Latest news with #Talladega500
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
In The Know 5-18: News, updates from Greenville area businesses and nonprofits
Carolina Handling, a material handling solutions provider and a support center for Raymond Solutions, will partner with Michael McDowell at Talladega (Alabama) Superspeedway on Oct. 19. McDowell drives Spire Motorsports No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1. The race will be the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500. 'Carolina Handling is thrilled to partner with Spire Motorsports, an organization that shares our core values of respect, teamwork and innovation, and aligns with our drive to be elite in service to our customers and our community,' said Brent Hillabrand, President and CEO of Carolina Handling. 'Our affiliation with Spire Motorsports and winning NASCAR driver Michael McDowell gives the Carolina Handling brand significant visibility and offers us the opportunity for dynamic customer, associate and consumer engagement.' Talladega Superspeedway is known for high-speed, nose-to-tail action where the difference between winning and losing is usually fractions of a second. McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 champion, joined Spire Motorsports for the current season. He has been in NASCAR's premier division for 18 years. The crew chief is Travis Peterson. Carolina Handling started in 1966 as a gas station in North Carolina. The company, headquartered in Charlotte, now provides integrated logistics and warehouse solutions across the Southeast. McDowell said the pairing makes sense. "I think this is the perfect opportunity to showcase how our industries can continue to integrate technology into our workforce with confidence,' he said. 'Being able to represent a company that has such a strong tie to the Carolinas is important for our industry and our community. It should be a great race at Talladega, and we look forward to having Carolina Handling join the Spire team.' The YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is the 34th of 36 points-paying races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series. Carolina Handling is the Raymond Solutions and Support Center for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and part of Florida. The company provides forklifts, automation solutions, parts, racking, storage, lighting, and dock and door equipment to manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centers. The company has branch offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, Greensboro, Raleigh and Greenville, and an equipment distribution center in Piedmont. The Fair at Heritage Park will showcase new foods, rides and shows in Simpsonville through May 25. Admission and ride specials are available every day. The Fair at Heritage Park is at 861 S.E. Main St. On-site parking is free. A new ride is the Cyclops 2.0, the second-generation Cyclops with more flips, dips and heart-pounding swoops. The FireGuy show is new; he holds the Guinness World Record for performing with fire. For kids, movie characters such as Tinker Bell, Stitch, Ariel and more will roam the fairgrounds daily for photo opportunities. All shows are free to fair guests. Admission is a flat rate of $10 for ages 11 and up. Fair-goers under age 10 are admitted free. Visitors can pay one price for unlimited rides. Individuals under the age of 17 will not be allowed after 5 p.m. without parents, and a clear bag policy is in place. The fair is family-owned and family-run. For information about daily promotions, hours, safety policies and attractions, go to or contact info@ For changes due to weather, go to The Fair at Heritage Park Facebook page. Lima One Capital in Greenville, a lender nationwide for real estate investors, has hired Greg Larsen as its new Senior Director of Underwriting. Larsen will lead the Lima One team that underwrites borrowers and loans. He has nearly two decades of commercial real estate lending and credit experience and a record of building high-performing teams, managing complex loan portfolios, and driving strategic growth, according to a press release. Most recently, Larsen served as Director of Credit at Builders Capital and led initiatives in underwriting standards, product development and credit strategy. Previously, Larsen spent 17 years with Bank of America, where he held leadership roles in underwriting, credit risk and portfolio management. "I'm excited to join Lima One. The team's energy, drive and commitment to making a real impact in the real estate space is inspiring,' Larsen said. Larsen's accomplishments include designing and implementing a program that delivered over $800 million in commitments to sponsors in its first five months and managing a team that underwrote and closed $3 billion of real estate transactions in one year. 