Atlanta, GA
Everything you need to know for Atlanta's first race of '24 | Hendrick Motorsports
CONCORD, N.C. – For the first time since 1998, the NASCAR Cup Series season will feature back-to-back main events at drafting tracks. After the season-opening DAYTONA 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway will play host to the second race of the 2024 campaign.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Atlanta was repaved and reconfigured to fit the drafting aero package used at both Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. To do this, the banking in the corners was changed from 24 degrees to 28 degrees and the width of the track reduced from 55 feet to 40 feet. The result? A pack-racing style that resembles a smaller version of the superspeedways that have been a part of the Cup Series for decades.
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Hendrick Motorsports’ first Atlanta win came in 1989 with Darrell Waltrip and was followed by Ken Schrader’s victory in 1991. Vice chairman Jeff Gordon won five times in Georgia between 1995 and 2011 while Jerry Nadeau claimed his lone victory for Rick Hendrick’s team in 2000. Jimmie Johnson is the only other driver from Hendrick Motorsports to record five Atlanta wins, claiming these victories between 2004 and 2016. Kasey Kahne (2014), William Byron (2022 and 2023) as well as Chase Elliott (2022) have all found victory on the 1.54-mile track.
Looking back at last year, the spring Atlanta race was not kind to Hendrick Motorsports in the finishing order. With 71 circuits remaining, three drivers from the team were running inside the top 10 when they received significant damage after Kevin Harvick was spun out from the lead of the race. Josh Berry (driving the No. 9 entry for the injured Elliott), Kyle Larson and William Byron each had no room to maneuver around the incident. Of the group, Larson recovered and found himself in second place on lap 209. However, when race leader Aric Almirola cut a tire, Larson would be collected in the accident and the damage would end the No. 5 entry’s day early. Of the four entries, Alex Bowman was able to keep his nose clean during the race as he finished third in the second stage before crossing the line in 14th to end the event.
Bowman proud of No. 48 team after runner-up finish at Daytona
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR DAYTONA
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
Kyle Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels have combined for 16 victories in the Cup Series. This makes the duo the third-winningest active combination on the grid. Larson will aim to win his first career race on a drafting-style track this Sunday.
Elliott, No. 9 team
The driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet is one of two Georgia natives (his father Bill Elliott being the other) to win a Cup Series race at Atlanta. Elliott’s win came in dominating fashion as he swept both stages en route to victory. He is one of two drivers, along with teammate William Byron, to win multiple drafting-style races in the Next Gen era.
Byron, No. 24 team
Byron has quite the record at Atlanta since the track’s reconfiguration. Since 2022, he’s won two of the four events held on the new surface. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has led the field for 171 circuits on the new layout, the most of any driver at the sport’s top level. On top of that, he has the most wins on drafting-style tracks (three) in the Next Gen era.
Bowman, No. 48 team
While Bowman has yet to break through on a drafting track, his statistics suggest that the victory may be looming. He’s finished as a runner-up on these types of tracks twice in his career and nearly bested Byron to win the DAYTONA 500.
Hendrick Motorsports
With 17 victories, Atlanta is the fifth-winningest track for Rick Hendrick’s team. These wins have come with a record eight drivers behind the wheel.
See every Hendrick Motorsports win at Atlanta
DID YOU KNOW?
Since the Next Gen race car was introduced in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has collected the most victories on drafting tracks (five) of any team in the Cup Series.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TV COVERAGE
Saturday, Feb. 24
11:30 a.m. ET: Qualifying – FS1
In single-car qualifying, every team participates in the first round with the top 10 moving to the final round. Elliott will go out 28th, Larson will head out 30th, Bowman will be the 34th driver to take time and Byron will be the 36th to log a lap.
Following qualifying, there will be a 10-minute practice for teams to practice pit road entry since Atlanta has two different pit road speeds. There is one speed for the apron in Turn 3 and another when getting to pit road in Turn 4.
Sunday, Feb. 25
3 p.m. ET: Atlanta Race (260 laps/400 miles) – FOX
STAGE LENGTHS
Stage 1: Lap 60
Stage 2: Lap 160
End of Race: Lap 260
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find the event on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
WHERE CAN I STREAM THE BROADCAST?
Fans can watch all the action with the FOX Sports Live app. For live updates and additional content during the race, head over to X and follow @TeamHendrick for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
HOW CAN I FIND FS1?
The location of this channel may vary depending on location. Enter your zip code and select your television provider at this link for assistance in finding what channel number FS1 is on your provider.
The Atlanta Braves have locked down two free agents. One bolstered the bullpen while the other diversified their options on the offense. Now, from what we’re hearing, the attention has turned to fortifying the rotation.
We are gaining an idea of who the Braves are targeting on the starting pitching market. Framber Valdez and Michael King appear to be the top two free-agent options they’re taking a look at, per source. The goal would be to land one of the two. How far along any potential talks are or if they’re currently talking at all is unclear. We just know now that these two are preferred targets.
Previous reports said that the Mets and Giants had previously chatted with Valdez. King is on the radar of the Tigers and Cubs. There are contenders in play for these same guys.
Signing a free agent is their plan A for acquiring starting pitching depth. What we are hearing confirms the willingness to cough up a draft pick to make a big signing. Both have a qualifying offer attached to them.
That being said, they are willing to go out on the trade market if needed and in a specific circumstance. Plan B is to make a deal for Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta.
The 2025 All-Star has been rumored to be a trade candidate since the start of the offseason. What we are hearing lines up with previous speculation as to the type of moves the Braves could make. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden suggested the Braves make a move for Peralta, and part of that suggestion included a potential trade piece that would likely be dealt in this scenario.
The Brewers would likely want to make the centerpiece of the return the Braves’ No. 2 prospect, JR Ritchie. However, the Braves would likely prefer to hang onto Ritchie. They see him as a key piece of their future. They would likely prefer to make the centerpiece of the deal Hurston Waldrep, who showed significant promise once she was called up toward the end of last season.
Another player would likely be dealt along with one of the two names. The Braves would like to know whether an extension would be in play. They wouldn’t want to make the move for strictly a rental.
However, the Brewers want to get a trade done during the offseason. If he’s on the roster during the regular season, it would put them in a bind. They don’t see him as someone they’ll be able to keep around, but if they’re contending, they can’t trade him at the deadline. He would have to stick around for a push, and then he would walk.
Meanwhile, the Braves are pushing to have a top-five payroll in the league for next season. That puts them in the position to take on one of the two possible free-agent signings or take on a contract extension in a potential trade.
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ATLANTA, GA — Two people are dead following a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, according to police.
The crash occurred shortly before 3:15 a.m. Saturday on southbound I-75 near Cleveland Avenue Southwest. According to police, a Kia Sportage was traveling on I-75 when the driver lost control of the vehicle while attempting to exit at Cleveland Avenue.
Police said the vehicle left the roadway, hit a pole and subsequently caught fire.
Two unidentified occupants of the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators with the Atlanta Police Department Accident Investigations Unit responded to the scene to determine what led to the crash. The investigation into the collision is ongoing.
An Atlanta chef allegedly shot two teenagers who were suspected of trying to steal packages outside his home in broad daylight.
Rakim Bradford was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony after he opened fire on the boys, ages 15 and 16, at his townhouse in the Mays neighborhood, southwest of Downtown Atlanta, on Thursday around 3:40 p.m.
Bradford, the head chef at an area IHOP, according to his LinkedIn, was at his home on the 700 block of Celeste Lane SW when he noticed the teens near his front porch, Atlanta Police said.
Officials believe the teens had traveled to the Villages of Cascade complex, where they spotted a delivery van and followed it, according to Atlanta News First, citing Bradford’s arrest warrant.
“After the packages were dropped, they agreed to steal that package from the front of the residence,” the warrant stated.
Bradford caught the teens going for the packages and allegedly shot the pair before they could steal the delivery.
“We believe a property crime was occurring, that some packages were being taken off a front porch, which is common this time of year,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters. “The homeowner did discharge his weapon to stop that theft of packages.”
The unidentified 15-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the right foot. Officers later found the 16-year-old suffering from a gunshot to the right arm.
He was transported to the hospital in critical condition before undergoing surgery. The teen is expected to survive.
“The Atlanta Police Department takes gun violence very seriously,” Schierbaum said. “Anytime a child is injured in our city, we really take that really seriously. We want to make sure they know what’s happening.”
Bradford was detained after the shooting and brought in for questioning.
Officials ruled out a home invasion and didn’t announce any charges against the two teens.
Neighbors warned potential porch pirates of stealing packages from other homes.
“Don’t go and steal people’s packages,” Andrew Julian told the outlet. “On the other side of that, what right do you have to defend your own home, and then what decision do you make to defend your own home based on somebody taking an item off of your porch? So, it’s certainly a conversation to be had.”
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