|
Contact: Laz Denes 256-717-8014
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2007
NASHVILLE, TN (December 5, 2007) - It's a match made in motorsports and entertainment heaven: NASCAR and country music. No matter how you look at it, they go together like peanut butter and jelly, like biscuits and gravy, like Richard Petty and Alan Jackson. Such is the spirit behind a one-of-a-kind, interactive fan event now in its third year called Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust, which on Jan. 11-12 will once again bring together the stars of NASCAR and country music at Nashville's Sommet Center for autograph and storytelling sessions, show car displays and a blockbuster concert headlined by Jackson, the Grammy-winning and multi-platinum-selling recording artist.
The first two Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust extravaganzas drew some 25,000 fans to downtown Nashville and raised more than $500,000 for its designated charities, 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." Country stars Montgomery Gentry, LeAnn Rimes and Keith Anderson headlined the entertainer lineup for the inaugural event in January 2006, joined by NASCAR celebrities Richard and Kyle Petty, Darrell and Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt., Jr., and Kevin Harvick. This past January, country music's Jo Dee Messina, Josh Turner and Rodney Atkins entertained at the concert while Joe Nichols and Trace Adkins were joined by the Pettys and Waltrips from the NASCAR world, as well as the likes of drivers Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman.
For 2008, in what has quickly grown to be one of the most anticipated events on the winter calendar for NASCAR drivers and country music performers alike, Jackson and special guest Taylor Swift, with Jason Michael Carroll, headline the highly anticipated Saturday-evening concert at the Sommet Center on Jan. 12.
Jackson is one of the most compelling performers/songwriters in country music — a favorite of critics and fans alike. Jackson has sold more than 49 million albums, has penned 21 of his 31 No. 1 records, and is the most-nominated artist in Country Music Association (CMA) history. As everyone in Nashville knows, Jackson is an avid car collector with a garage full of classic cars, including his first set of wheels, a 1977 Thunderbird. His 1997 video for "Who's Cheatin' Who" was filmed at the Concord (N.C.) Motorsports Park and featured some of NASCAR's hottest drivers such as Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Brett Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Jeremy Mayfield, Bobby Hillin, Jr., and Bill Elliott. The three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year topped the album charts not once, but twice, in 2006 with the success of Precious Memories and Like Red on a Rose.
Recent CMA Horizon Award winner Swift burst into country music at the age of 16 with her smash top-five debut single, "Tim McGraw." She 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 straight top-10 singles and remained at the top of the Billboard Country Album Chart for eight weeks. She was also named "Country's Hottest Female Artist of 2007" by AOL Music and was nominated for the American Music Award for Favorite Country Female Artist.
Carroll's first Arista Nashville album, Waitin' in the Country, has launched back-to-back top-five singles with "Alyssa Lies" and "Livin' Our Love Song." Released Feb. 6, the album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's country album chart and No. 8 on the pop chart, with a whopping 57,608 units of first-week sales.
Preceding the concert Jan. 12, the Sommet Center is the setting for the annual Backstage Garage Pass event, in which fans have the unique opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with NASCAR and country music stars for autographs, story-telling and question-answer sessions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Backstage Garage Pass also includes show car and sponsor displays, as well as a charitable auction with memorabilia from the racing and entertainment industries.
Tickets for the 2008 Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust are available through TicketMaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and the event website (www.soundandspeed.org). They are $39.50 for the concert, $20 for the Backstage Garage Pass event, or $54.50 for both. Once again, proceeds benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp, and the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.
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 late son Adam, the Victory Junction Gang Camp is a year-round facility serving children, age seven to 15. Victory Junction is an independent not-for-profit organization. Each camp in the Hole in the Wall Gang Association has its own board of directors and founders, including actor Paul Newman. In 2002, Victory Junction Gang Camp was named the proud charity of NASCAR and now is joined by other charities as part of the NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities. The NASCAR Foundation continues to pledge its support through a comprehensive media campaign. In addition, many of the teams, owners, drivers and track owners support the camp with individual contributions.
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum's mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum's Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print. More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.com or by calling (615) 416-2001.
Celebrities already scheduled to participate in autograph and question-answer sessions during Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust are country artist and recent inductee into the Grand Ole Opry, Josh Turner (Long Black Train sold over a million copies, garnering multiple nominations from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. Your Man attained double-platinum status and earned two Grammy® nominations), Diamond Rio (over 10 million albums sold to date, whose hits include "Meet in the Middle," "Norma Jean Riley," "Unbelievable" and "One More Day"), Danielle Peck (most-played debut female country artist of 2006, whose hits include "I Don't," "Isn't That Everything," "Findin' a Good Man," and the new single, "Bad for Me," impacting radio now), and Bucky Covington, whose self-titled CD opened at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart with not only 2007's biggest unit debut from a new country artist, but also the best first-week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any new male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. Covington's new single "It's Good To Be Us," is climbing the country radio charts on the heels of the top-five success of his first single "A Different World." The most recent additions to the country music celebrity lineup are Craig Morgan ("Tough," "That's What I Love About Sunday," "Redneck Yacht Club") and Richie McDonald (voice of award-winning group Lonestar, whose hits include "Amazed," and "I'm Already There").
Among the NASCAR celebrities already scheduled to appear at the third-annual Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust are Richard Petty (seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in series history), Kyle Petty (third-generation NASCAR competitor, eight-time winner and founder of the Victory Junction Gang Camp along with his wife, Patty), Darrell Waltrip (three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, third-winningest driver in series history, and current member of the NASCAR broadcast team on the FOX network), Richard Childress (owner of Richard Childress Racing, which features drivers Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer), Michael Waltrip (two-time Daytona 500 winner and driver/owner of the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota), Ryan Newman (nicknamed "Rocketman" for his penchant for winning pole positions with regularity as driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge for Penske Racing; 12-time Cup Series winner), Jamie McMurray (current driver of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford for Roush Fenway Racing; won July's Pepsi 400 at Daytona), Dave Blaney (driver of the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota for Bill Davis Racing), David Stremme (2007 driver of the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates). Joining them from the sports car racing ranks will be Max Angelelli (2005 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series champion as driver of the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Daytona Prototype) and Wayne Taylor (three-time sports car racing champion who co-drove to the 2005 Rolex Series title with Angelelli and whose Wayne Taylor Racing team campaigns the SunTrust Pontiac). More drivers and country music performer appearances will be added to the star-studded line-up weekly.
For more information about the 2008 Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust, fans are welcome to visit www.soundandspeed.org. Media can find a complete rundown of event information and backgrounders, performer and racer bios, and information regarding event sponsors and charities in the Media Center at www.truespeedcommunication.com.
ABOUT SPRINT NEXTEL — Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks serving 54 million customers at the end of the second quarter 2007; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and a global Tier1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
ABOUT SUNTRUST — SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. As of September 30, 2007, SunTrust had total assets of $175.9 billion and total deposits of $115.9 billion. The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels. The Company also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services. Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, equipment leasing and capital markets services. SunTrust's Internet address is suntrust.com.
Back to Press Box
|
An Equal Housing Lender - Member FDIC