Kellie Picker will return to her home state next week when she performs the national anthem at the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The American Idol finalist grew up approximately 20 miles from the speedway in Albemarle, N.C. As fans know, she recently hit the airwaves with her debut single, "Red High Heels."

Pickler's first CD, "Hometown Girl," will be released on Oct. 31 by 19 Recordings/BNA Records.

Pickler recorded the CD between her commitments to the American Idols Live Tour 2006, which took the stars of the hit television program to 55 cities during a 10-week span this summer. The CD contains several songs Pickler co-wrote, including her debut single.

"I'm so excited to sing the national anthem at the race in Charlotte," said Pickler. "The national anthem is a challenging song and when you sing it you have to start off low so you can hit that high note.

I'm proud and honored to have been asked to perform it for such a prestigious event."

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, is also psyched.

"With her small-town charm, Kellie caught the imagination of the American public during the American Idol competition .. her popularity will rival that of many of the drivers when she performs for the Bank of America 500. She represents all that is good about Americana."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.