1. Do we really need to hear more about the Pool Room?
Yes, if you saw Sunday’s (July 10) race broadcast, you probably heard more than you ever cared to know about the legacy and history of the Dawsonville Pool Room.
Look, I’ve been to the Pool Room and the nearby Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and serves up a very good burger, and if you have seen recent photos of me, you can quickly figure that I never met a burger that I didn’t like.
Chase Elliott fan or not, I’d recommend a stop there once if you care anything about racing and the impact that north Georgia had on the sport. I’m trying to figure out how to convince my wife an upcoming trip to nearby Helen, Ga., should include a trip to Dawsonville, but please don’t tell her I said that.
But that affinity for the Dawsonville locale should have a limit. While Elliott is a rarity in that a town rallies around him each week unlike any other driver, it sometimes gets to be a bit much. A live camera shot toward the end of the race is one thing. But a live look-in like it’s election night of a big political race was a way bit excessive, and it does little to give fans a reason to watch who just may happen to like drivers other than Elliott.
I mean, if you want small towns with references to pop culture, little Senoia, Ga., where “The Walking Dead” was filmed, is no more than 30 minutes away from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Atlanta itself has no shortage of great eating joints such as The Varsity, and the food source of Sunday’s meal in the Marcy Scott Media Center, Mary Mac’s Tea Room (a tasty selection, by the way).
Sunday’s home state win was a great story, but it’s not worth going overboard for.
2. Will Ross Chastain make it out of the first round?
So Denny Hamlin has to reach his breaking point with Ross Chastain, right?
It’s not a coincidence that other than Elliott, Hamlin had the biggest group of reporters waiting for him Sunday as his car pulled up to the rear of pit road following the Quaker State 400. We saw another run-in with Hamlin and Chastain. Even though Chastain conceded that his car’s handling played a role in Sunday’s final-stage clash between the two, previous instances give Chastain little benefit of the doubt.
The question, of course, is when or if Hamlin will find a way to pay Chastain back.
At this point, there’s a perfect way for Hamlin to do that: the first round of the NASCAR playoffs. What more can be done to…
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