'Greg is passionate about credit quality, team development and process improvement, and I am confident that he will continue to improve our already talented team,' said Lima One CEO Josh Woodward. Since its inception in 2010, Lima One Capital has funded over $10 billion in business-purpose real estate loans. With a reach across 46 states, Lima One operates as a capital partner for real estate investors and brokers by financing residential investment strategies including fix and flips and rental and new construction. In 2021, Lima One was acquired by real estate investment trust MFA Financial Inc. As addiction remains a pressing concern, two Upstate men are rewriting their stories. Cade Cope and Austin Allen recently graduated from the Homes of Hope Men's Workforce Development program – an initiative designed to help men rebuild their lives as they overcome addiction and homelessness. The Homes of Hope MWD program pairs safe housing, life skills coaching, and hands-on workforce training that the men need to succeed beyond recovery. 'Addiction shows no favoritism. It can entangle anyone, often trapping them in long, dark, seemingly endless cycles of despair," said Steve Vicari, Director of Men's Workforce Development. 'But recovery is a fresh start, full of promise.' Overdose deaths have risen by nearly 60% in recent years, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Cope has been hired by John Norwood, who graduated from the MWD program several years ago and founded Old Timey Electric. He is 'paying it forward' by offering Cope a full-time position and mentorship. Allen secured full-time employment at Viper Services. 'It is truly inspiring to see generational change happen,' said Don Oglesby, President and CEO of Homes of Hope. The Men's Workforce Development program has graduated more than 330 men since its inception. For information about Homes of Hope and the Men's Workforce Development program, go to Homes of Hope is a nonprofit organization based in Greenville. The organization's dual mission is to provide affordable housing while helping men in the MWD program find stability. Since its founding in 1998, Homes of Hope has built 704 homes. AIRSYS Cooling Technologies, a cooling solution provider, announced that it will expand its global headquarters by building in Spartanburg County. The company's $40 million investment will create 215 jobs. AIRSYS, celebrating three decades in business, is currently headquartered in Greer. The company develops and manufactures cooling equipment for information and communication technology. The company's energy-efficient cooling solutions are used in data centers, schools and telecom cabinets worldwide. AIRSYS will construct its global headquarters at 6228 Hwy. 101 in Woodruff. The existing manufacturing site will be expanded. The new campus will have one of the world's largest 3D printing factories and will make customizable spray liquid cooling components for high-density computing servers, according to a press release. Operations are expected to be online in 2026. Xoted Biotechnology Labs, a research and development center, has announced plans to establish a presence in Spartanburg County. The $4.2 million investment is a significant advancement in sustainable biotechnology and scientific innovation, according to a press release. The company will create 34 jobs. Xoted is a subsidiary of DRC Ventures and TRB Holdings. Xoted works in the biotech, nutraceutical and environmental industries. The new facility, in the Spark Center at 1875 East Main St. in Duncan, will focus on plant-based detoxification, seed research, and next-generation applications in textiles and cleanroom technology. In addition to product development, the operation will serve as a hub for STEM education and scientific research. Upstate Forever protected 1,130 acres in 2024. Conservation easements were finalized in Abbeville, Greenville and Pickens counties. The permanent protections include forests, farmlands, waterways and green space. Upstate Forever protects land in partnership with landowners through conservation easements – voluntary contracts that allow landowners to legally restrict certain uses on their property (including residential subdivisions and commercial or industrial operations), while allowing traditional rural uses, such as farming, grazing, hunting and timbering. The agreement is permanent and remains with the land, even if it is sold or passed to heirs. Easements are: Morrow Creek Timbers, a 236-acre addition to 429 acres protected by conservation easement in 2021. The protected lands contribute to forest and wildlife habitat and local water quality. The S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funds. Fern Springs, a 37-acre recreational and wildlife habitat in northern Greenville and one of the last undeveloped parcels in a private community. The protected property contributes to water quality in the headwater streams of the Saluda River Watershed. Hereford Hill Farm, a 101-acre working family-owned ranch in southern Greenville County. In addition to permanently protecting the property's scenic value and