Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969-89, is a motorsports complex north of Talladega, Alabama.
The tri-oval track was built in 1969 and hosts races for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series. No oval in NASCAR is longer than the 2.66-mile track that has played host to so many memorable moments since its debut, ranging from Rusty Wallace’s record-setting speed on an oval in 2004 to Bobby Allison’s 1987 crash to the events that have led to the belief in a curse at Talladega.
In the Cup Series, the GEICO 500 and YellaWood 500 are both hosted at Talladega, as are the Unhinged 300 and Ag-Pro 300 in the Xfinity Series. The Chevrolet Silverado 250 of the Truck Series takes place on the oval, and the same is true of the ARCA Menards Series’ General Tire 200.
Though many drivers have earned their first career victories at Talladega, the legendary Dale Earnhardt has enjoyed more success than anyone else (10 wins, 23 top-5s, 27 top-10s, 1,377 laps led) throughout the track’s history.
Chase Briscoe says he would have raced Talladega differently had he known William Byron would get his NASCAR-imposed points penalty overturned.
Ross Chastain’s objective at Talladega may have been to win, but getting to the finish without wrecking was satisfying enough.
Longtime NASCAR driver Jordan Anderson suffered second-degree burns during a truck series wreck at Talladega.
2020 Cup series champion Chase Elliott spoke at length at Talladega about his frustration with the development of the Next Gen car.
Brandon Brown’s return to the site of his only NASCAR victory marks the end of the relationship with his family’s racing team.
Like it or not, postseason trips to Talladega Superspeedway won’t be going away anytime soon.
Alex Bowman can still qualify for the next round of the Cup Series playoffs, but he would have to be cleared to drive at Charlotte and probably win on the road course there.
The Next Gen car has provided more parity … but also more concern about safety heading to Talladega.
Ross Chastain says a lesson learned in the 2018 Xfinity Series changed his mindset on the track.
Producers of a podcast say they have found L.W. Wright, who pulled off an incredible hoax by racing in the Winston 500 at Talladega in 1982.
