Speed and sound converge at celebration

By OnePaper staff

Speed and sound will be the heady ingredients of a cocktail once again lovingly concocted to toast the new year in Middle Tennessee. The Third Annual Sprint Sound & Speed, presented by SunTrust, will bring together stars of country music and NASCAR, and the fans of both, for a weekend (Jan. 11-12) of autograph, storytelling and question-and-answer sessions, a charitable auction of racing and entertainment memorabilia, a preview of NASCAR Sprint Cup show cars, and a celebration-capping country concert (8-11 p.m. Sat.) starring Alan Jackson and featuring special guest Taylor Swift, Jason Michael Carroll and The Wrights.

The festivities will take place in and around the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville. The previous two Sound & Speed events drew more than 25,000 fans and raised more than $500,000 for designated charities, including the Victory Junction Gang Camp (see end of story) and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Celebrities slated to participate in the Backstage Garage Pass from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday include Josh Gracin, Bryan White, Josh Turner, Diamond Rio, Danielle Peck, Craig Morgan, Richie McDonald, Bucky Covington and Jason Michael Carroll on the Sound side; and Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Michael Waltrip, Dave Blaney, David Stremme, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer, Scott Wimmer, Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor on the Speed side.

Jackson, besides being one of the most spellbinding performers/songwriters in country music history (more than 49 million albums sold), is an avid car collector with a garage full of classic cars, including his first set of wheels, a 1977 T-bird. His 1997 video for "Who's Cheatin'?" was filmed at the Concord (N.C.) Motorsports Park and featured NASCAR stars Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Brett Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Jeremy Mayfield, Bobby Hillin, Jr., and Bill Elliott.

Recent CMA Horizon Award winner Swift is the first female solo artist in country music history to write or co-write every song on her platinum-selling debut CD, which produced three top-10 singles and stayed at the top of the Billboard Country Album Chart for eight weeks. She was named Country's Hottest Female Artist of 2007 by AOL Music and was nominated for the American Music Award for Favorite Country Female Artist.

Earnhardt is a Daytona 500 winner and two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion. Joining Sprint and SunTrust as official event sponsors are the Great American Country television network, WSM Radio, Allstate Insurance, the Ford Motor Company, and Nashville Superspeedway. The lineup of promotional partners includes the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, UPS, MRN, Dollar General and Nicorette.

About Victory Junction Gang Camp and NASCAR.

The mission of the Victory Junction Gang Camp is to enrich the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment. Founded by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, in honor of their son, Adam, who died in a racing accident, the camp is a year-round facility serving kids 7-15. Victory Junction is an independent, not-for-profit organization, part of a group of camps called the Hole in the Wall Gang Association, whose founders include actor Paul Newman. In 2002, Victory Junction Gang Camp was named the charity of NASCAR, and it is now part of the NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities. The NASCAR Foundation continues to pledge its support through a comprehensive media campaign; many team owners and drivers and track owners support the camp with individual contributions.

Tickets for Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust ($39.50 for the concert, $20 for the festival, $54.50 for both) are available through www.TicketMaster.com and www.soundandspeed.org. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp, based in the NASCAR hotbed of North Carolina, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, deep in the heart of Music City. During the Backstage Garage Pass (Sat., Jan. 12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.), fans will have the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with NASCAR and country music stars for autographs, story-telling, Q-and-A sessions and show car displays. The Country Concert will run from 8 to 11 p.m. that night, headlined by Alan Jackson, special guest Taylor Swift, and Jason Michael Carroll.