Martinsville Report

Local

MARTINSVILLE, VA (June 27, 2008) - Celebration 2008 will be a homecoming of sorts for Tracy Lawrence. He’s never actually been to Martinsville Speedway before, but the country music star has an affinity for race
tracks and NASCAR.

“I’ve been a race fan for a long time,” said Lawrence, the headliner for Celebration 2008, an all-free event at Martinsville Speedway onThursday, July 3. “I have some friends that have been in the racing business for a long time and I’ve been to a lot of races.”

His appearance at Celebration 2008 will be his first visit to the historic half-mile Martinsville Speedway, though it’s been on his list of “must see” tracks. He will get a good look at the storied speedway when
he steps onstage as the main attraction of Celebration 2008 on Thursday.

Lawrence will take the stage at about 8:30 p.m., following opening act Domino. Celebration 2008 kicks off at 5 p.m. when grandstand gates and children’s rides open. Fireworks are set to fill the sky after Lawrence’s performance. The children’s rides will remain open until 11:30 p.m. This is the 10th annual Celebration, sponsored by area industry, businesses, charitable organizations and local government.

Over the past 15 years, Lawrence has put together a remarkable body of music. In addition to his 18 number-one hits, he has had two double-platinum albums, two platinum albums and two gold albums. “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” his most recent hit, stayed on the charts for almost two years and won a Country Music Association Award for 2007’s Musical Event of the Year.
”

After a long drought with radio the last 12 months has been awesome for us,” Lawrence said in a recent phone interview. “We had our first number-one record in about 10 years and won a couple of awards. It makes me feel pretty good about what I do. ” ‘Find Out Who Your Friends Are’ was the longest charted song I’ve ever had. It just had a life of its own. It sold a lot of records for us.” Lawrence says he has stayed true to his country roots over the years and country music has cycled back to his style. “I stretch out on the pop
edge a little, but I’ve tried to stay consistent over the years and I think country music has come back around to my style.”

Lawrence made a big splash in country music with his 1991 debut album “Sticks and Stones.” It produced four top-10 songs. His second album, 1993’s “Alibis,” produced four straight number-one hits, including the title song, “Can’t Break It To My Heart,” “My Second Home” and “If The Good Die Young.”
The hits kept coming with Lawrence’s third album, “I See It Now.” The album went platinum and he had huge hits with “If The World Had A Front Porch” and “Texas Tornado.” “Time Marches On” was his fourth album and the title song earned Lawrence nominations at all the major country music awards ceremonies in 1996. The album sold over two million copies. Lawrence hit it big again in 1997 with “Better Man, Better Off” and in
2000 with “Lessons Learned.”

While Lawrence’s records have stayed true to his roots, so have his live shows. He guarantees fans will be entertained. “We do a pretty rock and roll show. I like a high-energy intro and then a block of hit after hit after hit,” Lawrence said. “I try to keep the momentum going. You can sit and enjoy and the next moment be up and dancing. We’ve got a few bells and whistles to our show. We’ve got a rocking band and when they let me, I play close to a two-hour show.”

This will be the fifth appearance at Celebration for Domino, a group that contains both regional and nationally-known talent. The group’s hour-long set will kick off at 7 p.m. The children’s rides will open at 5 p.m. and remain open throughout the evening, closing at 11:30. Rides for children include Willie the
Whale, Animal Bounce, Spin-the-Apple, Slide, Go-Gator, Tempest, Cliff Hanger, Swinger, Obstacle Course and The Train.

Sponsors for Celebration 2008 include: Henry County, the City of Martinsville, Memorial Hospital, Hooker Furniture, American of Martinsville, Stanley Furniture, Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation,
Martinsville Speedway, Gardner, Gardner, Barrow and Sharpe, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Bassett Furniture, The Lester Group, West Window, River Community Bank, J.G. Edelen Corporation, Millard’s Machinery, Frith
Construction, Steve Martin Trenching, Ridgeway Concrete, The Dutch Inn, TR Properties, Henry County Baptist Association, D.L. Harrell Construction and Star Tek.

This will be the 10th Celebration at Martinsville Speedway. Other artists performing over the years include Confederate Railroad, Montgomery Gentry, Charlie Daniels, Aaron Tippin, Tracy Byrd, Trick Pony, Trace
Atkins, Blake Shelton and Diamond Rio.

NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE , VA (May 23, 2008) – Martinsville Speedway’s pit road roared to life Thursday morning, but not with the usual equipment.

Instead of race cars, air guns and pit crews, it was heavy equipment and dump trucks as work began on a resurfacing project that will see a concrete pit road in place by the October 19^th running of the TUMS QuikPak 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

A layer of asphalt about six inches deep is being removed from pit road and will be replaced by concrete.

“In the long run, the concrete is going to be better,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. “We know from the concrete that we have in the turns (of the racing surface) that it can withstand a lot of wear and tear. We won’t have some of the issues with concrete that we have with asphalt. It should stay smooth and shouldn’t develop cracks.”

It is the first time in recent history that pit road has been resurfaced.

The refurbishing of pit road is one of several capital improvement projects set to be finished before the TUMS QuikPak 500.

A new, 120-foot tall scoreboard with three 30-foot video display screens will be in place by the fall. The video screens will be utilized for everything from scoring rundowns to instant replays. It will be visible to all seats.

Plans also call for about 100 feet of SAFER barrier to be installed on the fourth-turn pit gate and the exit of the fourth turn. It is the most challenging of the summer projects. Presently the gate opens inward, but with the addition of the SAFER barrier, it must open outward. And that means the roadway outside of the gate will have to be cut down, leveled and resurfaced.

Tickets for the TUMS QuikPak 500, the sixth race in the Chase For The Sprint Cup, are on sale and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Tickets for the Kroger 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on October 18 are also on sale and also may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Finance

Real Estate: Yes, It’s Safe to Buy

Many renters have put aside their quest for home ownership, at least for now, because of the current state of the real estate market. Their fear is that prices aren’t finished dropping and that a year from now they could be upside down — owing more on the home than it’s worth.

If you’re looking for an investment with the hope of making a large profit in two years, then yes, you have reason to be concerned.

However, if you’re looking for a home for your family, a place you can live in for many years, then the current market needn’t be a major concern if you’re careful.

Here are some considerations:

¥ Don’t fall into the same trap that caused much of the current mortgage crisis. Aim for a fixed-rate 30-year loan. That way you’ll know from year to year what your payments will be.

¥ Get your pre-approval and your mortgage letter first. With the letter in hand, you’ll be able to strike immediately when you find a house you like.

¥ Don’t let a lender entice you into taking the full amount of mortgage you qualify for. Add in your own monthly safety cushion. After all, you’re the one who has to make the payments. Give yourself breathing room.

¥ Beware of buying in a neighborhood with a lot of For Sale signs. Ask your realtor for a list of recent sales. Sales signs with no recent sales could mean the neighborhood hasn’t bottomed out yet. If the houses are abandoned, you could end up living in a ghost town.

¥ Check Zillow.com for comparable sales in your target area and look at Realtor.com for information and photos. You can weed out a lot of houses just by looking at the pictures.

¥ Don’t buy the first house in a new subdivision, especially one that isn’t finished. If the builder goes under, you could end up losing your down payment.

¥ Your best bet is to find a seller with a house that’s been on the market for six months or more. By now, the seller’s illusion of a quick sale has passed, and he or she will be more motivated to seriously consider all offers.

¥ Use a carefully chosen real-estate agent for protection. You’re less likely to be a victim of fraud.

David Uffington regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Write to him in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

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