Who is Adrienne Kling? All about the 2025 Daytona 500 national anthem singer

Adrienne Kling is set to sing the national anthem at the 2025 Daytona 500, a ceremony that NASCAR has followed through the years in racing. Kling has been a part of the Air Force Band since 2018 and has performed the National Anthem at various events.

The 82nd Airborne Chorus performed the National Anthem during the Great American Race in 2024. This year, the honor has been bestowed upon Adrienne Kling, who is part of the 'Singing Sargeants,' the United States Air Force Bands. She is described as a soprano vocalist, one with the highest vocal range in classical singing.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Kling earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and followed her Master's in the same from the University of Cincinnati. She has reasonable experience in operatic singing through theatrical roles including the likes of Rapunzel in "Into the Woods" and Madame Herz in "Der Schauspieldirektor."

She is also the recipient of awards like the Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Four City District) and the Opera Guild of Dayton’s Tri-State Vocal Competition, where she was a finalist.

Adrienne Kling also performed the national anthem at Nationals Park back in 2019 on the Fourth of July. She is again set to perform it at the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season-opener Daytona 500.

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What does the starting lineup ahead of the 2025 Daytona 500 look like?

Ryan Blaney during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway - Source: Imagn

The Daytona 500 is arguably one of the biggest automobile racing events held in the country. It has historically marked the beginning of the NASCAR Cup Series and currently hosts two races in the series during a year.

There are 41 drivers who will be competing for the victory in the Great American Race this season. The last spot was added through the open exemption provisional rule that NASCAR introduced this year.

Jimmie Johnson is set to return to the Daytona 500 with his co-owned Legacy Motor Club. His qualification was difficult because of the competition he faced during the Duel, however, he was granted the spot considering his speed during qualifying.

Martin Truex Jr, who retired at the end of the 2024 Cup Series season will also participate in the race with Tricon Garage and is set to start in 39th place. IndyCar icon Helio Castroneves also made it to the lineup all thanks to the newly introduced Open Exemption Provisional.

The buildup for this season has been strong. With the Duels over, the drivers are prepared to head into the main race this Sunday. Here is what the starting lineup looks like:

Pos	No.	Driver	Team
1	19	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske
3	23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing
4	43	Erik Jones	Legacy Motor Club
5	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports
6	17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing
7	10	Ty Dillon	Kaulig Racing
8	11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing
10	22	Joey Logano	Team Penske
11	45	Tyler Reddick	23XI Racing
12	01	Corey LaJoie	Rick Ware Racing
13	16	A. J. Allmendinger	Kaulig Racing
14	34	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports
15	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing
16	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske
17	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports
18	42	John Hunter Nemechek	Legacy Motor Club
19	40	Justin Allgaier (i)	JR Motorsports
20	20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing
21	8	Kyle Busch	Richard Childress Racing
22	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports
23	54	Ty Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing
24	35	Riley Herbst (R)	23XI Racing
25	71	Michael McDowell	Spire Motorsports
26	88	Shane van Gisbergen (R)	Trackhouse Racing
27	60	Ryan Preece	RFK Racing
28	51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing
29	21	Josh Berry	Wood Brothers Racing
30	41	Cole Custer	Haas Factory Team
31	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Hyak Motorsports
32	4	Noah Gragson	Front Row Motorsports
33	77	Carson Hocevar	Spire Motorsports
34	6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing
35	7	Justin Haley	Spire Motorsports
36	99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing
37	38	Zane Smith	Front Row Motorsports
38	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports
39	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Tricon Garage
40	84	Jimmie Johnson	Legacy Motor Club
41	91	Hélio Castroneves	Trackhouse Racing