DAYTONA, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – Florida’s rain or intense heat did not stop thousands of fans from kicking off the first day of the 2018 Country 500 Music Festival at Daytona International Speedway.

The Country 500 Music Festival is an annual Memorial Day weekend celebration in the infield of the world-famous Daytona International Speedway. This year, fans were entertained on opening day by Dierks Bentley, Randy Houser, A Thousand Horses, Frankie Ballard, the James Barker Band, High Valley, Lindsay EII and DJ Dirty.

The James Barker Band opened the music fest as headliner Dierks Bentey closed out the night on the main stage, delighting the crowd with hit after hit.

Two more days of County 500 will continue on Saturday with headliners Billy Currington and Chris Stapleton, and closing out Sunday with performances by country stars Sugarland and Toby Keith.