Multiple sources have told Yellowhammer News that Anna “Clark” Morris, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, will take over the Special Prosecutions Division of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
The announcement could be made as soon as Tuesday. Attorney General Steve Marshall accepted the resignation of Deputy Attorney General Matt Hart, who has led the division for years, on Monday morning.
Morris served as the acting U.S. Attorney for Alabama’s middle district last year, in between President Donald Trump firing former USA George Beck in March of 2017 and now-USA Louis Franklin being confirmed that September.
Even with Trey Glenn leaving his post as the EPA’s Region Four administrator, Alabama will still have strong ties to the leader of that office.
According to The Hill, Mary Walker was named by EPA acting administrator Andrew Wheeler to fill the vacant role in an acting capacity after Glenn resigned on Monday following his indictment on ethics charges in Alabama.
Walker is a native of the Yellowhammer State and had been serving as Glenn’s deputy.
The Tim Tebow Foundation’s “Night to Shine,” a magical prom night experience for people with special needs, is coming to Birmingham.
Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church will serve as one of the nearly 500 churches around the world to host Night to Shine on February 8, 2019.
Night to Shine is an event for people 14 and older with special needs to receive royal treatment. Guests will enter the event on a red carpet filled with a crowd and paparazzi. Once they make it into the building, guests will be able to choose from an array of activities to partake in including hair and makeup stations, shoe shining areas and limousine rides. They can also choose their corsages and boutonnieres.
"Frontier Airlines will begin direct flights from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport on April 11, the airline announced today. Frontier Airlines will start by offering direct service to Denver, Orlando and Philadelphia from Birmingham. Introductory prices will start at $39."
"The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring Crimson Tide defensive line coach Karl Dunbar as their defensive line coach, according to a source."
"This gets Dunbar back to the NFL, where the 50-year old had been for most of his coaching career before heading to Alabama in 2016 as the replacement for Bo Davis."
"It will be the fifth NFL team he's worked for after stints as the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears (2004), Minnesota Vikings (2006-11), New York Jets (2012-14) and Buffalo Bills (2015)."
"At 87, Clint Eastwood is not only trying new things, he’s trying daring new things, and his new film 15:17 to Paris represents one of the most audacious gambits of his career. To dramatize the tale of three Americans who tackled and subdued a heavily armed Islamist terrorist on a train out of Amsterdam in 2015, Eastwood cast the young men, none of whom had professional acting experience, as themselves. It’s a decision with little precedent in the entire history of motion pictures."
Report: Alabama native Condoleezza Rice could be interviewed in Browns’ head coach search
(KMOV/Twitter)
According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cleveland Browns want to interview Alabama native and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their vacant head-coaching job.
Rice would be the first woman in history to be interviewed for an NFL head-coaching job if the Browns move forward with their interest.
ESPN noted that, “Rice, 64, is a lifelong Browns fan, a love she got from watching Cleveland’s games with her father at their home in Birmingham, Alabama. Rice has been featured in a Browns jersey in NFL ads, and there has been speculation that she even could become commissioner of the NFL.”
The Browns’ GM, John Dorsey, seemed to throw water on the idea of Rice being under consideration, even though it has been speculated that the team’s ownership, rather than the team’s management, is behind the Rice interest.
An interview, if it happens, would certainly not guarantee that the Browns will hire Rice, but Schefter reported that the team is interested in talking to her about the job and seeing what she could bring to the position and the organization.
“She’s an amazing person,” one team source told ESPN.
The interview process could lead to Rice becoming more involved in the organization in an official capacity or as a consultant, rather than being hired as head coach.
In a Facebook post, Rice responded to the report, expressing her love for the organization but emphasizing that she believes experience matters in coaching. Rice also called for women to be able to develop that experience in coaching at high levels of football.
“I love my Browns — and I know they will hire an experienced coach to take us to the next level,” Rice said.
She continued, “On a more serious note, I do hope that the NFL will start to bring women into the coaching profession as position coaches and eventually coordinators and head coaches. One doesn’t have to play the game to understand it and motivate players. But experience counts — and it is time to develop a pool of experienced women coaches.”
Her conclusion seemed to take her out of the head coaching mix for now, but questions will persist about whether she will join the Browns in a different leadership role, perhaps in its management structure or as a consultant.
