TICKETS ARE GOING FAST FOR 2010 SPRINT SOUND & SPEED PRESENTED BY SUNTRUST JANUARY 8-9

Kyle Petty, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Danny Gokey, Holly Williams and More Join the Line-up for Fifth Annual Celebration of Music and Motorsports
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – December 23, 2009 – The worlds of country music and NASCAR once again collide in Music City for Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust on Jan. 8-9, 2010 and tickets are going fast.  Since its inception, Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust has attracted an estimated 40,000 fans and has raised more than $800,000 for Victory Junction (a year-round camping experience founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty for children, ages 6-16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses) and 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 Presented by SunTrust hits the stage of the Ryman Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 8.  The special night of music, which will include two shows at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., will feature American Idol Season 8 finalist Danny Gokey, making his Opry debut, Holly Williams (9:30 p.m. show only) and Jason Michael Carroll (7:00 p.m. show only) along with already announced participants Hank Williams Jr. (9:30 p.m. show only), Chris Young and Kyle Petty and his band. There will also be appearances by Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray and Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle during the Friday night event.

 On Saturday, Jan. 9 the event continues at Nashville’s 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 fan event will feature show car and sponsor displays, as well as a charitable auction with memorabilia from the racing and entertainment industries.  NASCAR stars Aric Almirola, Justin Allgaier, Kyle Petty, Michael Annett, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, James Buescher, Brad Kesolowski, Logan Ruffin, Brian Scott and Morgan Shepherd join already announced participants Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, and David Stremme.  Also participating in the festival will be Danny Gokey, Danielle Peck, Corey Smith, Ashton Shepherd, Brady Seals, Nathan Lee Jackson and duo Kate & Kacey who join previously announced participants Jason Michael Carroll, Josh Turner, members of Diamond Rio, and Chris Young.  More drivers and country music artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
 
Tickets range from $42 to $54 for the Opry at the Ryman shows on Friday, Jan. 8 and tickets for the festival on Jan. 9 are $20 for adults and $12 for children.  Combination tickets (good for the Opry and the festival) are also 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.

 
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 wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone.  For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
 
ABOUT SUNTRUST:
SunTrust Banks, Inc., with total assets of $172.7 billion on September 30, 2009, is one of the nation’s largest and strongest financial holding companies. Through its banking subsidiaries, the company provides deposit, credit, trust, and investment services to a broad range of retail, business, and institutional clients. Other subsidiaries provide mortgage banking, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing, and capital market services. Atlanta-based SunTrust enjoys leading market positions in some of the highest growth markets in the United States and also serves clients in selected markets nationally. The company operates 1,690 retail branches and 2,807 ATMs in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In addition, SunTrust provides customers with a full range of technology-based banking channels, including Internet, PC, and Automated Telephone Banking. SunTrust’s Internet address is www.suntrust.com.
 
ABOUT VICTORY JUNCTION:
Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children, ages 6 to 16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.  Founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam, the camp is located in Randleman, N.C. with a second location opening soon in Kansas City, KS.  Victory Junction offers programs for 24 disease groups and maintains strong relationships with 22 partner hospitals.  Victory Junction’s mission is to provide life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment.  As a not-for-profit organization, the camp operates solely through the support of generous donors to provide this experience at no charge to children and their families.  For more information, visit www.victoryjunction.org.
 
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, Inc., a not-for-prot 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964.  The Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum’s First Library and Archive, the CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B and Hatch Show Print.  The educational programs of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum are funded in part by grants from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission through an agreement with the National Endowment for the Arts.  Preservation of Historic RCA Studio B made possible by the Mike Curb Family Foundation.  More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.
 
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For more information contact:
Kaleidoscope Media
(615) 321-3211
Kristie Sheppard (kristie@kaleidoscope-media.com)
Joseph Conner (joseph@kaleidoscope-media.com)