Rodney Atkins and Julianne Hough Join Sound & Speed

Posted by Webb on 12/22/2008
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st1\:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#ieooui) } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin: .5in; mso-footer-margin: .5in; mso-paper-source: 0; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } A:visited { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } P { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } rodney-atkins-guitarRodney Atkins and two-time Dancing with the Stars champion Julianne Hough have joined the Friday night concert lineup for the fourth annual Sprint Sound & Speed celebration of music and motorsports Jan. 9-10 in downtown Nashville. Montgomery Gentry headlines the concert.The two-day extravaganza, which brings together the stars of NASCAR and Country Music for autographs, storytelling and question-and-answer sessions, features drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Michael Waltrip, artists Josh Turner, Jason Michael Carroll and Richie McDonald, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. Atkins boasts four consecutive No. 1 hits off his platinum-selling album, If You're Going Through Hell -- two of which were also named the most-played songs of the year according to Billboard and Country Aircheck: "Watching You" in 2007 and "If You're Going Through Hell" in 2006. Atkins was nominated for this year's CMA New Artist of the Year and earlier this year scored a personal high of six ACM nominations. Recently, Atkins released his first single, "It's America," off of his new record due out early 2009. julianne-houghHough, who will open the Friday-night concert at Nashville's Sommet Center, recently topped both the Country and Top 200 charts with her self-titled album, as well as with the infectious debut single, "That Song in My Head." She toured with Brad Paisley in 2008 and will open for George Strait in 2009. Her current single is "My Hallelujah Song," and her first holiday record, titled The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection, is currently available exclusively at Target.Tickets for the concert and the festival are available through TicketMaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and through www.soundandspeed.org. The concert at the Sommet Center is set for 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, the Festival at Nashville Municipal Auditorium set for Saturday, Jan. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 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 event will also feature show car and sponsor displays, as well as a charitable auction with memorabilia from the racing and entertainment industries.The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series show car lineup 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).Country music's Josh Turner, Jason Michael Carroll and Richie McDonald will be joined in autograph and question-answer sessions at Saturday's Sprint Sound & Speed. Among the NASCAR celebrities already scheduled to join Earnhardt and Waltrip at the Festival are Kyle Petty, Ray Evernham, Reed Sorensen and David Stremme. Sports prototype road racing stars Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle also are part of the lineup. For the fourth consecutive year, charitable beneficiaries of Sound & Speed 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 Sound & Speed events drew an estimated 40,000 fans and raised more than $800,000 for its designated charities.  For more information, visit www.soundandspeed.org.