“BTW — I’m not ready to coach but I would like to call a play or two next season if the Browns need ideas! And at no time will I call for a ‘prevent defense,'” Rice added.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Watch: Para-Commandos jump into Bryant-Denny Stadium
(Alabama Athletics/Twitter)
Before the University of Alabama’s home football game against Mississippi State on Saturday, Para-Commandos jumped from a military aircraft and landed in Bryant-Denny Stadium as part of the pregame, Veterans Day weekend festivities.
The Para-Commandos are the United States Special Operations Command’s “premier aerial parachute demonstration team.”
In an incredible video posted by the university, you can watch one of the commandos’ approximately three-minute descent into the packed stadium.
The Para-Commandos are members of current Special Operations Forces. They are comprised of active duty special operators, including Army Special Forces, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Combat Controllers and Marine Raiders. Their jump into Bryant-Denny has become an annual tradition for UA.
College football week 11: A look at the state’s matchups and national lines
(YHN)
The college football season is in the home stretch, and all of Alabama’s favorite teams face week 11 matchups on Saturday.
With Veterans Day upon us, you will be able to see some fitting tributes to those heroes who have served our nations throughout the seven home games in the Yellowhammer State this weekend.
You can find all of the state’s game times and how to watch below, as well as the lines for the nation’s top matchups.
Despite a difficult season that began with lofty expectations, Gus Malzahn is set to still be Auburn’s head football coach next season, according to what Athletic Director Alan Greene told reporters on Tuesday.
ESPN reported Greene added that Malzahn will be the Tigers’ “coach of the future.” The outlet called it a public “vote of confidence” from the AD.
CBS Sports explained, “Greene’s comments reflect the reality: Auburn is all-in on the Gus Malzahn experience.”
Malzahn, who has been Auburn’s head coach since 2013, was awarded a seven-year, $49 million contract after last season. If his contract were to be terminated, his buyout as of December 1 would be $32 million (75 percent of what remains on his contract). Half of that number ($16 million) would be owed to Malzahn within 30 days.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
College football week 10: A look at the state’s matchups and national lines
(Pixabay)
November is here and it is shaping up to be a beautiful fall weekend as some of Alabama’s favorite college football teams star in week-ten contests.
In a rare occurrence, all of the Yellowhammer State’s teams play on Saturday, with no Thursday night games or byes this week. In SEC play, Auburn faces an enticing matchup against Texas A&M and the Crimson Tide travels to Death Valley.
You can find all of the state’s game times and how to watch below, as well as the lines for the nation’s top matchups.
Watch: Former Spain Park QB Nick Mullens gives emotional interview after winning first NFL start
(Mercury News/YouTube)
In what ESPN is calling “one of the best statistical debuts by a quarterback in league history,” Nick Mullens, an Alabama native and graduate of Spain Park High School in Hoover, led his San Francisco 49ers to a 34-3 blowout victory on Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders.
Mullens had never taken an NFL regular season snap before Thursday, but he certainly made the most of the opportunity, going 16-of-22 for 262 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a masterful passer rating of 151.9.
In a postgame interview with Fox’s Erin Andrews, the Southern Miss alum was overcome with emotion as he discussed his first NFL start. He also had a shoutout for the Yellowhammer State, saying that he was expecting a lot of notifications on his phone after the game, but only wanted to talk to his “friends back in Birmingham.”
He added, “But other than that, just going to enjoy this win with my teammates.”
Alabama fan uses Baton Rouge billboard to raise hurricane recovery money, make #FreeDevinWhite campaign look ‘meaningless’
(@ba2216/Twitter)
One generous, creative University of Alabama football fan is making LSU’s “conspiracy theory” of collusion between the SEC headquarters in Birmingham and the Crimson Tide look like a completely “meaningless” “waste” of money.
After LSU linebacker Devin White was ejected from the team’s game against Mississippi State for a questionable targeting call, fans of the Tigers bought 13 billboards in Birmingham that said “#FreeDevinWhite,” as the Tigers star is suspended for the first half of their game against Alabama this weekend.
Now, as USA Today reported, one ‘Bama fan has gotten in on the billboard game, but for a cause worthy of the attention. Blake Averette has a billboard up in Baton Rouge, where the game will be held, aimed at raising money for Hurricane Michael recovery efforts and jabbing LSU fans at the same time.
The billboard says, “Tiger Fans: Before Tua drops half a Benjamin in Death Valley, be sure to donate half a Benjamin to Hurricane Relief! Roll Tide!”
Averette’s fundraising efforts are being channeled through a GoFundMe page, with all proceeds doing to the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Michael work.
