Talladega Superspeedway

Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama.

It was constructed in the 1960s in place of abandoned airport runways by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by NASCAR's founding France family along with Daytona International Speedway and several other racetracks.

The Largest Oval

At 2.66 miles long, Talladega is the largest oval track in the Nextel Cup Series and has seating provisions for over 175,000 patrons.

The start/finish line is placed after the pit exit; the unusual placement has affected the outcome of several races (the start/finish line is normally placed across from the center of pit road). The track is adjacent to and visible from Interstate 20.

Driver Strike Inauguaral NASCAR Race

Talladega got off to a controversial start when the Professional Drivers Association, a union of drivers led by the great Richard Petty, went on strike the night before the inaugural Talladega 500. The union was concerned with the speed which could be attained due to the track's length and steep banking, and the perceived threat to driver safety that this posed.

NASCAR founder Bill France took to the track himself in a car and drove around it at high speeds. NASCAR also ran a successful support race, but it was not enough, and the PDA drivers went on strike. Replacement drivers from the previous day's race were asked to race, and tickets were good for future races.

The race was the only win for Richard Brickhouse and was the debut race for Richard Childress.

Bill Elliott Fastest Lap

Speeds well in excess of 200 mph were commonplace at Talladega. Talladega Superspeedway has the record for the fastest recorded time in a stock car - 212.809 mph set by Bill Elliott on April 30, 1987. Elliott circled the 2.66-mile trioval in 44.998 seconds.

NASCAR First Restrictor Plates

Early in that race, Bobby Allison's Buick flew into the catch fence, injuring fans. NASCAR imposed rule changes to slow the cars after the incident, with a 1988 rule requiring cars running there and at Daytona run to use restrictor plates. The plates limit the amount of air and fuel entering the intake manifolds of the car, greatly reducing the power of the cars and hence their speed. This has led to the style of racing held at Talladega and Daytona to be somewhat different from that at other superspeedways and to be referred to by NASCAR fans as "restrictor-plate racing".

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 three or four cars throughout most of the field. Such close quarters makes it extremely difficult to control the car, and the slightest mistake often leads to massive (and often frightening) accidents - dubbed "the Big One" by fans and drivers - and Talladega is notorious for such, and always has been. (Such huge crashes are less frequent at Daytona as handling plays a greater role there).

Talladega Races

Talladega hosts two Nextel Cup races and one Busch Series race annually. Both of the Nextel Cup races are 500.08 miles (188 laps) in length. The names by which the races are called now vary due to the purchase of naming rights, with the spring Nextel Cup race since spring 2002 being referred to as the Aaron's 499 after the Atlanta-based rent-to-own chain. On July 26, 2005 it was announced that the Craftsman Truck Series would begin holding a race at Talladega starting in 2006.

The Winston 500

The Winston 500 was known as one of the sport's four legs of the traditional "Winston Million", with the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500 being the other three. With the demise of the Southern 500 by a lawsuit, there are only three majors remaining. (From 1985 until 1997, a driver who won three of the four majors won a one million dollar bonus.)

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway.

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Trivia

September 14, 1969: Unheralded Richard Brickhouse drives a winged Dodge Daytona to victory in the inaugural Talladega 500 at the new Alabama International Motor Speedway. The event is boycotted by virtually all the top NASCAR drivers.

March 24, 1970: During a Goodyear tire test at Talladega, Buddy Baker becomes the first man to break the 200-mph barrier on a closed course. Baker turns a lap of 222.447 mph to establish himself as the 'Fastest Man on Four Wheels.'

April 12, 1970: Pete Hamilton cruises to victory at the Alabama 500 at Talladega as ABC Sports televises the second half of the race live to a nationwide audience. The network squeezes the three hour and 17 minute race into a 90-minute slot.

May 6, 1973: The Winston 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway has 60 cars starting the race.

May 4, 1975: Buddy Baker ends his two-year drought by winning the Winston 500 at Talladega. Baker's Bud Moore Ford finishes a car length in front of runner-up David Pearson.

May 2, 1976: Buddy Baker runs away from the field to win Talladega's Winston 500. Averaging a record 169.887 mph, Baker finishes 35 seconds ahead of runner-up Cale Yarborough.

May 14, 1978: Cale Yarborough passes Buddy Baker on the final lap to win the Winston 500 at Talladega. Car owner Harold Miller and driver Keith Davis are suspended for 12 weeks when NASCAR discover an illegal bottle of nitrous oxide in the car in pre-race inspections.

May 3, 1981: Bobby Allison drives a Harry Ranier-owned Buick Regal to victory in the Winston 500 at Talladega for his second win of the season. The Ranier-Allison team was forced to switch from the Pontiac LeMans to the Buick when NASCAR rules changes made the LeMans uncompetitive.

May 2, 1982: Darrell Waltrip passes Benny Parsons on the final lap and wins the Winston 500 at Talladega. Parsons starts on the pole with a record 200.176 mph qualifying lap, the first time in history a lap of 200 mph is surpassed in official qualifications.

