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 on Thursday, 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.