Tag: Atlanta

Busch cruises to Truck Series win at Atlanta after Enfinger falters

When Kyle Busch sold his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team to Spire Motorsports, he didn’t surrender his prowess behind the wheel. Driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in his first start of 2024, Busch inherited the lead from Grant …

When Kyle Busch sold his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team to Spire Motorsports, he didn’t surrender his prowess behind the wheel.

Driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in his first start of 2024, Busch inherited the lead from Grant Enfinger on lap 129 of 135 and held off Ty Majeski and Corey Heim over the final five laps to win his seventh race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 65th of his career, extending his own series record.

Enfinger was out front for 21 consecutive laps before one of his tires began losing pressure, forcing him to the pits after Busch, Majeski, Heim, Taylor Gray and Nick Sanchez, last week’s winner at Daytona, sped past.

Busch crossed the finish line 0.187s ahead of Majeski, who edged Heim for the runner-up position by 0.009s. Gray and Sanchez came home fourth and fifth, respectively.

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“I actually got a run on the No. 9 truck (Enfinger) down the backstretch,” Busch said of the pass for the win. “He must have been going flat down the backstretch and slowing down because it gave me—it sucked me up right to him. Then he got loose in the corner. I got loose in the corner. We all checked up trying not to crash.

“Thankfully, we didn’t. I thought that was a big moment. But then we got the lead right there, and after that, it was about trying to protect it. Majeski was a bit of a wing man today. Appreciate him—and the history we’ve had together growing up racing late models with him a lot in Wisconsin and around those parts.

“That was a lot of fun. Great to get Chevrolet to Victory Lane.”

The race was the first of five events Busch will run for Spire Motorsports this year, after selling Kyle Busch Motorsports to the organization late in the 2023 season. Busch now has 230 victories across all three of NASCAR’s national series (63 NASCAR Cup, 102 Xfinity and 65 CRAFTSMAN Truck).

Coming through the final corner Busch effectively blocked Majeski’s only potential path to victory.

“I had a run, and I got to Kyle’s bumper,” Majeski said. “I knew he was going to cover the bottom. My only shot was to try and fade right, get to his quarter panel. That was the only shot that I had.

“Overall, super proud of the day. The truck was a little ill-handling in the beginning. (Crew chief) Joe Shear made some great calls, tightened me up a little bit so we could go racing.”

 

Tyler Ankrum led a race-high 46 laps but got shuffled back in the bottom lane after Enfinger passed him for the top spot in lap 108. Busch, who won Stage 2, was out front for 33 laps and Enfinger 23. Ankrum finished seventh behind Kaden Honeycutt in sixth.

Christian Eckes led 20 laps and won the first stage but suffered brake issues that prevented him from stopping in his pit box during the Stage 1 break. Eckes retired after 50 laps in 33rd place.

There were 20 lead changes among seven drivers and seven cautions for 37 laps.

RESULTS

Byron gets back to work after a whirlwind week of media

William Byron was the center of attention this week as the new Daytona 500 champion, which meant plenty of media time. Byron was sent to New York hours after his Monday night victory. Tuesday, the 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, one of the …

William Byron was the center of attention this week as the new Daytona 500 champion, which meant plenty of media time.

Byron was sent to New York hours after his Monday night victory. Tuesday, the 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, one of the sport’s most reserved, had stops scheduled at Fox and Friends, Live with Kelly and Mark, Forbes, Fox Sports, The Weather Channel, CNN World Sport, Barstool Sports, Jalopnik and Deadspin, the New York Post, NASDAQ and SiriusXM. The day started after 7 a.m. ET and ended after 5 p.m. ET.

“It’s been fun,” Byron said Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “I enjoyed all of the stuff that I got to do this week, especially because it was something unique and different and I felt like it was really interesting. A lot of interesting questions and just different outlets trying to learn about the sport. I tried my best to do a good job, and honestly I was running on adrenaline for two, three days, and we’re back to the racetrack now and ready to get to work.

“I enjoyed it. As much as I am quiet, I feel like most of my quiet time is spent at the racetrack when I’m trying to do my work and focusing on my job.”

The biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500, is an attraction for new and die-hard race fans alike, making Byron the face of the sport for the week, giving it more exposure in the mainstream media.

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“I think the best way to go around New York is in a car service going place to place,” Byron said. “We didn’t have to walk anywhere, so it was a unique situation, but it’s very cool and I’m just thankful to NASCAR that they put that together. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go getting on the plane Monday night, and I was a little nervous about it all, but I thought they managed it really well.

“It was super smooth. The Empire State Building was probably one of the coolest aspects, just being able to go up there and see the views.”

There is still more to come. Byron has media scheduled for next week, as well. There is also going to be a visit from Daytona International Speedway at the Hendrick Motorsports shop to present additional spoils for winning the race.

Because the race was postponed until Monday and Byron had to be in New York for a full Tuesday slate, there was no traditional Champion’s Breakfast the next day, where Byron would have been presented with his Daytona 500 champion jacket and Rolex watch while Rudy Fugle is presented the crew chief trophy and Rick Hendrick the Harley J. Earl trophy. All of that will occur with a celebratory lunch at the shop Monday.

First, Byron is glad to be back to work. He qualified his No. 24 Chevrolet 11th at Atlanta, where he’s the most recent winner.

“There’s just a lot of different aspects to it,” Byron said of what being the Daytona 500 champion will mean moving forward. “I feel like the big thing for us is being able to start the year like that with a lot of momentum for a lot of different reasons…I feel like for me, personally, it’s a huge relief and something I’m really excited to carry down the road.”

McDowell earns first Cup pole, alongside Logano again in Atlanta

Michael McDowell and Joey Logano have flip-flopped starting positions from a week ago with McDowell earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Front Row Motorsports driver went to the top of the …

Michael McDowell and Joey Logano have flip-flopped starting positions from a week ago with McDowell earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Front Row Motorsports driver went to the top of the leaderboard in single-car qualifying at 178.844mph (30.999s). He was the final competitor to get on track in the final round of qualifying after setting the pace in the first round.

McDowell’s first pole comes in his 467th start.

“That’s awesome,” McDowell said. “I’m just really proud of all the men and women at Front Row Motorsports — two weeks in a row we’ve sat on the front row. We’ve got a really fast Benebone Ford Mustang. That was a good lap but it really comes down to team and execution and they’ve done a really good job.

“We need to back that up with a good result tomorrow, but I’m really proud of everybody at Front Row. It’s a big effort for us; got both cars in the top five, which is awesome.”

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Logano, who bested McDowell last weekend for the pole in the Daytona 500, will start second and is the defending race winner at Atlanta. His fastest lap was 178.424mph

Kyle Busch qualified third (178.235mph), Todd Gilliland fourth (178.080mph), Kyle Larson fifth (177.829mph), Ryan Blaney sixth (177.658mph) and Chris Buescher seventh (177.176mph).

Austin Cindric qualified eighth (177.147mph), Chase Briscoe ninth (177.125mph) and Austin Dillon completed the top 10 (177.102mph).

There were seven Ford drivers who advanced into the final round of qualifying. The other three drivers were from the Chevrolet camp.

Daytona 500 champion William Byron qualified 11th with a lap of 176.853mph.

There are 37 drivers qualified for the Ambetter 400. Erik Jones ended up last at 164.554mph after fighting to keep the car from spinning in Turns 3 and 4 in the first round of qualifying.

Saturday’s session was the only on-track activity for the Cup Series prior to the green flag just after 3 p.m. ET Sunday.

RESULTS

NASCAR confiscates parts from two Stewart-Haas cars at Atlanta

NASCAR confiscated the roof rail deflectors from the Stewart-Haas Racing cars driven by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece during pre-race inspection Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 10 team (Gragson) and No. 41 team (Preece) have replaced the …

NASCAR confiscated the roof rail deflectors from the Stewart-Haas Racing cars driven by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece during pre-race inspection Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The No. 10 team (Gragson) and No. 41 team (Preece) have replaced the parts for the rest of the weekend. NASCAR will continue to inspect the parts and any penalties will be announced next week.