Excerpt from Averette’s fundraising pitch as follows:
Do #FreeDevinWhite billboards seem ignorant and misguided to you?
If so, this is the place for you! Donate your money more intelligently, strategically, and sympathetically.
While LSU fans waste their money on meaningless billboards based on a conspiracy theory between The University Of Alabama and the Southeastern Conference offices in Birmingham, we are starting this campaign to raise money for hurricane relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Michael, which devastated parts of the Eastern United States in early October.
This hurricane has not received anywhere near the amount of media coverage it should’ve and these people still need help! It caused damage in excess of $8.1 billion.
Stop giving money to meaningless conspiracy theories and give it to people who need your help!
The Wiregrass in southeastern Alabama was hit hard by the hurricane, with rural agricultural communities experiencing huge crop and timber losses.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
College football week 9: A look at the state’s matchups and national lines
(Pixabay)
Fall weather has finally settled in, and only a few of Alabama’s college football teams face Week Nine tests the last weekend of October.
Alabama, Auburn, Troy, South Alabama, UNA and Samford all have a bye-week, but the Yellowhammer State’s other teams play on Saturday. The Magic City Classic is a highlight of the weekend’s festivities, where you can see Walt Maddox and other politicians campaigning with just ten days left until the November 6 general election.
You can find all of the state’s game times and how to watch below, as well as the lines for the nation’s top matchups.
Talladega Superspeedway formally launches $50 million ‘Transformation’ infield renovation with groundbreaking ceremony
(Jeff Poor/YHN)
TALLADEGA — It was a meeting of past, present and future at the Talladega Superspeedway on Tuesday.
Although the checkered flag waved marking the end of the second biannual race weekend held at the track more than a week ago, construction formally began on the speedway’s “approximately $50 million” infield redevelopment project, called “Transformation.”
The opening salvo in this massive undertaking is the creation of an “Oversized Vehicle Tunnel” on the speedway’s backstretch near the entrance to turn 3. Tuesday marked the start of excavation for the 16-foot-8-inch-tall, 28-foot-wide, 208-foot-long tunnel and speedway officials say it will be completed in time for the track’s next event in late April 2019.
“The tunnel itself is going to be a two-lane tunnel that has dimensions capable of allowing vehicles as large as a race team hauler and fans’ recreational vehicles to enter and exit the track simultaneously,” Talladega Superspeedway chairman Grant Lynch announced. “It’s big like ‘Dega, and it’s open 24 hours starting Wednesday morning of our race week.”
Lynch explained how this added amenity will allow for more flexibility given now there are oversized vehicles that cannot make through the track’s existing tunnels and presently have to cross the track while race operations (practice, qualifying and the race itself) of all the series that compete at Talladega Superspeedway on a given race weekend are not underway.
In addition to Lynch, who is set to retire as track chairman at the end of next year and was celebrating his 65th birthday, on hand for Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony was Del Hill, son of track grandstand namesake O.V. Hill and participant in the track’s original groundbreaking ceremony in 1968. Also participating in Tuesday’s ceremony was Lana Osborn, the first Miss Talladega 500 for the track’s inaugural race in September 1969.
Hill explained to Yellowhammer News how Talladega was a good fit for the sport and the local community. However, he explained that Talladega was unique in that it allowed for never-seen-before speeds.
Track chairman Grant Lynch speaks at track renovation ceremony, 10/23/2018 (Jeff Poor/YHN)
“Increasingly you’re seeing more and more superspeedways built,” Hill said. “At the time this was built, you had Daytona, and Charlotte, Atlanta, but they were mile-and-a-half tracks. This was going to be another two-and-a-half-mile track, and they were going to run 200 miles per hour, which was sort of a milestone, and some of them did before they downsized the engines.”
The “Transformation” project is a part of Talladega Superspeedway’s parent company International Speedway Corporation’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its national track portfolio. It will also include amenities that will offer “a one-of-a-kind Garage Fan Zone Experience,” “up-close” access and “interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders” in the speedway’s infield.
Completion for the entire project is slated for October 2019, in time for Talladega Superspeedway’s fall slate of race activities.
Report: NBA developmental ‘G League’ team coming to Alabama
(YHN/Pixabay)
The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to announce at an event in Birmingham on Wednesday that the team is launching a G League affiliate in Alabama’s biggest city, per reporting by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The G League is the NBA’s official minor league, having been called the NBA Developmental League until 2017. The “G” stands for Gatorade, the league’s newfound sponsor.