May 1, 1983: Richard Petty noses out Benny Parsons and Lake Speed in a three-way finish to bag the Winston 500 at Talladega. Phil Parsons' Pontiac flips a dozen times in a 72nd-lap crash that involves 11 cars.

May 6, 1984: Cale Yarborough passes Harry Gant on the final lap to win the Winston 500 at Talladega. Yarborough's Chevrolet nips Gant at the finish line in the most competitive race in NASCAR history. Thirteen drivers swap the lead a record 75 times in the 188-lap race.

May 5, 1985: In one of the most miraculous comebacks in NASCAR history, Bill Elliott rallies from a five-mile deficit without the aid of a caution flag and wins the Winston 500 at Talladega. A broken oil fitting had knocked Elliott nearly two laps off the pace early.

July 28, 1985: Cale Yarborough nabs his first win of the season, winning the Talladega 500. Yarborough nips Neil Bonnett and Ron Bouchard in the final laps.

November 3, 1985: Bill Elliott rebounds with a victory in the Atlanta Journal 500 for his record-setting 11th speedway win of the season. Elliott tops David Pearson's 1973 record of 10 speedway wins in a season.

May 4, 1986: Bobby Allison fends off Dale Earnhardt in a dramatic last-lap duel in the Winston 500 at Talladega. Allison ends a two-year drought with the victory.

July 27, 1986: Bobby Hillin, Jr., a 22-year old Texan, holds off Tim Richmond in a last lap battle to win the Talladega 500. Hillin, Jr., becomes the third youngest drive to win a NASCAR Winston Cup race.

May 3, 1987: Bill Elliott wins the pole for the Winston 500 at Talladega with a record run of 212.809 mph. Rookie Davey Allison wins the race in only his 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup start. The event is marred by a scary crash when Bobby Allison blows a tire and sails into the catch fence. The race is halted for three hours while the fence is repaired.

May 1, 1988: Phil Parsons takes the lead with 15 laps remaining and drives to his first career NASCAR Winston Cup victory in Talladega's Winston 500. Driving the #55 Oldsmobile, Parsons finishes a car length in front of Bobby Allison to notch his first win, which comes in his 111th start.

July 31, 1988: Ken Schrader comes from fourth place to first in the final lap and bags his first NASCAR Winston Cup win in the Talladega DieHard 500. Schrader prevails in a terrific 10-car scramble to the checkered flag. The race is Buddy Baker's last, as he is forced to retire when a blood clot is discovered in his brain.

May 7, 1989: Davey Allison leads a 1-2-3 Ford sweep in the Winston 500 at Talladega. Allison outruns Terry Labonte and Mark Martin to score his 5th career NASCAR Winston Cup win.

July 30, 1989: By pocketing $47,965.00 for his second place finish in the Talladega 500, Darrell Waltrip becomes NASCAR's first $10 million winner.

May 6, 1991: Harry Gant finishes the Winston 500 at Talladega on fumes and coasts across the finish line 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Darrell Waltrip. Kyle Petty breaks his leg in a crash on the backstretch, knocking him out of action for three months.

May 3, 1992: Davey Allison keeps a firm grip on the Championship points lead with a victory in the Winston 500 at Talladega. Allison nips Bill Elliott at the finish line to five Ford a victory in all nine races thus far in the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup season.

May 2, 1993: Ernie Irvan prevails in an intense two-lap shootout to win Talladega's Winston 500. Rusty Wallace, who has won four of the nine races in the 1993 campaign, flips across the finish line after a tap from Dale Earnhardt. Wallace finishes sixth and retains the points lead, but suffers multiple injuries in the nasty crash.

May 1, 1994: Dale Earnhardt gallops past Jimmy Spencer with five laps to go and racks up his seventh career win at Talladega Superspeedway. Earnhardt's Chevrolet finishes .06 second ahead of runner-up Ernie Irvan, who currently holds the championship points lead.

April 30, 1995: Mark Martin edges Jeff Gordon at the flag to take his first win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. Dale Earnhardt spins out on the final lap after a tap from Morgan Shepherd and winds up 21st. Gordon and Earnhardt are tied for the championship points lead.

April 28, 1996: Sterling Marlin holds on for a narrow victory in the Winston Select 500 at Talladega, an event that sends Ricky Craven and Bill Elliott to the hospital. Craven is only bruised, but Elliott suffers a broken leg in a single-car crash.

May 10, 1997: Mark Martin prevails in the nonstop Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and holds off Dale Earnhardt to win in record time. Martin averages a staggering 188.354 mph in the caution-free event. It is Martin's first NASCAR Winston Cup victory since the 1995 season.

April 25, 1999: Dale Earnhardt sprints past Dale Jarrett on the final lap and racks up his eighth win at Talladega in the DieHard 500. Another of his patented late-race kicks takes Earnhardt from 16th to first in the final 50 laps.

April 16, 2000: Jeff Gordon comes from the 36th starting position , takes the lead six laps from the finish, and wins the DieHard 500 at Talladega for his 50th career victory.

April 22, 2001: Bobby Hamilton gives team owner Andy Petree his first career NASCAR Winston Cup victory in the Talladega 500. Hamilton wins the caution-free race at a sizzling average speed of 184.003 mph

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