pastureland for 50 cattle, the project contributes to local water quality. The land has more than 6,600 feet of tributary streams in the Saluda River Watershed. The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust, S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding. Horsepen Creek, 45 acres that are part of a neighborhood strategy to protect key wetlands and creek frontage on Horsepen Creek in southern Greenville County. It is adjacent to 34 acres of Horsepen Creek property protected in 2023. The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust, S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding. Pearl Bottoms, a 60-acre cattle farm in the Tigerville community. The property is at the confluence of three tributaries that serve as a headwater source of the South Tyger River. The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust, S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding, with a reimbursement grant from S.C. Department of Environmental Services. White Tract, 512 acres near the boundary with North Carolina. It expands an existing network of public and private protections along the Blue Ridge Escarpment. The perpetual protection of the natural area will help preserve access to the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area and its ecological biodiversity. Partners and funders include Naturaland Trust, S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and Upstate Land Conservation Fund. Horse Gap Forest, 69 acres of fields, forests, seeps, bogs, and a pond along the Wadakoe Mountain Ridge that separates Hwy. 11 from the Eastatoe Valley. The property is bordered by tributary streams of Little Eastatoe Creek and 534 acres maintained by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Management Area. The S.C. Conservation Bank, S.C. Conservation Bank, Upstate Land Conservation Fund and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service provided funding, with a reimbursement grant from S.C. Department of Environmental Services. Keowee Ridge, a 66-acre organic hobby farm on a peninsula of Lake Keowee. The farm produces free-range eggs, apples, honey and goat byproducts, distributed through the Clemson Area Food Exchange. The easement protects scenic views, agricultural potential, and natural habitat amid rapid lakefront development. The S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding, with a reimbursement grant from S.C. Department of Environmental Services. Upstate Forever's stewardship team will support the landowners and monitor each tract to ensure the terms of the easement are upheld. Currently, the team monitors 219 stewardship sites. In addition to enacting and stewarding conservation easements, Upstate Forever supports conservation partners on projects that benefit the Upstate. Upstate Forever partnered to protect an additional 1,900 acres in the Upstate. Partners were Conserving Carolina, The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina, State of South Carolina, Spartanburg County Parks Department, Spartanburg Area Conservancy and The Tyger River Foundation. Since Upstate Forever's founding by Greenville attorney Brad Wyche in 1998, the organization has permanently protected more than 44,000 acres through conservation easements and partner efforts across the 10-county Upstate. Casting Cleaning Resources, a provider of casting cleaning services, is expanding its Greenwood County operations with a $5 million investment that will create 42 additional jobs. Founded in Indiana in 1992, CCR provides cleaning services for industrial applications. The company's Greenwood County operation, established in 2019, specializes in casting finishing services and other post-mold services for foundries. CCR will operate in a standalone building at 104 Stoneridge Court in Greenwood. Kem Swenson has joined BrownStone Real Estate agency. A Greenville native with over two decades in real estate, Swenson began her career in 1999 at a firm specializing in custom-built neighborhoods. Later, she helped agents with listings, contracts and buyer relations. 'Kem embodies our mission of personalized service and community connection,' said Rhett Brown, broker and owner of BrownStone. Founded by Brown and Kirby Stone, Greenville-based BrownStone Real Estate carries forward a family legacy of real estate sales and development. BrownStone's services include customizable pre-listing concierge assistance to help sellers maximize the value of their homes. First Presbyterian Church, in partnership with the Galleries at First Presbyterian, will hold an art exhibition, 'Looking Up,' through Aug. 31. The exhibit will feature the works of George Stone, Joe Craighead and Mark Baral. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The works will be displayed on the first and second floors of the Galleries at First Presbyterian, 200 W. Washington St. Stone is known for representational oil paintings; Craighead focuses on plein-air oil landscapes; Baral specializes in landscape and representational oil paintings. For information, go to McBryde Publishing of New Bern, North Carolina, has released 'The Embers: The Bobby Tomlinson Story,' an account of one of Carolina's most iconic bands. The biography - written by McBryde CEO Bill Benners, Chris Jones and journalist Skip Crayton - explores Tomlinson, founding drummer of The Embers, and the band's 60 years as pioneers of beach music. Founded in 1958 by Bobby Tomlinson and Jackie Gore, The Embers made their debut in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a signature sound that blended blending rhythm and blues, soul, and the swing of beach music. 'The Embers: The Bobby Tomlinson Story' is available in eBook, hardcover and paperback at major online retailers, including Amazon, and at off Church Street. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Carolina Handling Partners With Spire At Talladega Race - In The Know 5-18
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What to Watch: Talladega, where opportunity and a variety of victors abound
Track: Talladega Superspeedway Location: Talladega, Alabama Track length: 2.66 miles When: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET Where to tune in: FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Race purse: $11,055,250 Race distance: 188 laps | 500.08 miles Stages: 60 | 120 | 188 Defending winner: Tyler Reddick, April 2024 Starting lineup: Zane Smith claims Busch Light Pole Ten races, ten faces? At a track where the unexpected regularly takes place, the one thing to count on in recent years at Talladega Superspeedway is new faces in Victory Lane. Advertisement The last nine races at the Alabama speed palace have produced nine different winners, and the specter of another no-repeat outcome looms large in Sunday's Jack Link's 500 (3 p.m. ET FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). That nine-race Talladega span precedes the advent of the Next Gen car in 2022. MORE: Cup Series standings | Full 2025 schedule Denny Hamlin began that string in October 2020, and since then (in chronological order) the winners' list has welcomed Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Can someone new add their name to the record books Sunday? The prospects for the Cup Series going 10 for 10 with another different winner are high. 'The field is so close, right, that it just opens up a lot of opportunities,' said Josh Berry, driver of the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford. 'A lot of these races just kind of come down to circumstance, and you find the same players up front a lot, but ultimately, it kind of is left up to fate a little bit on how obviously missing the wrecks and executing and it just opens the door for opportunity. So it's definitely a bit of a wild card, I think, from a driver's standpoint.' Advertisement There's some historical relevance for Talladega's good fortune smiling on an array of winners. The track's 'fall' race was traditionally called the Talladega 500, and the first 13 runnings were won by 13 different drivers. That variety and the track's growing reputation as a place where anything can happen fed into the speedway's promotions, where marketers touted '13 races, 13 faces' as a selling point. RELATED: Most wins all-time at Talladega | 'Dega surprise winners Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip was one of those 13 faces, etching his name in Victory Lane in 1979. He nearly broke the streak in 1981, but Ron Bouchard slipped by him for an upset win within sight of the checkered flag. The next year, Waltrip sealed the deal as a Talladega 500 repeater, then showed up for a promotional event for the 1983 race wearing a shirt that read: '14 races, 13 faces. Sorry about that.' The other common thread to the unpredictable nature: the driver leading the most laps has failed to win each of the last nine Talladega races. In both races here last year, that hard-luck leader was Michael McDowell, who crashed out in multi-car tangles — another Talladega trademark — each time. Advertisement That included a melee in this race last spring when McDowell was knocked out while leading on the final lap through the trioval. Last fall brought another massive stack-up, one that thinned 20-plus cars from the herd of contenders. MORE: Full Saturday recap The Cup Series field fans out through the trioval at Talladega Superspeedway From atop the pit box … What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday's race? Superspeedway strategy is as much driven by how drivers work the aerodynamic draft as how teams work in tandem across manufacturer lines. Automakers typically hold pre-race meetings to formulate a game plan for attacking Talladega, developing the best course for how to stick together, pit together and move forward — also together. Advertisement That spirit of teamwork — among organizations and the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) — should permeate Sunday's 500-miler, the first of two stops this season at the massive 2.66-mile circuit. 