Free Republic

RICHMOND, Va. -- Officials at Richmond International Raceway announced Saturday afternoon that all tickets for that night's Crown Royal 400 have been sold. It is the track's 33rd consecutive sellout. "Ticket sales were steady and we remained optimistic leading into this weekend," Richmond track president Doug Fritz said. "The hard work of our staff and our continued effort to provide a first-class experience for our fans continues to pay off." (SNIP) "NASCAR fans are the first people affected by the economy and the last people to recover from the economy, so it definitely has affected the industry as a whole....

From rubble will spring renewal, and Richmond International Raceway is counting down the days. Construction has begun on a multimillion-dollar, 7,843-seat expansion project behind the Commonwealth Grandstand in Turn 1 of the three-quarter-mile track. The three-tiered grandstand, which is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2007, will include a 700-seat club level, 2,246 mezzanine seats and 4,897 seats in the Commonwealth Tower in the new 18-story structure. "It's going to be very exciting," RIR President Doug Fritz said. "We have some really neat things coming down the road in the next couple of years. It's only going to get...

So the rumours were accurate: the Government's war on the institutions of the state continues unabated. The latest target is once again the Army - the only public service that does its work with conspicuous success. Whether asked to fight fires, destroy mountains of animal corpses or take Basra, the Army snaps to it and delivers. Yet, at a time when it needs 10,000 more soldiers, it is being ordered to sack 3,500 members of the Royal Irish Regiment that has been a vital force in the domestic war against terrorism [report, May 28]. After more than three decades living...