Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor
Superspeedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It
is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln.
The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the
International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France
Family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of
the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track
currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity
Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR
oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long tri-oval like the Daytona International
Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long tri-oval. At its peak Talladega had a
seating capacity of 175,000 spectators, although the current capacity is 80,000
seats. History
During the 1960s William "Bill" France, Sr. wanted to build a track faster and
longer than Daytona International Speedway. He would end up breaking
ground on an old airfield on May 23, 1968. The track would be named Alabama
International Motor Speedway. The name would remain for twenty years until 1989
when the facility's name was changed to Talladega Superspeedway. The track
opened on September 13, 1969 costing $4 million. The first race at the track was
unlike any other; all the original drivers abandoned the track due to tire
problems, which allowed France to hire substitute drivers with the winner being
Richard Brickhouse. After the first race, Talladega would host two Winston
Cup Series races per year, one of which would become part of the 10-race Chase
for the Sprint Cup. Since its opening year, Talladega has hosted many races
and has been repaved four times. Talladega would also have many
first-time winners such as Larry Schild, Sr.; Richard Brickhouse, Brian Vickers,
and Brad Keselowski. A 4-mile infield road course was in
operation from the track's founding until 1983. In the 1970s, sixIMSA GT
Championship races were held at the speedway, including a 6-hour race in
1978. In May 2006, Talladega started to
re-surface the track and the apron. Construction started on May 1 and lasted
until September 18. The first race on the resurfaced race track was a NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series race on October 7.
In December 2013, the ISC announced removal of the 18,000-seat Allison
Grandstand on the backstretch, reducing the track's seating capacity to 80,000.
The 4,000-ft backstraightway was renamed The Alabama Gang Superstretch in time
for the 2014 Aaron's 499 held in the spring.
The "Big One" Speeds in excess of 200 mph are
commonplace at Talladega. Talladega has the record for the fastest recorded time
by a NASCAR stock car in a closed oval course, with the record of 216.309 mph
set by Rusty Wallace on June 9, 2004. Wallace circled the 2.66-mile trioval in
44.270 seconds, which surpassed the previous record held by Bill Elliott set
in 1987, but doesn't replace the record due to the fact it was a radio test and
not a NASCAR sanctioned event. Buddy Baker was the first driver to test at a
speed over 200 mph, with a 200.447 mph lap during testing on March 24, 1970.
Baker's record was set while driving the #88 Chrysler Engineering Charger
Daytona, which is currently undergoing restoration in Detroit, after being
found in the late 1990s in Iowa. The late Benny Parsons was the first driver
to qualify at over 200 mph, doing so in 1982 with a speed of 200.176 mph.
In May 1987, Bobby Allison, after debris from a blown engine, cut his right-rear
tire from the debris while going through the tri-oval portion of the track. The
car was vaulted airborne. His car damaged a portion of the frontstretch
catch fence, but did not enter the spectator area. NASCAR imposed rule
changes to slow the cars after the incident, with a 1988 rule requiring
cars running there and at Daytona to use restrictor plates. The most often cited
reason is a fear that the increasing speeds were exceeding the capabilities
of the tires available at the time, as high-speed tire failure had led to some
gruesome crashes at slightly lower speeds. The plates limit the amount of
air and fuel entering the intake manifolds of the engine, greatly
reducing the power of the cars and hence their speed. This has led to an
extremely competitive style of racing at Talladega and Daytona. Allison's crash
was very alike to Carl Edwards's airborne crash at the 2009 Aaron's 499.
The reduced power affects not only the maximum speed reached by the cars but
the time it takes them to achieve their full speed as well, which can be nearly
one full circuit of the track. The racing seen at Talladega today is
extremely tight; often in rows of 3 or 4 cars, and sometimes even 5 lanes wide on
the straightaways throughout most of the field, as the track is wide enough to
permit such racing. Breaking away from the pack is very difficult as well.
Such close quarters, however, makes it extremely difficult for a driver to
avoid an incident as it is unfolding in front of them, and the slightest mistake
can lead to a multi-car accident – dubbed "the Big One" by fans and
drivers. It is uncommon, but possible, to see 20 or more cars collected in the
crashes. Occasionally, cars go airborne. NASCAR has made several advances in
safety over the years to lessen the chance of a car going airborne.
