Toby Keith Named Grand Marshal for Ford EcoBoost 400

Country powerhouse Toby Keith is set to serve as Grand Marshal at the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400. The event will be held Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Miami, Fla.

“Toby Keith is an American icon …  he is the perfect individual to officially start the Ford EcoBoost 400,” Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer says in a press release.

The event will feature live music before the race, with songs from Dierks Bentley and local Miami DJ Irie, before Keith utters the famous motorsports phrase, “Drivers, start your engines” to kick off the 267-lap race.

Keith is also celebrating the recent release of his album ‘Drinks After Work,’ which hit shelves on Oct. 29, as well as the opening of the Toby Keith Foundation's OK Kids Korral in Oklahoma, which offers free housing to children undergoing cancer treatment and their families.