Neither team will be penalized for race weekend. No details were given as to why NASCAR confiscated the parts.

Per section 14.5.6.1 of the NASCAR Rule Book, the roof deflectors:

· Must be constructed of 0.05-inch-thick aluminum

· Must be installed perpendicular to the inspection surface in the applicable recessed slots on the greenhouse and roof flaps

· Must not interfere with the functioning of the roof flaps

· Must be painted

Cup Series teams will get on track Saturday morning for single-car qualifying. Sunday is the second race of the season.

Stewart-Haas Racing was hit with an L3 level penalty last year on Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 team for a counterfeit part found in late May. The team was docked 120 points (driver and owner) and 25 playoff points. Briscoe failed to win a race or make the postseason, finishing 30th in the championship standings.

Jameis Winston previews his possible landing spots in free agency

Jameis Winston previewed his possible landing spots in free agency, but Saints fans won’t like his preferred destination:

Where will Jameis Winston play football in 2024? The New Orleans Saints reworked their contract with Winston so that they’ll have to extend or release him before the start of free agency in March, which offers some slight salary cap benefits.

It’s tough to see Winston returning after he and the rest of the offense went rogue in mop-up duty against the Atlanta Falcons to close out the 2023 season. So where could he land next?

That’s what was asked of him during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. Winston was asked to name his preference of four (well, five) “random” cities that all happen to house NFL teams with question marks at quarterback: Seattle, Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Foxborough, Mass.

“They sound random,” Winston quipped. When the hosts added Denver to the list, he responded, “I was waiting for that one.”

The Seahawks can get out of their contract with quarterback Geno Smith easily enough. Atlanta desperately needs an answer under center. Washington is expected to pick a quarterback second overall in the 2024 draft, as are the Patriots at No. 3. All four teams have new head coaches, too. And we can’t rule out a reunion with Sean Payton on the Broncos.

As for Winston’s preference? He’s eager to embrace any opportunity, though one city stands out from the rest. And Saints fans won’t be happy to hear it.

“Atlanta, I grew up an hour and a half from Atlanta,” Winston mused. “I’m from Birmingham, Alabama. That would be a beautiful time just for my family. That would be beautiful. But I feel like I’m the attraction. I’m the thing, I’m the city, that is going to bring joy, love, trust, peace, and integrity to any location that I’m at. Because I’m a man of increase. Wherever it may be, that city, is going to get someone that is ready. A kingdom man that is prepared to grow everyone around him.”

No one has questioned Winston’s positive mindset and leadership qualities; he’s been loved by every locker room he’s ever joined. And that could help him secure his next NFL opportunity. Whether teams view him as a potential starter or a high-end backup, his services should be in demand. We’ll just have to wait until March to see what’s next for him.

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Burton, Konieczny bemoan Notre Dame’s lack of focus in loss

The players knew what to say after this loss.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It takes focus by everybody in order to win a basketball games. It’s one of the first things every player should learn when starting to play competitively. If that focus isn’t there, you’re most likely going to lose.

After Notre Dame lost to Florida State, 67-58, Markus Burton (20 points) and J.R. Konieczny (11 points) took the postgame podium to address what went wrong from their perspective. To them, a lack of focus was the primary issue, and that couldn’t have been more clear based on everything they said to the assembled media.

Whether not being focused was the issue only to them or if they were speaking on behalf of their teammates in general is unknown beyond the Irish’s locker room. All that can be known for sure is that we at least their personal reasons for the loss.

Here are the questions posed to them by Fighting Irish Wire and what their responses to those questions were:

Shrewsberry, Brey meeting night before Notre Dame plays Georgia Tech

This should be cool.

After over two decades as Notre Dame’s coach, [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] is taking it easier these days. No, he hasn’t left basketball altogether. He’s on the coaching staff for the Atlanta Hawks. Coincidentally, the Irish are about to play Georgia Tech in the same city as the NBA’s Georgia-based franchise.