The Talladega jinx Numerous strange occurrences at the
track have led to rumors of Talladega being cursed. Stories of the origin of
the curse vary. Some claim that a local Native American tribe held horse races
in the valley where the track currently resides where a chief was killed when he
was thrown from his horse. Others say that the site of the superspeedway was
once an Indian burial ground. Still another version says that after the
local tribe was driven out by the Creek nation for their collaborating with the
forces of Andrew Jackson, a shaman put a curse on the valley.
Since the construction of the track, many strange happenings and untimely
deaths have fueled the rumors of the curse. In 1973, Bobby Isaac left his car
during the race on lap 90 due to voices that he claimed to have heard which told
him to park his car and get out. Earlier on lap 14 in the same race, young driver
Larry Smith died in a seemingly minor wreck. In 1974, the morning before the
Winston 500, drivers and crews alike found multiple cars sabotaged by cut
brake lines and sand in the gas tank. That same year, Roger Penske crewman Don
Miller lost part of his leg when the car his driver Gary Bettenhausen was pitting
at the time, was hit by another driver and pinned Miller between the pit wall
and Bettenhausen's Matador. And in the 1975 Winston 500, Randy Owens,
brother-in-law of Richard Petty and a crew member on the family team Petty
Enterprises, was killed by an air tank that exploded in the pits.
To some, Bobby Allison's wreck in 1987 described above was yet another reminder
of the curse. In 1993, his son, Davey Allison, died in a helicopter crash in
the infield of Talladega. That same month, Neil Bonnett was involved in a
crash similar to B. Allison's, in which his car went airborne and impacted the
catch fence in the tri-oval. In 1996, Automobile Racing Club of America
president Bob Loga died after a traffic accident in a parking lot. In the 2009
Aaron's 499, Carl Edwards suffered a similar wreck.
The Legend of Hallowdega, a comedic short film about the Talladega jinx, was
directed by Terry Gilliam and released in 2010.
Scheduled races Talladega hosts many NASCAR events which
include two Sprint Cup Series races, one Xfinity Series race, and one Camping
World Truck Series race. The Sprint Cup Series races include the GEICO 500 and
the CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega, which are both 188 laps each or 500.08
miles. The Xfinity Series race has historically been a
311.2-mile/500-kilometer since its 1992 inception, but was cut to 300 miles in
1998 due to a spectator's letter questioning the metric distance, but
restored to 500 kilometers by its current sponsor. The Camping Series race
is 250 miles. The ARCA race, once a 500 kilometer affair, was shortened to 300
miles in 1998 and to 250 miles in 2006 when it was moved to Friday.
= NASCAR Sprint Cup Series records = (As of 1011)
* from minimum 5 starts. = NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners
cl = Number of caution laps at time of finish
UC = Race finished under caution GWC = Race extended by
green-white-checkered finish. Notes:
2008 AMP Energy 500: Regan Smith crossed the start/finish line first, but was
penalized for passing Tony Stewart below the yellow line to prevent contact with
Stewart; thus was sent to the tail end of the lead lap. Margin of victory is
related to official 2nd-place finisher Paul Menard.
2009 Aaron's 499: The caution waved and race scoring stopped after the Top 3
drivers had crossed the finish line. An official margin of victory was scored
before the caution was given. Starting in 1993, timing has been scored
by electronic sensors. 2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500:
On the final lap, during a green-white-checkered finish, Tony
Stewart and Michael Waltrip made contact with each other, triggering a 25-car
crash. Stewart flipped several times and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a concussion.
Matt Kenseth won the race. 2013 Aaron's 499: Race halted on lap 126
for 3.5 hours due to rain. Current races
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500
CampingWorld.com 500 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Winn-Dixie 300 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola ARCA Racing Series
Talladega ARCA 200 The circuit's infield also hosts the
Birmingham Ultimate Disc Association Mud Bowl tournament in the winter.
Records March 24, 1970: Buddy Baker, driving the
Chrysler Engineering #88 Dodge Charger Daytona, officially becomes the first
driver in NASCAR history to break the 200 mph barrier by turning a lap of
200.447 mph. This was also a World Record at the time for any vehicle on a
closed course. It was achieved using official NASCAR Scoring and Timing
equipment. August 20, 1971: Paula Murphy, "Miss
STP" made a record closed course run for a female at 171.499 mph.
August, 1974: A.J. Foyt tests an Indy car at a speed of 217.854 mph.
