Country superstar and Alabama-raised RILEY GREEN spent the weekend at one of his favorite spots – Talladega Superspeedway. Born in nearby Jacksonville, his family often spent time at the iconic track for races, but last Saturday (4/23), all eyes were on the chart-topping singer/songwriter when he took the stage in front of 18,000 attendees.

Ahead of the post-race concert, Riley appeared on FOX & friends WEEKEND for an acoustic performance preview. “I grew up right down the road so it’s a big deal for me to be here,” shared Riley. “For me growing up in Alabama we didn’t have a professional football or baseball team, so this is kinda our thing. We had the racetrack everybody talked about and the race everyone wanted to see. People from all over the country come to watch Talladega.”

Raised on the sounds of traditional Country, Bluegrass and Southern Gospel, Riley learned the spirit of performing at a young age while spending time with his grandfather, Bufford Green, who ran the Golden Saw Music Hall. Those experiences laid a foundation for the songs he would craft and values learned from another generation, including finding inspiration from those Talladega races with “Numbers on the Cars.” His debut album DIFFERENT ‘ROUND HERE (BMLG Records) album also produced PLATINUM-certified hits – No. 1 “There Was This Girl” and “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”

Riley also served as an Honorary Race Official for Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series race, where the crowd surpassed 100,000. The homecoming of sorts followed his “Half Of Me” performance with Thomas Rhett at the recent CMT Music Awards. Watch here.

In addition to his own WE OUT HERE TOUR, Riley will join Luke Bryan’s RAISED UP RIGHT TOUR and dates in Canada with Luke Combs. Fans at Talladega and beyond have come to expect an certain energy at Riley’s shows – and on his WE OUT HERE: LIVE album – that Rolling Stone hailed, “Drinks-in-the-air Nineties country at an Alabama vs. Auburn tailgate.”