'It's not really set in stone what the plan or path is for how we approach the race set by the OEM, but we do communicate with the other Chevrolet guys during the race, and more than anything else, we just try to be mindful of each other's situation,' says Luke Lambert, crew chief for the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy driven by Carson Hocevar. 'Chevrolet has so many cars that they kind of split it up into two different groups of cars that work more closely together, but as you know, the way these races are, cars get eliminated, those numbers can dwindle down and then the plans kind of change in the middle of the race. 'Primarily, we'll be working close with the Spire guys, that's our intentions, and then try to work and cooperate with the Chevrolets. When we have the opportunity to do things that benefit each other, as far as working together in lines, and then also how we pit, we try to do that as much as possible.' Chevrolet's contingent makes up 18 cars in the field of 39 starters, the most of any manufacturer; Ford has 12, Toyota nine. Managing that number is tricky, but to Lambert's point, the ability to call audibles and have some amount of flex or give in the strategy is critical. Advertisement 'The bigger the group, the harder it becomes to execute this stuff, because everybody's running their own race and has different things that pop up as the race goes on, based on how much fuel they're using, or how the car is handling, or possibly having a short fill at one point in time, they get out of sync with the other cars,' Lambert said. 'So you can't really be too locked in. You have to kind of be fluid in how we approach the race. But primarily for us, our approach is to run our race really mindful of what's going on around us and how we can work with other guys and what we can expect for them to do as far as working with us when the opportunity arises.' MORE: Power Rankings for Talladega Toyota teams may not have the strength in numbers, but the size of their group — four cars from Joe Gibbs Racing, three from 23XI Racing and two from Legacy Motor Club — may be more manageable. Charles Denike, first-year crew chief of the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI's Bubba Wallace, said that their strategy wasn't necessarily manufacturer-mandated, but that collaboration stemmed mostly from a team level — save for trying to stack their numbers when executing green-flag pit stops together. Chevrolet has prevailed in four of the last six races here, but Toyota's ability to shift up strategy in winning this race last year was key. Advertisement 'Very much, you have to remain flexible,' Denike told 'So there's kind of two things: You always stay ready for if a caution comes out, and then when you can pit under green varies based off of how fast the pace is going and how much fuel you're burning. So it's a bit of a moving target there on what you want to be prepared for if you need to put under green, and then you always stay ready with your answer of, 'if the caution comes out, now, what would I do?\"' RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday's race Bubba Wallace loads into the No. 23 Toyota for qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway History tells us … Expect Penske fingerprints at the front. Just two drafting-style tracks have hosted races this year (Daytona and Atlanta in February), but Team Penske and its affiliated Wood Brothers Racing team have zoned in on the front of the pack. The Penske/Wood Brothers power combo has run 175 laps in first and second place this season. The next closest on that list is Trackhouse Racing, a distant second with 14 laps running 1-2. He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for … RICKY STENHOUSE JR. The Hyak Motorsports veteran has just one top-five result this season, but that total could grow after Sunday's showdown. Stenhouse won here to play playoff spoiler last fall, and two of his four career Cup Series victories have come at Talladega. The 37-year-old has eight top-five finishes here — the most of any track in his Cup career. Advertisement MORE: Get lineup advice in Fantasy Fastlane Speed reads Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. • NASCAR at Talladega: Key information, links, results through the weekend | Read more • Keselowski 'clawing': RFK driver/owner aims to maximize No. 6 team's potential | Read more • Crew chief change-up: Spire, Rodney Childers go separate ways | Read more • Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday's Jack Link's 500 | Read more • Turning Point to Talladega: Forecasting a Championship 4 … already? | Read more • At-track images: Best photos, scenes from a full weekend at Talladega | View gallery • NASCAR Classics: Rewind with full-race replays from the 'Dega video vault | Watch races • Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs ready to tackle Talladega | View gallery
