Sound & Speed a fixture on drivers' offseason schedule

David Stremme admits he has no musical talent beyond his ability to play Guitar Hero.

"But I have some musical talents when I'm in my street car driving around, singing to the radio. But, no, I don't," laughed Penske Racing's newest driver of the No. 12 Dodge, who despite it all plans to cut a major rug this weekend in Nashville, Tenn.

Tickets

Tickets are available through TicketMaster and the Sound & Speed Web site. 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).

• To buy tickets, click here
• Sound & Speed Web site
• Memorabilia up for auction

The home of country music, Nashville will become a playground for several NASCAR stars in town this weekend celebrating the fourth annual Sprint Sound & Speed presented by SunTrust event that raises money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

And what happens in Nashville won't stay in Nashville as this two-day party typically offers up stories to be told for years.

"You never know what is going to happen. Last year Michael Waltrip was an emcee. He ended up taking his shirt off and auctioning off his shirt," said Stremme, referring to the Saturday night auction at the Whiskey Salon in the heart of downtown, just one of several fan-friendly events.

"I would say the auction part is pretty neat and the dinner. We sit at a table where people have paid to kind of, I guess, enjoy the evening with us as a guest. We have a great time," Stremme said. "I remember last year Reed Sorenson and I were sitting at a table and we started talking and moving our hands. Reed actually had bidden on Kevin Harvick's racecar that was up there at the time."

The event has become a sort of preseason reunion for several drivers such as Stremme who make return visits each year to enjoy one last weekend of freedom and fun before the NASCAR season starts. More than that, they get to share the limelight with Nashville's greatest country music stars and compare stories about their lives on the road.

"It's neat being able to go there and compare a lot of what they do to the racing world," Stremme said. "There are a lot of similarities. People think of Nashville as country music. And it's the same way here in North Carolina as racing, because you see a lot of drivers that live in the Charlotte area around here. With both of our schedules, what country music singers go through on road tours, recordings, etc., it's the same way with our racing schedules. We're able to put together a fan base of what they have and what we have and have some fun."

To top it off, a sizeable sum of money is raised for charity. According to Steve Buchanan, chairman of the board of the Sprint Sound & Speed, more than $600,000 has been raised.

Video

• NASCAR and Nashville meet
• David Stremme cannot sing

A collaboration of music, star power and show cars, the Sound & Speed event was created by former senior vice president of SunTrust Brian Williams and Don Light, a well-known Nashville-based artist manager. The two men understood that country music and motorsports enjoy a unique pairing and share the same fan base and lifestyle.

Therefore, making both the stars of racing and the country music industry accessible to their fans in a laid-back, party atmosphere was the logical next step.

"It provides fans an opportunity to interact with artists and drivers, but it also allows artists and drivers to interact in a way they don't normally get to. Country music artists might attend a race or sing the national anthem, but they really don't have the opportunity to just hang out," Buchanan said.

In that, friendships are formed and existing relationships are strengthened.

"I don't think there is a genre of music that enjoys such a direct correlation and fan base as that of country music and NASCAR," Buchanan said.

The sport has made its way into country music lyrics for years; Sammy Kershaw, Joe Diffie, Collin Raye and Keith Bryant have all wrote songs about NASCAR and its drivers.

"There's a mutual respect between artist and driver. You know the story about Richard Petty listening to George Jones while driving to the race and Jones watching Petty, and then Petty listening to Jones as he drives home," Buchanan added. "There's a real sense of camaraderie between the two groups."

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.