With the Irish’s past and present coming together in the same city, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] intends to take advantage of that. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune is reporting that Brew and Shrewsberry will be together at the Irish’s Atlanta hotel Monday:

Some of you might be thinking that Brey might try and spread his influence to the first-year Irish coach and thus corrupt him with old and tired ideas. If Shrewsberry really was worried about that though, do you really think he would have extended this invitation? I think he’s secure enough to know that won’t be possible.

No. This is a way for the two men to get to know each other. They might both even become better for it. That would be beneficial for their respective teams, which is good for everybody.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Check the yardage book: East Lake for the 2023 Tour Championship

StrackaLine offers a hole-by-hole course guide for East Lake Golf Club.

East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta – site of the PGA Tour’s 2023 Tour Championship and the finale in the FedEx Cup Playoffs – originally was designed by Tom Bendelow and opened in 1908. Donald Ross redesigned the layout in 1913, and Rees Jones worked on the course in 1994.

Architect Andrew Green will begin another renovation, with a goal of returning many of the Ross features to East Lake, soon after the last putt drops in the Tour Championship.

East Lake ranks No. 5 on Golfweek’s Best 2023 list of top private clubs in Georgia, and it’s No. 92 on the list of top classic courses built before 1960 in the U.S.

The course will play to 7,346 yards and a par of 70 for the Tour Championship. Nos. 1 and 14 normally play as par 5s for members, but they will be listed as par 4s for the Tour Championship with only Nos. 6 and 18 playing as par 5s.

Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the players face this week.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL takes shape with Atlanta as third team

Atlanta joins Boston and Los Angeles as the first teams to be announced.

It’s a big week for golf in Atlanta.

As the PGA Tour prepares to host its season finale this week at famed East Lake Golf Club, the city was announced as the third to be represented in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new TGL, joining Boston and Los Angeles.

Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank secured the rights for the team that will compete in the “tech-infused league” set to begin January of 2024. Blank also owns and operates PGA Tour Superstore.

“We are thrilled to partner with TMRW Sports and be a founding owner in TGL. I see this as an investment to grow the game, deliver an innovative product to avid fans while exposing golf to new, younger audiences, and another way for us to compete for championships for Atlanta,” said Blank.

Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams and Venus Williams own the L.A. team, while Fenway Sports Group will run TGL Boston.

Six teams of three PGA Tour players will compete in 15 regular-season Monday night matches, followed by semifinals and finals matches, starting in January. The matches will be played at a tech-infused, short-game complex. Fans will be able to see every shot live over a 2-hour broadcast on primetime television.

Of the 18 players, so far 12 have been announced. The committed players include a handful of fan favorites who have combined for 28 major championships and 190 PGA Tour wins. TGL also recently announced Full Swing as an official technology partner, which shouldn’t come as a shock given that Full Swing is the PGA Tour’s official partner for golf simulators and counts TGL participants Woods, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele among its endorsers.

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Four-star combo guard recruit Sir Mohammed commits to Notre Dame

Another addition to the 2024 recruiting class.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s team of the future is picking up steam. Two days before 2024 four-star combo guard recruit [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] was set to announce his college pick, 2024 four-star forward [autotag]Garrett Sundra[/autotag] committed to Notre Dame. Now, you can add Mohammed to the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class. Mohammed announced his commitment during the Elite 24 showcase in Atlanta:

Needless to say, Shrewsberry had to celebrate everything that had transpired of late:

Mohammed, the son of former NBA player Nazr Mohammed, ranks fourth among 2024 recruits from North Carolina on 247Sports. He visited Notre Dame on June 18 and also took official visits to Virginia Tech, Marquette and Stanford. With this announcement, three of North Carolina’s top four 2024 recruits have committed to ACC programs. Drake Powell has picked North Carolina, Isaiah Evans is headed for Duke, and Jayden Quaintance has not yet made his decision.

Mohammed, who joins Sundra and [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] in the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class, has put up solid numbers for Myers Park in Charlotte. In three seasons on the varsity squad, he has averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals a game. That’s the type of production the Irish will take, and here’s hoping that translates at the college level.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89