Season 8's second runner-up, Danny Gokey, will make his Grand Ole Opry debut this January. For the fifth consecutive year, the worlds of country music and NASCAR will collide in Music City on January 8th & 9th, 2010. Some of the greatest names in country music will kick off the two-day event at the Grand Ole Opry when Sound & Speed hits the stage of the Ryman Auditorium on Friday, January 8th, when Danny makes his Opry debut. The next day, the event will continue at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium, where fans will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with the folks of NASCAR and country music.

Since its inception, the event has attracted an estimated 40,000 fans and has raised more than $800,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and 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. Tickets for the shows are available on TicketMaster.

Danny's new single, "My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me," became available for purchase today. An exclusive pre-order for Danny's debut album will be announced on his website tomorrow.

December has been a very busy month for Danny. Read about what he's been up to, here.