We Did It!

The slogan of Talladega Superspeedway is, “This is more than a race. This is Talladega.” I had the opportunity to get to the track earlier this season. While it was cold and wet, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

In 1969, Talladega Superspeedway opened its gates to the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held in the location. It was originally named Alabama International Motor Speedway. It is a 2.66 mile oval, the largest oval NASCAR currently visits. With its high banks and long straightaways, Talladega provides some of the fastest racing in the NASCAR circuit. Many of the greats have won here. For the longest time, Talladega was considered the house of Earnhardt.

A pivotal moment came in 1987, when Bobby Allison’s car went airborne into the catch fence, and NASCAR took action to change things. Within one year, restrictor plate carburetors were added to the car.

In the beginning, due to high speeds, some drivers were concerned and did not want to race. Talladega is known for the “big one.” This is why it is considered such a wild card in the Chase. Anything can happen at any time. One small block can pile up half of the field. We’ve seen that happen in this race last year. The 1970s was a time of big growth for Talladega. This was around the time that victories were being measured in tenths of a second. In the 1980s, drivers began to hit 200 mph. A pivotal moment came in 1987, when Bobby Allison’s car went airborne into the catch fence, and NASCAR took action to change things. Within one year, restrictor plate carburetors were added to the car.

The addition of restrictor plates significantly changed the type of racing. Cars are forced into a draft and run about the same speed. The racing at Daytona and Talladega is all about the draft. This is why people say that anyone can win at these tracks. That’s because this is true. When you look at the race earlier this season, no one would have guessed the Front Row Motorsports tandem of Ragan and Gilliland would have stolen that race from someone like Carl Edwards, who is driving in much “better” equipment. A few years ago, it was discovered the cars could run in a two-car tandem to go faster and get to the front. The racing was exciting with a lot of passing. It even produced one of the closest finishes the track has ever seen. One of the more unique features of the track is that the start/finish line is located past the tri-oval almost to turn one.

From my personal experience, the track is very fan friendly. Being my first race experience, everything was new for me. My first steps onto the grounds were into the merchandise haulers. We saw the sponsor and manufacturer displays, as well as the food set ups, shadowed by the grandstands in the background. Once inside the track, it is an entirely humbling experience altogether. I remember stepping out into the grandstands and looking at the track as it towered to my left and right. The sheer size of the track is incredible. Along the many concession and souvenir stands in the track are displays of events that have happened at the track. One cool mural was of Brad’s burn out there in the spring of 2012.

In nine starts since the beginning of Brad’s Sprint Cup series career, he has two wins. Brad is one of only 10 drivers who has experienced their first Cup win at this super speedway. That win came when he drove for the smaller team of Phoenix Racing. His second came last year in Talladega’s spring race. In those nine starts, only three have results outside of the top 10. Brad has completed over 97% of the laps run at Talladega since he started racing there.

LAST TIME

David Ragan won in a major upset by being in the right place at the right time and having a great partner to push him toward the finish line. The under funded teams of Front Row Motorsports finished the race in the top two spots. Brad had an up and down kind of day. His car never seemed to be able to make it to the front. The race ran more than the first half of its laps, then the rain started up. At that point, Brad was running in one of the top spots, but it wasn’t meant to be. He finished a disappointing 15th and led only one lap the entire race. He’s got two wins at ‘Dega.

THIS TIME

Coming off of the win at Charlotte, you can almost expect a shake up in the championship this weekend in Alabama. Jimmie Johnson won two of the three restrictor plate races we’ve had this year (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400). The current points leader, Matt Kenseth, is always potent when it comes to restrictor plate races. He won this race a year ago. As for Brad, he’s got momentum coming off of the win at Charlotte last week. Put that momentum with Brad’s record at Talladega, and I believe he has every chance to win again. It’s all a matter of missing the “Big One.” There’s no telling what will happen in this race.

But, then again, this is more than a race, this is Talladega.