Birmingham’s new team will reportedly start play in Erie, Pennsylvania, next season until renovations are complete on the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
College football week 8: A look at the state’s matchups and national lines
(Pixabay)
We are already seven weeks through the college football season, and Alabama’s favorite college football teams have some more must-see matchups this time around.
Alabama State and Alabama A&M have a bye-week and South Alabama and Troy face each other this coming Tuesday, but all of the Yellowhammer State’s other teams play on Saturday.
You can find all of the state’s game times and how to watch below, as well as the lines for the nation’s top matchups.
Those were some of the ways the majority of Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com was described by some — that is right until the very end.
After a late-race caution and a subsequent overtime period, Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Smithfield Bacon for Life Ford, was able to score his second career NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race victory.
By virtue of the win, Almirola joins Chase Elliott with a clinched spot in the next round of eight in the Monster Energy Cup’s playoffs.
Almirola’s victory was his first in four years and the second of his career. His first also came at a restrictor-plate race track in the 2014 Daytona’s Coke Zero 400.
“I knew when we qualified with all four of us starting up there in the front,” he said. “We kind of talked about it in our competition meeting that we needed to be committed to each other. We needed to score as many stage points as we can.”
Almirola added, “When we all qualified top four, all of us together — I knew that all four of us were going to be tough to beat.”
Aric Almirola in Victory Lane at Talladega, 10/14/2018 (Yellowhammer News)
Almirola likened the Stewart-Haas effort to the past efforts from the stable of Roger Penske-owned cars at restrictor-plate race tracks.
“We’ve been chasing those Penske cars at the restrictor-plate races,” he said. “They’ve been able to do somewhat of what we did today where they get out front, Brad [Keselowski], Joey [Logano] and [Ryan] Blaney — you know, get organized and basically dominate the race.”
“It was us against the field,” he added.
Second-place finisher and Almirola teammate Clint Bowyer talked about the team effort, noting that there had been other times in NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series history where teams had dominant performances, as Stewart-Haas did on Sunday.
“I don’t think you can write enough about the job that everybody at Stewart-Haas did,” Bowyer said. “Those cars were so fast. I’ve seen other guys, other teams, other organizations put that together before. The Hendrick organization has been there before. The Gibbs cars have done that before. It was our turn, you know what I mean? The Penske cars have done that before. We finally got all four cars to the cream of the crop, and oh my gosh was it awesome.”
The early stages of the race were also dominated by the Stewart-Haas Racing cars, with pole winner Kurt Busch winning stage one and Kevin Harvick winning the second stage.
Field, led by Kurt Busch, driver of the Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, heads to the green, 10/14/2018 (Yellowhammer News)
However, the magic ran out for those two Stewart-Haas drivers. Busch and Harvick came up short on fuel in the end and came away with 14th place and 28th place finishes respectively.
For much of the race, the pack racing that spectators had become accustomed to over the years in restrictor-plate racing was not on display. For the first time in a long time at the Talladega Superspeedway, a Monster Energy Cup race had long spells of single-file racing and was broken up into two or three distinctive packs throughout.
That brand of racing was called boring by some of those watching from home.
NASCAR legend and Alabama native Bobby Allison signs autographs, 10/14/2018 (Yellowhammer News)
Among the manufacturers, Ford had the most dominant showing at the aerodynamic-sensitive track with five drivers finishing in the top 10 — Almirola, Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in third, Joey Logano in fifth and Paul Menard in ninth.
Two Toyotas finished in the top 10, Denny Hamlin with a fourth-place finish and Erik Jones with an eighth-place finish. Chevrolets filled out the rest of the top 10 with AJ Allmendinger in sixth, Jimmie Johnson, who rallied from mid-race trouble for a seventh-place finish and Regan Smith with a tenth-place finish.
The car of #48 Jimmie Johnson in the pits after some early race trouble, 10/14/2018 (Yellowhammer News)
Kevin Harvick came away with the points lead, followed by Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer rounding out the top five.
Drivers make their way onto pit road during a mid-race caution, 10/14/2018 (Yellowhammer News)
Next up on the schedule is the Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City as just five races remain to determine the 2018 Monster Energy Cup series championship.
Talladega Superspeedway ‘Transformation’ renovation project to start ‘in a matter of days’
(Yellowhammer News)
TALLADEGA – Sunday before the 1000Bulbs.com 500 green flag, Talladega Superspeedway chairman Grant Lynch unveiled some aspects of the track’s $50 million infield renovations set to begin shortly after the checkered flag drops on Sunday.
