|| *Comments on Talladega Superspeedway:* View the most recent comment <#49> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Cooper posted: 03.14.2010 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located in Eastaboga, Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was constructed in the 1960s in place of the abandoned Anniston Army Airfield by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by NASCAR's founding France family along with Daytona International Speedway and several other racetracks. At 2.66 miles (4.28 km) long, Talladega is the largest (and most steeply banked) oval track in the Sprint Cup Series and has seating for over 175,000 spectators. 2. Eric posted: 04.13.2010 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The first race at Talladega happened without most of the regular cup drivers including Richard Petty. What happened was the tire wasn't built to handle the speed that the cars at Talladega was going. The first Talladega race in 1987 was responsible for plate racing as we know it today. Bobby Allison went flying airborne, and into a catch fence after cutting a tire. This is the track that it is most likely that an unexpected winner with happen outside of Daytona. 3. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 06.09.2010 - 10:21 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) My favorite race track, next to Daytona. It defines the Big One right there. 4. Michael Daly posted: 10.14.2010 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) By far the most competitive speedway in racing. 5. austin posted: 11.24.2010 - 7:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Best track ever. 6. NZ Nascar fan posted: 01.05.2011 - 6:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The biggest and baddest of them all 7. Smiff_99 posted: 01.27.2011 - 1:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I get goosebumps every time they take the green flag. 188 laps of anything-can-happen racing. I usually spend the last 5 laps with my heart pounding and a lump in my throat. Nobody's safe until the checkered flag falls. 8. JowersTB posted: 08.07.2011 - 3:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I love going to this place. My first 3 NASCAR races I went to Dale Earnhardt won both in 99 and his final in 2000. Leads all drivers with 14 total wins here. The greatest to ever drive this track. 9. Cornys posted: 05.07.2012 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Not a big fan of this track, but it does bring a great amount of excitment. I'll give it that. 10. Johnny C from Chattanooga posted: 11.21.2012 - 1:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the last pace lap before the start, the storm came. I heard there was a tornado very near the track. A miracle that no one was killed. I remember Monday looking down the backstretch and seeing Mark Martin sliding backwards with the rear end way up in the air and his grill mashed into the asphalt. A very scary crash. 11. RaceFanX posted: 11.15.2015 - 6:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When Talladega was built the track had an infield road course layout just like Daytona. During the 1970s the roval layout was used for major races including hosting IMSA GT events during the series' early years. The roval even hosted a six-hour endurance race in 1978. The infield road course was abandoned in 1983 and although much of the infield section remains in existence the roads have been converted for non-racing uses. 12. JRacingFast posted: 05.01.2016 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I used to be a huge fan of this track and the restrictor plate races. However as of late races ive kind of changed my tone. Especially today where over half the field tore up there cars and two cars flipped and a third nearly did but still had a hard wreck.....NASCAR has gotta do something it's only a matter of time before someone kills themselves and maybe the spectators by some slre of a wreck.... 13. robbyburns posted: 10.18.2016 - 11:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just saw on JAYSKI this race isn't the ALABAMA 500, it's the HELLMANN's 500 yes a race sponsored by mayo. 14. Anonymous posted: 10.22.2016 - 12:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Whew. I'm so glad the announcers keep telling us that the start/finish line is NOT in the trioval. I would have had no idea if they didn't keep repeating it. 15. Seibaru (Tylor Thaber) posted: 08.13.2017 - 11:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to Wikipedia and absolutely no one else (the info given on Wikipedia doesn't even have a source), the fall race this year will be sponsored by Thomas and Friends. Yeah. Uh huh. 16. Corey posted: 08.13.2017 - 12:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That could be fun though. Thomas leads them to the green while the pack could be renamed "The Express". Gives a whole new meaning to the term, "running on rails". Seriously though, the race is still labeled as the "Alabama 500", on multiple and more official sources. 