August 9, 1975: Mark Donohue sets a closed-course world record in a Porsche
917-30 at 221.160 mph. It would stand as a world record for four years, and as a
United States record until 1986. May 6, 1984: The Winston 500 set a
motorsports record with 75 lead changes in a single race.
May 5, 1985: Bill Elliott sets a 500-mile race record, winning the
Winston 500 at an average speed of 186.288 mph. Elliott won the race
despite losing nearly two laps during a lengthy early pit stop to fix a broken
oil line, and despite the race only having two caution flags. Elliott made
up the entire distance he lost under one lengthy, green-flag period. The record
stood as the fastest 500-mile race of any kind until 1990, when Al Unser, Jr.
broke it by winning the CART Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speedway
at an average speed of 189.727 mph. Mark Martin later broke the record for
fastest 500-mile NASCAR race. November 26, 1985: Lyn St. James sets a
record closed course run for a female, at over 200 mph.
March 24, 1986: Bobby Unser sets a closed-course speed record for
four-wheel drive vehicles with an Audi 5000CS Turbo Quattro at 206.825 mph with
a top speed over 350 km/h the car was complying with NASCAR rules.
1986: The Saab Long Run – set of 2 world and 21 international records with three
series SAAB 9000 Turbo – 100,000 km with an average speed of 213.299 km/h and
50,000 miles with an average speed of 213.686 km/h.
April 30, 1987: Bill Elliott sets the all-time NASCAR qualifying record,
winning the pole for the Winston 500 at a speed of 212.809 mph. The record still
stands due strictly to the use of the carburetor restrictor plate, mandated
after the 1987 season. October 11, 1988: Lyn St. James sets a
record closed course run for a female at 212.577 mph, driving a Ford Thunderbird.
December 14, 1989: Patty Moise sets a record closed course run for a female at
216.607 mph, driving a Buick. January 23, 1990: Patty Moise sets a
record closed course run for a female at 217.498 mph, driving a Buick.
1996: Saab set endurance and speed record-breaking runs in their 900
Talladega. May 10, 1997: Mark Martin wins the
Winston Select 500, a race which had no caution flags, at a NASCAR 500-mile
record speed of 188.354 mph, nearly ten years after the introduction of
restrictor plates. October 15, 2000: Dale Earnhardt sets a
record for the most wins at the track with 10. This was also his 76th and
final win before his death in the 2001 Daytona 500.
April 6, 2003: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his 4th consecutive Cup race at
Talladega. The race also saw NASCAR's largest Sprint Cup wreck to date, when
27 cars piled up in turn 1 on lap 4. June 10, 2004: Rusty Wallace tests a
stock car without a restrictor plate for series sponsor Nextel to test
communication capabilities, gets an overall lap time of 44.27 seconds,
beating Elliott's old record by more than seven-tenths of a second.
April 25, 2010: The Aaron's 499 broke the 1984 mark of 75 lead changes with
88; it also set a new motorsports record with 29 different leaders.
October 7, 2012: A crash involving 25 cars erupted on the final lap when Tony
Stewart and Matt Kenseth were battling for the win; Stewart made contact
Michael Waltrip and went up the track in turn 4; he flipped over as the field
plowed into a suddenly blocked track. Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch escaped the
crash as Kenseth went on to win. The race lead changed a season-high 54
times. First-time winners
A large number of drivers won the first race of their careers at Talladega. As
of May 5, 2013, 10 drivers have won their first race at Talladega.
Richard Brickhouse* Dick Brooks*
Lennie Pond* Ron Bouchard*
Bobby Hillin, Jr.* Davey Allison
Phil Parsons* Ken Schrader
Brian Vickers Brad Keselowski
* As of 2014, this is/was their only career win in the series.
Racing schools Dale Jarrett Racing School
Film & television 2006: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of
Ricky Bobby 2007: Postcards from Buster This Just
In! References
Further reading Bolton, Mike and Jim Nunn "Talladega
doesn't measure up." Birmingham News. – Updates previously published track
dimensions with new measurements taken during 2006 repaving.
Fielden, Greg. NASCAR Chronicle. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications
International, Ltd., 2004. External links
Talladega Superspeedway Official Site Talladega Superspeedway race results at
Racing-Reference Talladega Superspeedway Page on
NASCAR.com GNEXTINC.com: Talladega Superspeedway
Page – Local area information, track specs, mapping, news and more.
Jayski's Talladega Superspeedway Page – Current and Past Talladega Superspeedway
News Talladega Superspeedway on World of
Stadiums – Info and photo's