Lynch, who is set to retire as track chairman at the end of next year, boasted about how he is leaving the sport.
“To say we’re excited about this process and what we’re going to be bringing to the fans would be an understatement,” Lynch said. “We’re proud of what the company is going to invest in us. It’s going to be north of $50 million.”
“And everybody, I’ve talked about my retirement – this is a hell of a way to go out,” he added. “I’m going to work until November 30 of next year. I get to build one more thing, [a] huge thing for the Frances. So, I am one happy fellow right now.”
Among those infield renovations is a wider tunnel that will provide access to the 2.66-mile track’s massive infield. Lynch said he anticipates starting construction on that around a “week or so” after Sunday’s race.
Proposed new Talladega Superspeedway tunnel (Talladega Superspeedway PR)
“It will be about a week or so before we start breaking ground, or even more,” he said. “We’ve got to lay out everything for the tunnel and then we’re going to start digging.”
Veteran Driver Timothy Peters takes Saturday Camping World Truck Series event at Talladega Superspeedway
(Jeff Poor/YHN)
TALLADEGA — Although much of Alabama was either preparing to watch the Crimson Tide on the way to their next rout or watching the Auburn Tigers go down to the University of Tennessee, the drivers of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series were putting on a fantastic show at the Talladega Superspeedway.
Coming away with the checkered flag and the Fr8Auctions 250 “Vulcan” trophy was Timothy Peters, driver of the Kingman Chevrolet, who won on a last-lap pass as trucks were crashing around him.
It was the 11th career victory for the 38-year-old NASCAR veteran, who is driving for GMS Racing for three races.
GMS Racing winning driver Timothy Peters flanked alongside crew chief Jerry Baxter and owner Maury Gallagher (Jeff Poor/YHN)
“If I kept my head on straight, I knew I would have a shot to win,” Peters said in his post-race press conference. “You know, God is good, and he’s got a plan, and I’m just glad to be here sitting in front of you guys talking about my day.”
Finishing second was Myatt Snider, driver of the RideTV Ford, who tied his career-best in what he described as an “insanely hectic” race.
“It was insanely hectic,” he said. “Everyone was just kind of darting all over the place. Luckily I got behind some good trucks. I got behind Timothy for awhile. Me and him worked together really well, so I’m just proud of everybody on my team for being awesome.
The race is a cutoff race in the series championship playoff. Surviving Talladega and advancing to the next “Round of 6” were Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt, Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger.
The Fr8Auctions 250 was a warm-up for the weekend’s feature event on Sunday, the 1000Bulbs.com 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race, the second (of three) in the Round of 12, with a green flag time of 1 p.m. CT.
Fans make Talladega Superspeedway’s fall race weekend a worldwide phenomenon
(Talladega Superspeedway)
From sweet home Alabama to the land Down Under, fans will be coming from far and wide to witness some of auto racing’s best drivers battle at 200 mph around Talladega Superspeedway during the venue’s doubleheader NASCAR Playoff this weekend.
Talladega’s race weekend is set to be an international affair, considering 73 percent of fans will be journeying to the 2.66-mile superspeedway from outside the Yellowhammer state and from all over the world, including:
–All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
–20 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico and New Zealand.
–Four continents (North America, South America, Europe and Australia). Australia is the farthest country that will be represented — more than 9,300 miles and more than 8,000 nautical miles away.
Fans will create one of the biggest cities in the state during a race weekend that will feature the 1000Bulbs.com 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race on Sunday and Fr8Auctions 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event on Saturday. Both have playoff implications in their respective series.
Race weekends at Talladega Superspeedway attract such a diverse group of fans because the tri-oval is not only home to some of the most memorable moments in NASCAR history, but it’s also famed for the parties it throws. This weekend’s activities will be headlined by Friday’s “Big One on the Blvd.” and the Saturday Night Infield Concert presented by Wind Creek Casino and Hotel (free for 1000Bulbs.com 500 ticket holders), which will star Chris Janson and will feature Chris Shrader and DJ Mark AD.
The event kicks off Friday with NCWTS qualifying for the Fr8Auctions 250. Saturday’s slate includes the Fr8Auctions 250, at which the field of eight championship-eligible drivers will be trimmed to six, starting at noon. The race will be followed by MENCS Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying. Sunday’s main event, the 1000Bulbs.com 500, will serve as the second race of three in the Round of 12, and cars are scheduled to take the green flag at 1 p.m.