17. Seibaru (Tylor Thaber) posted: 08.13.2017 - 12:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @16 It would be pretty fun, yeah, but on a real, the only 'source' I've got is Wikipedia, and there are no references to back up the information on Wikipedia itself. 18. RaceFanX posted: 08.13.2017 - 12:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If they ever had a race sponsorship like that you would need either a Stanley Steamer or a murdered out bro-dozer diesel truck "rolling coal" to be the pace vehicle. A vintage Alco would also work but wouldn't be nearly as funny except to the railfans in the crowd who get the joke. 19. Corey posted: 08.13.2017 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know NASCAR wants to appeal to a younger fan base, but I'm not sure how successful it would be going after the 2-5 year old market. 20. Tide1732 posted: 08.13.2017 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The house of 'The Big One' 21. kup posted: 11.23.2017 - 1:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR CUP Talladega Superspeedway 1969-2017 # races: 97 UPS: universal points system. Driver's UPoints = Miles / Aver.Finish 1 625 Bill Elliott 25 520 / 15.7 1 544 Dale Earnhardt 19 149 / 12.4 1 361 Michael Waltrip 27 081 / 19.9 1 355 Mark Martin 21 538 / 15.9 1 335 Terry Labonte 25 773 / 19.3 1 291 Kyle Petty 23 631 / 18.3 1 246 Jeff Gordon 21 182 / 17.0 1 244 Dave Marcis 26 007 / 20.9 1 191 Ricky Rudd 24 541 / 20.6 1 119 Bobby Labonte 22 041 / 19.7 1 093 Richard Petty 18 362 / 16.8 1 075 Sterling Marlin 21 384 / 19.9 1 070 Kevin Harvick 16 476 / 15.4 1 070 Dale Jarrett 18 192 / 17.0 1 060 Dale Earnhardt Jr 16 316 / 15.4 1 058 Darrell Waltrip 21 469 / 20.3 1 032 Kurt Busch 16 402 / 15.9 989 Jeff Burton 18 200 / 18.4 975 Buddy Baker 16 388 / 16.8 959 Tony Stewart 17 173 / 17.9 951 Ken Schrader 20 822 / 21.9 926 Matt Kenseth 17 314 / 18.7 897 Rusty Wallace 18 474 / 20.6 895 Jimmie Johnson 15 396 / 17.2 819 Bobby Allison 14 010 / 17.1 791 Cale Yarborough 12 584 / 15.9 767 Morgan Shepherd 13 494 / 17.6 722 Ryan Newman 14 226 / 19.7 714 Jamie McMurray 14 287 / 20.0 707 Clint Bowyer 10 951 / 15.5 686 Geoffrey Bodine 14 468 / 21.1 679 Greg Biffle 13 236 / 19.5 655 Lake Speed 13 034 / 19.9 626 Denny Hamlin 11 449 / 18.3 624 Brad Keselowski 8 799 / 14.1 616 Brett Bodine 13 670 / 22.2 22. Timothy Eklund posted: 04.27.2018 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 2 ladies in the arca race both were involved in a minor incident, I can't find the arca page for some reason. 23. Ferret posted: 07.22.2018 - 11:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) While on a wiki walk, discovered that on Nov 23-24 2004, the track was hit by a F2 tornado. From the NWS: The F2 tornado touched down in the vicinity of the Talladega Superspeedway. Two concession stands within the infield area of the race track had their roofs blown off. The Bush Garage area received building damage and the garage doors were bowed out. Debris was scattered between the garage area and Victory Lane. One digital leader board was completely destroyed and another one sustained major damage. The. Thanks, NWS. I wasn't even aware the track got hit, Makes me wonder how common that is now... This is what happens when I get bored and don't sleep. Go figure..... 24. Timothy Eklund posted: 10.02.2018 - 2:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The races here will be run WITHOUT a restrictor plate next year. They will still have some restrictions to keep them from going 230+ mph thought. 25. Canadianfan posted: 10.02.2018 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @24 Yes it's called a tapered spacer just think of it as a graduated thicker restrictor plate. We have been running them everywhere since 2015. 26. Timothy Eklund 19 43 13 96 99 fan posted: 10.02.2018 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It has like 100 more horsepower which MIGHT result in 2-5 mph more 27. Canadianfan posted: 10.02.2018 - 5:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @26 They will be running the aero ducts and a much higher spoiler. Along with changes to the splitter and radiator pan. This might offset the HP difference and thus the speed difference. NASCAR possibly for insurance reasons likes to keep them under 200. 