Atlanta, GA
NASCAR admits it should have called a caution at end of Atlanta Xfinity race
HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR stated Sunday that it should have thrown the caution flag on the last lap of Saturday night’s Xfinity race and if the situation happens again in today’s Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the caution flag will wave.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, made the comments during the drivers meeting about an hour before Sunday’s Cup race.
“My last comment will be, based on (Saturday) night’s race, our goal is to finish our races under green conditions,” Sawyer told drivers. “That’s our No. 1 goal. Also, we’re not going to be racing through a debris field. So you can expect cautions to come out based on (Saturday) night. That was on us.
“So a situation that comes up today like (Saturday) night will be a caution.”
As the leaders exited Turn 2 on the last lap of Saturday’s Xfinity race at Atlanta, a few cars in the top 10 crashed. Behind the initial incident, three other cars crashed.
The race stayed green as Austin Hill beat Justin Allgaier for the win. The caution came out shortly after Hill crossed the finish line but at least a couple of cars had to drive through both incidents while the green remained out.
When NASCAR throws a caution flag at the end of a race has been an escalating issue since last week’s races at Daytona.
NASCAR threw a caution in the second qualifying race at Daytona with the leaders in sight of the start/finish line. Jusan Hamilton, a NASCAR race director, said on the NASCAR podcast “Hauler Talk” that the race should have finished under green.
“That’s one when you look back I would say we could do it differently,” he said. “I would say that we could let them get to the start/finish line but that’s looking back now on a Tuesday, going back on all our reviews and having the luxury and time to review the full situation.”
In last week’s Craftsman Truck race, a couple of vehicles spun off the track near Turn 3 and the race remained green. Multiple trucks wrecked in between Turns 3 and 4. The race ended under caution because some trucks would have to drive through the incident.
In last weekend’s Daytona 500, a crash on the backstretch on the last lap did not bring out the caution.
Instead, NASCAR allowed William Byron to race back to the finish line, throwing the caution after he took the checkered flag.
NASCAR stated that with the field bunched and past the incident site — along with no one in immediate need of emergency aid — NASCAR could call for some emergency vehicles to head to the site. Since the incident area was more than a mile from the finish line, drivers would have time to slow before reaching the scene.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — After Atlanta hit 96 degrees with a heat index of 102 over the Fourth of July weekend, a City Council member is pushing legislation to formalize how the city responds when extreme heat threatens public health.
Atlanta typically opens cooling centers as temperatures climb, but Councilmember Kelsea Bond said the city lacks a consistent, codified process to ensure the same steps are taken each time extreme heat arrives.
“There’s not something that is cohesive in our code that says this is going to happen this way every single time,” said Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 at-large.
Bond’s proposed resolution would create a citywide heat safety plan. It calls for more cooling centers, expanded outreach to vulnerable residents and using a health-based measure such as HeatRisk to determine what resources are needed based on conditions.
“The many individuals that don’t have working A/C or don’t have adequate air conditioning — we want to make sure they are able to get relief,” Bond said.
Multiple council members have signed on in support, arguing the city needs to prepare for more frequent and intense heat as the climate warms.
“The weather’s not going to get any cooler with global warming, and so we want to be prepared,” Bond said.
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HART COUNTY, Ga. – An Atlanta woman wanted for kidnapping in Maryland was arrested along Interstate 85 in northeast Georgia.
What we know:
Alicia Denise Brown, 37, of Atlanta, was taken into custody during a traffic stop. According to the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received an alert about the car traveling north on the interstate. Deputies pulled over the vehicle near Exit 177 along with Georgia State Patrol troopers.
A woman and two young children were taken into custody. No one was injured.
The backstory:
Brown is wanted on outstanding kidnapping-related warrants out of Maryland and by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on felony charges of interference with child custody.
The Baltimore County Police Department wanted Brown on charges stemming from the disappearance of a 10-year-old child who was reported missing in 2019. Maryland officials say they would extradite her back to face charges.
What they’re saying:
“We are thankful for the quick response and teamwork of our deputies, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol, and all assisting agencies. Their coordinated efforts resulted in the safe recovery of both children and the successful apprehension of the suspect,” Sheriff Chris Carroll said.
What we don’t know:
It is also unclear how the vehicle was initially spotted or what specific vehicle description triggered the law enforcement alert.
The full details of the charges were not immediately available.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, who explained how we got it through an official statement from Sheriff Chris Carroll, as well as details provided by the Baltimore County Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
TOOMBS COUNTY, Ga. – A 36-year-old Atlanta man was killed in a Fourth of July shooting in southeast Georgia, and the investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
What we know:
According to the GBI, Vidalia police officers responded around 3:13 a.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired in the 500 block of East Jenkins Street in Vidalia. When officers arrived, they found Rashad Lamar Lumpkin, of Atlanta, lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.
Lumpkin was taken by EMS to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Vidalia Police Department requested the GBI investigate the shooting. Authorities said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Eastman at 478-374-6988 or the Vidalia Police Department at 912-537-4123. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online through the GBI’s tip portal or by using the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
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