University of Alabama reinstates ‘Dixieland Delight’ for homecoming game
(Greg Byrne/Twitter)
For nearly four years, Crimson Tide football fans have been calling for the return of “Dixieland Delight” to home football games in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Now, the University of Alabama is bringing the popular song back, albeit for a test run this coming weekend against Missouri. The announcement was made Wednesday in a video featuring UA Athletic Director Greg Byrne, Terry Saban, UA Student Government Association President Price McGiffert and star running back Damien Harris.
The song was taken out of UA’s game day repertoire after the Iron Bowl in 2014, when the student section and some general-seating Tide fans took creative license with the alternate lyrics and shook the stands with a certain four-letter expletive directed at Auburn approximately twelve times in less than 120 seconds.
Here is that (explicit) performance from 2014:
For this upcoming game, which is the university’s homecoming weekend, administrators, current Tide football players, student leaders and friends of the program are imploring fans – especially the student section – to “keep it clean.”
If the alternate lyrics return, the song could be discontinued again.
“Alabama fans, you know we are all about tradition around here,” Byrne said at the start of the video announcement. “And we’ve certainly heard about one tradition, in particular, that you’ve been missing at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Well, I’m here to say, that we are freeing ‘Dixieland Delight.'”
He continued, “We’re going to do our part here and try this one more time. So we need you to do yours.”
Terry Saban reinforced that while they were proud to bring back “Dixieland Delight,” saying, “[L]et’s do it right.”
McGiffert made a call to action of the student body and turned it over to Harris to speak for the team.
“We have a lot of cool game day traditions in Tuscaloosa, and our team really wants to bring this one back for good,” Harris explained. “Like Mrs. Terry said, and like Greg said, we really need your help. I know we can do it the right way, so remember to keep it clean, keep it classy when we play ‘Dixieland Delight’ during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium.”
Byrne then explained that the in-stadium video boards will display appropriate lyrics for fans to sing, making it easier for old habits to die. The administration promised that if fans do indeed “keep it clean” this Saturday, the song will be back “for the long haul.”
We’re bringing it back, so let’s do it the right way and keep it clean. Roll Tide https://t.co/JbjiLiltIC
The song’s return comes after fans, the student section especially, have been criticized by the administration, coach Nick Saban and players like Harris for poor attendance at recent blowout home games.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Talladega Superspeedway shows a $434 million total impact on local economy as race weekend approaches
(Image: Talladega Superspeedway, View from O.V. Hill South Tower -- Jeff Poor / Yellowhammer News)
On Friday, Talladega Superspeedway will kick off its second race weekend of 2018 with all the events leading up to NASCAR’s Monster Energy Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 series playoff race on Sunday.
With that event comes a substantial economic boon for the region, and one that isn’t necessarily coming from the pockets of Alabamians.
Since opening in 1969, the 2.66 trioval racetrack has been a destination for race fans all over the country, and in recent years that has had a quantifiable impact.
According to track chairman Grant Lynch, the Talladega Superspeedway conducted a study that showed a “more than $434 million total economic impact” on the state of Alabama.
“We did a study – the first study we did was 2004 to 2013 – 10-year study, then we had [Auburn University at Montgomery’s College of Public Policy and Justice dean] Dr. Keivan Deravi do an update to it, and he did four years going to 2017,” Lynch said in an interview with Yellowhammer News on Tuesday.
“That showed more than $434 million total economic impact on the state created and $60 million in state and local taxes,” he added. “All of this is created by the people who come to the race – more importantly, from those who come from out of state, which is right at 71 percent. And then the final figure was about $25 million was created by the spending patterns of our guests for the education trust fund for the state.”
Earlier this year, track officials announced the speedway would be undergoing infield renovations set to begin immediately following the conclusion of Sunday’s race, which could mean positives for the state’s economy.
“I think it’s going to help,” Lynch said. “We’re going to spend up north of $50 million.”
Lynch said he expects a successful upcoming race weekend despite Hurricane Michael, which is forecasted to have left the area in time for when the track’s doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend kicks off on Friday. He added that given a cold front will pass through the area between now and then, weather should be pleasant.
On Friday, qualifying for the Talladega 250 begins at 4:35 p.m. CT. Saturday’s slate includes the running for the Talladega 250 at noon CT followed by Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 at 3:35 p.m. CT.
The weekend’s feature event on Sunday will showcase some of the world’s best drivers dueling it out in the 1000Bulbs.com 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race, the second (of three) in the Round of 12, where the green flag will wave at 1 p.m. CT.