28. JSPorts posted: 10.02.2018 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I imagine the speeds will stay relatively the same at Daytona & Talladega, but the racing probably won't be as close and it will likely be harder to pass. 29. Ultimate Warrior #18 posted: 10.02.2018 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If this rule change allows the cup cars to be more responsive when lifting off the throttle then possibly the old school slingshot move could return which would be good. If the racing looks like the old Daytona truck races from 00-06 that's a positive. But if it becomes harder to pass and get runs then it's a epic fail. 30. JSPorts posted: 10.02.2018 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My concern is that using this package with the added horsepower will turn every race into the Xfinity Pocono race from this year. 31. Rider77 posted: 10.02.2018 - 9:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hope this will be like a mini version of the old heavy drag package from the early 2000 era with the roof blade and spoiler lip. Added HP and a more responsive engine plus higher drag should make for a much more enjoyable race then the low drag package they have been using lately. 32. Rider77 posted: 03.29.2019 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rules changes coming for the 3 Superspeedway races left. Per a NASCAR spokesman the speeds were higher then anticipated and higher then they wanted. Therefore the spoiler will be increased from 8" to 9", and there will be mandatory 1" track bar mounts to raise the rear of the car. 33. Jimmie4life posted: 04.17.2019 - 12:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What do you guys think about the package for this track? Will we see pack racing in some downgraded version, or racing more close to Talladega before Restrictor Plates? 34. LJTolitoYouTuber posted: 04.17.2019 - 12:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @33 I think it would be some close racing, My prediction is Ricky Stenhouse Jr or Paul Menard. 35. TheDewCrew posted: 01.27.2020 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The pace truck driver in the prerace flag ceremonies, John Ray, sadly passed away today at age 82 36. Jimmie4life posted: 03.06.2020 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As Talladega begins to close in, what are they going to do about the speeds, or in general, the tapered spacer package? At this point, it seems we don't know, but I see cars being slowed down towards 195 and the horsepower being restricted by about 15-25 HP. 37. Canadianfan posted: 03.06.2020 - 6:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @36 From Pockrass: Denny Hamlin said NASCAR has updated drivers on the Newman wreck and changes they are considering. He said they would have to slow the cars way, way down to avoid a turnover as what happened in Newman's crash (not implying they will do that, just saying that hard to avoid). 38. Jordan posted: 03.22.2020 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) IMO slowing the cars down will only make for bigger pile ups. Personally I think they need to make the cars drive worse and give them more power. Take away down force and let them run closer to 210. 39. possum posted: 03.22.2020 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @38 - I doubt it. They already run 3 and 4 wide 8 rows deep, you can't get much closer than that, so bigger pileups aren't a risk. Let them run 210 and they'll still run just as close, and the pileups will just be harder hits. Face it, all this has been analysed six ways from Sunday eons ago, and the answer has been known for decades: the only fix for Talladega is to tear it down. And NASCAR is not going to do that, even tho everyone knows a 5/8ths or 3/4ths mile track would give much better racing. So all that NASCAR will do is try to make the impacts small enough that no-one dies. 40. JSPorts posted: 04.20.2020 - 12:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Top 10 drivers since 2017: 1st: Joey Logano 2nd: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 3rd: Kurt Busch 4th: Aric Almirola 5th: Brad Keselowski 6th: Denny Hamlin 7th: Ryan Blaney 8th: Chase Elliott 9th: Ryan Newman 10th: Ty Dillon 41. RaceFanX posted: 04.22.2020 - 9:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This track is so big you could fit the Rose Bowl inside the infield...31 times over. 42. Jimmie4life posted: 05.04.2020 - 10:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR now is implementing new rules for Talladega: NASCAR is eliminating Aero Ducts for Superspeedways. Throttle body is reduced from 59/64ths on an inch to 57/64ths. Roll bar padding specs are being updated, Mandated on June 1st. Oil reserves and overflow tanks are mandated to have a check valve when we go to Talladega. Slip tape will be applied along the entire lower rearward surfaces that face the rear bumper cover and extension, but only mandatory at Talladega and Daytona. Additional lower support roll bar, and intrusion plate and upper upper main support bar. This is only the safety enhancements that have been announced. 