Members of GRAMMY-winning rock band Third Day got a home state treat when they performed as part of the festivities for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 31, 2004.

Vocalist Mac Powell sang the national anthem live before the more than 150,000 attending the race and NBC?s nationwide television audience. The band -- including Powell, guitarists Mark Lee and Brad Avery, drummer David Carr and bassist Tai Anderson -- also performed a 40-minute set prior to the drivers introductions at the start-finish line, and honored the band?s home state with a rendition of ?Georgia On My Mind.?


The band also had a chance to meet with the NEXTEL Cup drivers before the race, including fan favorite and fellow Chevy driver Jeff Gordon currently a contender in the chase for the NEXTEL Cup Championship.

?This has been an exciting day!? says Mac Powell. ?To sing at the fastest track in NASCAR ? which just happens to be in our hometown of Atlanta ? and meet the drivers we love to watch in the NEXTEL Cup Series has certainly been a highlight of 2004!

Third Day recently released its seventh album, Wire, which debuted on Billboard?s Top 200 album chart at number 12. The band also recently celebrated its second consecutive American Music Award nomination, and released Live Wire, a special two-disc live DVD/CD set on Nov. 23.

Over its 11-year career, Third Day has garnered 21 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, 21 No. 1 radio singles, a GRAMMY Award, multiple ASCAP honors and has surpassed the four million mark in career sales.