. First, it’s the first race in the second half of the regular season. And second, it’s going to determine the participants for the upcoming in-season tournament, with seeding races starting next week in Michigan.
For longtime NASCAR fans, there’s a significant moment in the sport’s history that will always be connected to the 1.33-mile track. It happened before the Xfinity/Nationwide Series race in 2011, which Carl Edwards won and Kyle Busch finished second.
However, after the race, most leaving the track and those watching at home weren’t talking about Edwards’ win but the pre-race invocation by Pastor Joe Nelms of the Family Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, who said:
“Heavenly Father, we thank you tonight for all your blessings,” Nelms began. “You said in all things give thanks. So we want to thank you tonight for these mighty machines that you brought before us. Thank you for the Dodges and the Toyotas. Thank you for the Fords. And most of all, we thank you for Roush and Yates partnering to give us the power that we see before us tonight.
“Thank you for GM Performance Technology and the RO7 engines. Thank you for Sunoco Racing Fuel and Goodyear tires that bring performance and power to the track. Lord, I want to thank you for my smoking hot wife tonight, Lisa. My two children, Eli and Emma are as we like to call them, the Little E’s.
The @NASCAR Cup Series races on Sunday at @NashvilleSuperS. Many fans still remember the track for one of the best pre-race prayers in NASCAR history back in 2011. pic.twitter.com/KTAWajeY17
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) June 1, 2025
“Lord, I pray ya bless the drivers and use them tonight. May they put on a performance worthy of this great track. In Jesus name, boogity, boogity, boogity. Amen.”
There’s never been another invocation like it — and likely never will be.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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