43. Canadianfan posted: 06.12.2020 - 4:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) From Adam Stern: @NASCAR at Talladega next week will let a limited amount of hospitality guests come back to track for the first time since the pandemic hit, alongside the 5K fans. ? Each car/sponsor will be allowed two guests, plus one handler per team, and they will be in grandstand suites. 44. Canadianfan posted: 06.13.2020 - 11:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) From Bob Pockrass: No Dega practice. NASCAR: After further discussion w/ our race teams, the decision was made to eliminate the practice session originally scheduled for Talladega.We feel current format is working well for the industry & has created competitive racing, along w/ several efficiencies. 45. Jimmie4life posted: 06.15.2020 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unofficially, 40 cars are entered for the Talladega race, the 2020 GEICO 500. Along with that, a quote from John Patalak: I think obviously when we go to superspeedways, as we said, any of our races, what we do is inherently dangerous. Stopping a wreck from happening, that would be pretty difficult. I would say that slowing the cars down surely should and would help from an aero liftoff standpoint. I would say our findings from the Ryan Newman crash, his liftoff was not due to an aero event but from him getting into the wall. The idea there is reducing the speeds of the car, slowing them down. We would expect speeds under the 200 mph barrier here. So from that standpoint slowing the cars down, keep from having as violent wrecks. Like I said, I mean, when the checkered flag is out for the Daytona 500, any of our races for that matter, the opportunity for accidents is high. I think the changes you see here that we've put forward, it's to ensure that once a chain of events like that are set into motion, we have all the safety mechanisms in place to mitigate the outcome, negative outcomes, I should say. 46. RaceFanX posted: 09.14.2020 - 1:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since the fall of 2016 winners at Talladega have each received a Vulcan Trophy, a three-foot, 80-pound replica of the giant 56-foot cast iron statue of the titular Roman God of Fire and Metalworking that watches over the city of Birmingham, honoring that city's history in the iron and steel industries. The Vulcan Trophy is fittingly also made of cast iron just like the real one. The Alabama episode of the television series "Aerial America" featured Talladega is one of its featured sites during its tour of the Cotton State. The segment highlighted both its racing history and the track's status as being the filming location for the climax of the popular movie "Talladega Nights." An episode of the PBS Kids traveling live action-animated hybrid show "Postcards from Buster" also briefly featured the speedway during a visit to Talladega with the joke being that when they came WASN'T a race weekend so the main character leaves the track to instead visit the nearby Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind instead. 47. Corey posted: 12.11.2020 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Talladega had been the longest circuit on the Cup series schedule since 1970. In 2020, that changed when the Daytona Road Course was added. For 2021, Talladega will drop to fourth on the list as not only will Daytona make a second appearance, but Circuit of the Americas and Road America will be raced at as well. 48. RaceFanX posted: 12.11.2020 - 2:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talladega will likely always be the longest oval NASCAR has ever raced on. Larger ones do exist but they are all configured only as vehicle test tracks. Argentina's Autodromo Ingeniero Juan R. Bascolo has a 2.8-mile oval but while it has hosted major races before it only hosts testing now while pro races are run on a roval layout instead. 49. RaceFanX posted: 12.28.2020 - 9:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lyn St. James became the first woman ever to record an official lap at a speed of over 200 miles per hour on any race course in the world here at Talladega in 1985. She sent the record with a blast around the oval at 204.223 miles per hour in the IMSA Ford Mustang Probe GTP racer. St. James was a factory racer for Ford at the time. St. James later returned to Talladega in 1988 with specially-modified Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe stock car and went even faster, clocking a lap at 212.577 miler per hour. Bill Elliott and his championship-winning Cup team prepared St. James' Super Coupe...which was part of a sneaky move by Ford to get Elliott and his team early access to the 1989 body style for wind tunnel testing before the other Thunderbird NASCAR teams. The car was a bit of an outlaw since it wasn't built to NASCAR specifications. With St. James at the wheel it set 21 world records with only five being gender specific. The T-Bird is now preserved at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: