Posted on 08/10/2006 3:51:35 PM PDT by Captain Jack Aubrey
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 bigger and better. It's all about treating the fans right and giving them the best experience we can." The seating in the expansion will be individual seats with armrests, not the general-admission bleacher seats that make up RIR's current seating. Letters were sent to current season-ticket holders earlier this week, offering them the chance to upgrade to the new seating. Seats in the tower will be $355 a year for all RIR events, only a $20 increase from the current $335 season-ticket price. Club tickets are $1,750 for the year, including a $250 food credit, and seats in the mezzanine will be $105 for Nextel Cup races, $45 for Busch Series and $35 for the IRL race. Construction began in late June, and the 18-foot concrete pillars that will support the steel construction currently are being poured. The completion of footings and foundation is scheduled to be finished on Aug. 31. The tallest point on the new structure will be 180 feet off the ground, making it the tallest building in Henrico County. The highest seating will be 168 feet off the ground.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesdispatch.com ...
Wow....a great way to add 78,430 points to the collective IQ at the next NASCAR event there!!!
(Running for cover)
If this were a baseball or football stadium, it would require hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars to subsidize.
PING
Bttt...
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