Atlanta, GA
Getting through Atlanta was something to celebrate for some playoff drivers
HAMPTON, Ga. — A sense of relief pervaded over pit road for many after Sunday’s playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Because, quite frankly, it could have been worse.
They could have been Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Briscoe. All three finished 35th or worse.
While Joey Logano — who entered the playoffs seeded ninth — celebrated the victory and moved on to the second round of the playoffs, even Ty Gibbs could crack a brief smile after watching a chance to win turn into a 17th-place finish.
Joey Logano moves on a year after he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Gibbs holds the final transfer spot with races left at Watkins Glen and Bristol in the first round. Those are viewed by many as wildcard races because of the tire wear that is expected at both events.
Even sitting on the cutline is a move up for Gibbs. He had entered the race last among the 16 playoff drivers in the standings.
Gibbs led with four laps to go to the scheduled distance and was in position to give the series its second first-time in the past three weeks.
But one wrong move changed everything.
“I was a little frustrated in myself because I didn’t block and just kind of put myself to the back,” Gibbs said. “So it’s my fault. Frustrated about that, but I’m just glad that we got good points and finished the race, honestly.”
Gibbs left the track with a one-point lead on Brad Keselowski, the first driver below the cutline.
Joey Logano advances to the second round of the playoff with his victory.
Daniel Suarez was in position to sweep the Atlanta Cup races but finished second. After celebrating at this track in February, standing on pit road didn’t feel as good. Still, he went from 11th in the standings entering the race to ninth. He’s 22 points ahead of Keselowski.
“Honestly, right now, I don’t care about points,” Suarez said. “It’s just hard that we’re not in Victory Lane, but that’s part of it. Maybe there is a couple of things I could have done better.”
Ryan Blaney finished third, scoring a race-high 53 points and went from fifth in the points entering the event to first afterward.
“Even though we don’t advance automatically, we had a great day,” he said. “Winning a stage, second in the other, running … third today. That’s a really good day.”
Joey Logano scored his second victory of the season.
It was much better than others. Larson entered as the points leader because he had more playoff points than anybody else. But he finished 37th after an early crash and fell to 10th in the points. He’s 15 points ahead of Keselowski.
Chase Briscoe couldn’t avoid Larson and damaged his car beyond repair. Briscoe finished last in the 38-car field and fell to last in the playoff standings. He’s 21 points behind Gibbs.
“We just have to go win,” Briscoe said. “That’s what we had to do at Darlington and I know we’re capable of doing it again, so we’ll just have to go to Watkins Glen and Bristol and try to do the same.”
Truex is in a similar position after an awful day. He is 19 points behind Gibbs after finishing 35th. Truex was among three Joe Gibbs Racing cars that started at the rear after changing plug wires before the race. He had a pit road speeding penalty and his car was damaged when he hit Ryan Blaney’s car after Chris Buescher had hit Blaney on Lap 206.
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons went into their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with respect, paying homage to the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting.
The players wore Apalachee Wildcats t-shirts on the field during pregame warm-ups.
They also held a moment of silence for math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, and 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo who were killed on September 4. Nine others were injured in the gunfire, according to the GBI.
How to help Apalachee High School shooting victims
The Falcons’ new quarterback Kirk Cousins said Coach Raheem Morris told the team about the deadly shooting the day it happened.
SEE ALSO: Apalachee High School accused shooter’s mother called the school, Washington Post reports
“It was very sobering,” Cousins said, as reported by Falcons senior reporter Tori McElhaney. “We’re praying for the families affected. The school, the community. It’s a tough deal. Going to go home tonight and hug and kiss my kids.”
Apalachee High School is about 20 miles away from the Falcons’ Flowery Branch training facility.
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Sports Seriously, USA TODAY
Following 26 regular-season races, the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are set to begin Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Sixteen drivers enter the 10-race playoffs with championship aspirations as the first round kicks off with three very different styles of racing: a superspeedway at Atlanta, a road course race at Watkins Glen International and a short-track race at Bristol Motor Speedway. From there, the bottom four drivers in the playoff standings will be eliminated ahead of the second round.
But before we look too far ahead, we focus on Atlanta.
When the Cup Series raced there this February, it produced one of the most electrifying finishes in recent memory, with Daniel Suarez winning a three-wide battle to the line over Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a photo finish that ranks as the fourth closest in series history. It was Suarez’s only victory this season and just the second of his Cup career, and the Trackhouse Racing star will be looking for a repeat on Sunday.
Here is all the information you need to get ready for the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart:
What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta start?
The Quaker State 400 starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta on?
USA Network is broadcasting the Quaker State 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta?
The Quaker State 400 can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.
How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta?
The Quaker State 400 is 260 laps around the 1.54-mile track for a total of 400.4 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 100 laps; Stage 3: 100 laps.
Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta?
Daniel Suarez led nine laps before outdueling Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a photo finish to take the checkered flag on Feb. 25, 2024.
And in last year’s Quaker State 400, William Byron led the final 19 laps before the race was halted due to rain after 185 laps on July 9, 2023.
What are the driver standings heading into the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta?
| Driver | Team | Points |
| 1. Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | 2040 |
| 2. Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2032 |
| 3. Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | 2028 |
| 4. William Bryon | Hendrick Motorsports | 2022 |
| 5. Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | 2018 |
| 6. Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2015 |
| 7. Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | 2014 |
| 8. Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | 2008 |
| 9. Joey Logano | Team Penske | 2007 |
| 10. Austin Cindric | Team Penske | 2007 |
| 11. Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | 2006 |
| 12. Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | 2005 |
| 13. Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | 2005 |
| 14. Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | 2005 |
| 15. Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2004 |
| 16. Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2004 |
What is the lineup for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta?
Car number in parentheses; (P)=playoff driver
1. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
2. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford
3. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
4. (4) Josh Berry, Ford
5. (2) Austin Cindric (P), Ford
6. (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet
7. (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford
8. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
9. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet
10. (14) Chase Briscoe (P), Ford
11. (48) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet
12. (21) Harrison Burton (P), Ford
13. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford
14. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
15. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
16. (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet
17. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
18. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
19. (6) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford
20. (54) Ty Gibbs (P), Toyota
21. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
22. (19) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota
23. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota
24. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
25. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
26. (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota
27. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
28. (16) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
29. (51) Justin Haley, Ford
30. (99) Daniel Suarez (P), Chevrolet
31. (15) Cody Ware, Ford
32. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
33. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
34. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet
35. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
36. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
37. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
38. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota
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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens released a video Saturday morning not only condemning the Apalachee High School mass shooting, but also criticizing gun laws. He called for requiring firearms to be stored safely and enacting universal background checks.
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