Sound & Speed Press Room
Country Star Alan Jackson to Headline
Posted: Wednesday October 31, 2007
For the third consecutive year, the stars of country music and NASCAR will converge on Music City USA to join grammy-winning, multi-platinum selling recording artist Alan Jackson and other top country music performers for Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust on Jan. 11-12, 2008. The announcement was made by executives from Sprint, SunTrust and NASCAR during the Pep Boys Auto 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The third annual Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust celebration will take place in and around Nashville’s (Tenn.) Sommet Center the second weekend in January and will include a concert extravaganza headlined by Jackson on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. CST.
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.
Tickets for Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust with headliner Jackson will go on sale Friday, Nov. 9 and will be available through TicketMaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and on the website, www.soundandspeed.org. Tickets are $39.50 for the concert, $20 for the festival, or $54.50 for both.
In addition to the country music concert, the two-day Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust festival will once again give fans of racing and country music the opportunity to get up-close and personal with drivers, team owners and top-name musicians for autographs, story-telling and question-and-answer sessions.
“The Sprint Sound & Speed event is a true celebration, bringing together both music and NASCAR,” said NASCAR President Mike Helton. “I look forward to joining fans who will gather to enjoy many of the stars from our industry working with the likes of Alan Jackson, Josh Turner and Diamond Rio for such a great cause.”
Celebrities already scheduled to appear are country artist and soon to be member of 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 (top-ten finalist on Fox’s American Idol whose first single, “A Different World,” reached number one on the country Billboard charts).
Among the NASCAR celebrities already scheduled to appear at the third annual Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust are Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray. Joining them from the sports car racing ranks will be Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor, while more drivers and country music performer appearances will be added to the star-studded line-up weekly.
The blockbuster event will also feature show car and sponsor displays, as well as a charitable auction with memorabilia from the racing and entertainment industries. The first two Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust events drew an estimated 25,000 fans and raised more than $500,000 for its designated charities, which once again include the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.
For more information, visit www.soundandspeed.org.
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 June 30, 2007, SunTrust had total assets of $180.3 billion and total deposits of $122.9 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 credit cards, mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, equipment leasing and capital markets services. SunTrust’s Internet address is suntrust.com.
ABOUT VICTORY JUNCTION GANG CAMP – 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. The NASCAR Foundation continues to pledge their support through a comprehensive media campaign. In addition, many of the teams, owners, drivers and track owners support the camp with individual contributions.
ABOUT THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM- Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501©(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.
