Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/ SunTrust Fan Festival) - Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip, Capitol Records recording artist
Dierks Bentley and country legends Connie Smith and Charlie Louvin have joined a slew of racing and country music celebrities announced today for Saturday, January 10, 2009, Sprint Sound &
Speed Presented by SunTrust Fan Festival at downtown Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.
The two-day celebration of music and motorsports kicks off with a concert Friday night, January 9, 2009 at Sommet Center with headliner Montgomery Gentry featuring Rodney Atkins with special guest Julianne Hough. Concert starts at 8:00 p.m.
At Saturday's Fan Festival, fans of racing and country music will once again have the opportunity to get up close and personal with drivers, team owners and top-name artists. 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.
Among the NASCAR celebrities already announced for the Fan Festival are Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kyle Petty, Michael Waltrip, Ray Evernham, Reed Sorensen and David Stremme. New to this year's NASCAR celebrity lineup are 'Driver Legends' Waltrip and Ernie Irvan, as well as current Sprint Cup Series stars Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and Aric Almirola (No. 8 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet), NASCAR Nationwide Series competitors Bobby Hamilton, Jr., (No. 25 Rensi Hamilton Racing Ford), Brad Keselowski (No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) and Burney Lamar (No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota). From the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series will be Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle (No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara). From the National Hot Rod Association will be Doug Herbert (Doug Herbert Parts/B.R.A.K.E.S. Top-Fuel Dragster). Other additions include, Colin Braun (No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), Ryan Briscoe (No. 6 Team Pensky IndyCar in the IRL IndyCar Series), Rutledge Wood (SPEED-TV personality, "NASCAR in 30 Seconds") and Sam Bass, one of the most highly acclaimed artists in the history of American motorsports, also joins the illustrious lineup.
Country music artists already announced for the Saturday Festival are Jason Michael Carroll, Richie McDonald, Josh Turner, members of Diamond Rio and Rick Huckaby. Joining Bentley ('What Was I Thinkin',' 'Every Mile a Memory,' 'Come a Little Closer,' 'Settle for a Slowdown,' 'Free and Easy [Down the Road I Go]') on the list of new additions are supermodel and wife of NASCAR driver Burney Lamar, Niki Taylor, Randy Houser ('Anything Goes,' and writer of many hit songs including 'Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk'), Kate and Kacey (winners of CMT's 'Can You Duet,' with the new single 'You're Not My Judge' on Big Machine Records), Josh Osborne ('You Only Call Me ' 'Hard Times'), 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 'Bad for Me'), 2008 "Nashville Star" finalist Gabe Garcia and "Artist Legends," and members of the Grand Ole Opry Charlie Louvin (inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame best known as one of the Louvin Brothers) and Connie Smith ('Then and Only Then,' 'Baby's Back Again,' and her record-setting chart-topper 'Once A Day').
More NASCAR and country music celebrities are expected to join the lineup before the weekend.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series show car lineup for the Saturday Fan Fest includes the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (driven by Joey Logano), the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing (Kevin Harvick), and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet for newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing (Tony Stewart).
Tickets for the concert and the Sprint Sound & Speed Festival Presented by SunTrust are available through TicketMaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com/) and through the website www.soundandspeed.org. Concert tickets are priced at $35 (Level 1), $25 (Level 2) and $17.50 (Level 3). Festival tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Combination tickets, good for the concert and the fan festival, are priced at $50 (Concert Level 1), $40 (Level 2) and $35 (Level 3).
For the fourth consecutive year, charitable beneficiaries of Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust are Victory Junction (a year-round camping environment for children, ages 6-16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses) and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The first three Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust events drew an estimated 40,000 fans and raised more than $800,000 for its designated charities.
