Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

Popular Bud Light Texas country artist Jack Ingram will perform live on the Bud Light Stage at TexFest prior to the 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas on Saturday, December 31, the Bowl committee announced today. Ingram headlines the pregame festivities leading up to the game, which will kick off at 11:00 a.m. CST.

The Houston native, whose music career began on open mic night at a Dallas bar while he was in school at Southern Methodist, has grown into one of the most popular performers in country music. Ingram’s career has steadily progressed from playing bars and clubs across Texas to playing arenas and stadiums across America, highlighted by his 2008 Academy of Country Music award for Best New Male Vocalist.

TexFest, the official pregame party for the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, will take place in the Blue Lot on the south end of Reliant Stadium, with activity on the Bud Light Stage beginning at 8:00 a.m. CST. All fans with game tickets will be admitted into TexFest. Because of the early kickoff time, game organizers are making TexFest a brunch affair this year, with breakfast tacos, Bud Light Cheladas, mimosas, bloody marys and other brunch-themed food and beverage options available at the event.

The 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas will be televised on ESPN and can be heard nationally on ESPN Radio and locally on ESPN 97.5 FM. The game will feature teams from the Big 12 and the Big Ten in the second year of the bowl’s partnership with both conferences.