Dale Earnhardt Jr. visits Music City on Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 7, 2009) - Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, will be one of several stars on hand during Sprint's Sound & Speed on Jan. 8-9 in Music City and race fans are invited to attend. Since its inception, Sprint Sound & Speed has attracted an estimated 40,000 fans and raised more than $800,000 for Victory Junction and the The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Some of the greatest names in country music will kick off the two-day event at the Grand Ole Opry when Sprint Sound & Speed hits the stage of the Ryman Auditorium on Friday. The special night of music will feature Vince Gill, Hank Williams Jr,. Chris Young, Danny Gokey, Holly Williams, Jason Michael Carroll, Kyle Petty and his band and many more. There also will be appearances by NASCAR standouts Michael Waltrip, Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle during the Friday night event. Shows are at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. See opry.com for the complete artist line-ups for each show. On Saturday, Jan. 9 the event continues at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, where fans of racing and country music will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with drivers, team owners, and top-name artists for autographs, story-telling, and question-and-answer sessions. The Saturday fan event kicks off at 9 a.m. with show car and sponsor displays, as well as a charitable auction with memorabilia from the racing and entertainment industries. This year, fans of NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch are in luck, as limited (200) early autograph passes will be available. Fans who would like to wait for the chance to obtain these passes will have access to the Exhibition Hall at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium beginning Friday at noon, with distribution taking place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9. These are the only early passes available. For more information, read the rules and regulations at http://soundandspeed.org/schedule. NASCAR stars participating include: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kyle Petty, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., James Buescher, Brad Kesolowski, Logan Ruffin, Brian Scott, Elliott Sadler, Mike Skinner, Mike Bliss, Ernie Irvan, Jason White Morgan Shepherd, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, and David Stremme. Also participating in the festival will be country music artists Love and Theft, Alabama’s Jeff Cook, American Idol’s Danny Gokey, Bucky Covington, Danielle Peck, Ashton Shepherd, Nathan Lee Jackson, duo Kate & Kacey, Ranger Doug, Jason Michael Carroll, Josh Turner, members of Diamond Rio, Fast Ryde and Chris Young. Tickets range from $42 to $54 for the Opry at the Ryman shows on Friday and tickets for the festival on Jan. 9 are $20 for adults and $15 for children. Combination tickets (good for the Opry and the festival) also are available and range from $55 to $69. To purchase tickets visit TicketMaster (ticketmaster.com) or opry.com. For more information and updates check out soundandspeed.org.