Atlanta, GA
Denny Hamlin questions if NASCAR can learn from Atlanta to fix racing at Daytona, Talladega
Denny Hamlin spelled out his issues with the current on-track product at Daytona and Talladega during last week’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast.
Six days later, Hamlin competed in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta, which has become a drafting track of its own over the last few years. The race was widely praised by fans, and even Hamlin himself. Hamlin said on Monday’s podcast that the harder tires Goodyear brought to Atlanta contributed to the racing that took place. Hamlin pondered if a similar tire change at Daytona and Talladega could help improve superspeedway racing.
“The tire we run at Atlanta is somewhere in the range of 20% harder than any tire we run on an intermediate track. So, it’s a very hard tire,” Hamlin said. “If Goodyear or NASCAR see that we start stringing out a little bit, maybe they add some grip to the tire to bunch us all back up and then we reset the clock. But with this tire being really hard, it doesn’t really wear out. But it still new tires you can tell that it plays a little bit of a factor.
“I’m wondering, though, is that something we can do at Daytona or Talladega to like — maybe we soften the tire or harden the tire, I’m not sure which one. There was a lot of discussion over the week of what do we do to fix the drafting tracks. I think from an entertainment standpoint, it probably can’t get a lot better. I acknowledge that, I’m just trying to make it to where there’s a balance there of entertainment and a balance of sport where the drivers that are the superstars can feel like they have a legit changing of the outcome based on decisions they make.”
Denny Hamlin pleased with racing at Atlanta
Sunday’s race was a thrill ride from start to finish and showed the kind of racing a drafting track can produce in 2025. For Hamlin, the same couldn’t be said about the Daytona 500.
“I feel like the Daytona 500 is a microcosm of the sport in general as to how we crown our champion now as well,” Hamlin said last week. “It started with the competition group a decade ago when we took away horsepower because we wanted to look good on TV, we wanted you to think they can pass, but not that they can actually pass. For me, it’s gotten to the place where the entertainment of it has far taken over the sport of it. And I don’t know how to reverse things.”
Hamlin clearly wants a happy medium between entertainment and sport. Whether that is possible at Daytona and Talladega in the Next Gen car is the question.
But at Atlanta, entertainment and sport blended quite well together.
“If you talked to most drivers they would say, ‘Man, this is how superspeedway racing used to be.’ … I think that we’re still probably a couple years away from the prime of what Atlanta could be. It’s still got a little bit maturity to go in the pavement,” Hamlin said. “But it’s getting there pretty quickly, and we’ve seen fantastic races there over the last few years. So, a great show for the fans. I thought it put on a good race from my standpoint.”
Atlanta, GA
Buckhead apartment building evacuated due to dangerous carbon monoxide levels
ATLANTA – A Buckhead apartment building was evacuated for a time late Tuesday night due to a carbon monoxide alarm.
What we know:
The incident occurred at an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Pharr Court South.
According to Atlanta Fire Rescue, firefighters are investigating elevated carbon monoxide levels.
The entire building was evacuated as a precaution.
One person was evaluated at the scene for possible carbon monoxide exposure.
Crews ventilated the building while they looked for the source.
Firefighters say they were able to finally locate the source and contain it.
Once readings were back to a safe level, residents were allowed back inside the apartments.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear how many residents were displaced by the evacuation.
The Source: The details in this article come from the Atlanta Fire Rescue.
Atlanta, GA
2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say
Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.
The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.
Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.
Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.
Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.
At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”
“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.
The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.
Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More
On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.
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