Comedian Bert Kreischer will headline the inaugural “Full Throttle Festival” in Daytona Beach, Florida, ahead of the 68th annual Daytona 500, featuring a full night of music, comedy and barbecue on the eve of the “Great American Race,” he and NASCAR announced Tuesday.
The pre-race bash will be held at the Ocean Center Convention Center in Daytona Beach on Saturday, Feb. 14, with live musical performances by legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Diplo‘s country music project “Diplo Present Thomas Wesley” and breakout country artist ERNEST, with Kreischer set to perform as one of the festival‘s founders alongside live-event producer Medium Rare.
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The lineup for the Saturday night show sponsored by NASCAR was personally curated by Kreischer, according to a press release, setting up for a party set for up to 15,000 people before the 2026 Cup Series season gets underway.
“Race weekend in Daytona is the Super Bowl of speed, and for me, that means going absolutely massive,” Kreischer said in a release. “So, I figured, why not build the biggest, wildest, greatest pre-race party ever? We‘re not just having a party; we‘re bringing a rock show, a country show, a comedy show, and the kind of BBQ and beer that would make a pit crew chief proud. We‘re stuffing all of that — the fun, the laughs, the meat sweats — inside the Ocean Center the night before the Daytona 500. It‘s my ultimate dream NASCAR tailgate come to life, and I cannot wait to see Daytona go Full Throttle with us!”
Both barbecue and beer will be centered prominently throughout the Ocean Center event, featuring “a curated lineup of pitmasters and BBQ concepts from across Florida and beyond, along with festival-only dishes and race-weekend specials developed in collaboration with the event producers,” the press release said. Additionally, an expansive craft beer program and signature cocktails will be available for patrons age 21 and older.
Combining the barbecue and beverages with comedy and music is a match made in NASCAR heaven, with NASCAR sponsoring the event and Kreischer, co-host of the famed “2 Bears, 1 Cave” podcast with Tom Segura, leading the way. The festival will feature multiple NASCAR aspects, including interactive displays within the Ocean Center.
“Bert has cultivated one of the most passionate and dedicated fan bases in comedy, known for their love of a great time, high energy, and unpretentious fun,” Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman, co-founders of Medium Rare, said in a release. “That profile is a direct mirror of the NASCAR fan community — they bring an unmatched level of intensity and celebratory spirit to race weekend. …
“With a lineup that‘s built for that specific, fun-loving, American audience — hitting the best in music, comedy, BBQ, and beer — this event is engineered to become the essential annual party for the most electric fans in Daytona Beach.”
Tickets will go on sale Friday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. ET on www.FullThrottleFestival.com, and fans can pre-register for tickets now. A dedicated pre-sale opportunity will be available for select Daytona 500 ticket holders via email prior to the general on-sale opening, the release stated.
Tickets to the 2026 Daytona 500 are also available for the 68th running of the “Great American Race,” which will kick off the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
