Home > Talladega Superspeedway
| Talladega Superspeedway
|
| Facility Statistics
|
| Location
| Talladega, Alabama
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| Capacity
| 175,000
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| Owner
| International Speedway Corporation
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| Year Opened
| 1969
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| Major Races
|
| 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup
| Aaron's 499 , EA Sports 500
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| 2004 NASCAR Busch Series
| Aaron's 312
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| Dimensions
|
| Shape
| Tri-oval
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| Distance
| 4.28 km (2.66 miles)
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| Banking/Turns
| 33°
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| Banking/Tri-oval
| 18°
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| Banking/Straights
| Minimal
|
Talladega Superspeedway is now the official name of a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, that was formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway. It was constructed in the 1960s by International Speedway Corporation , a business controlled by NASCAR's founding France family which also owns Daytona International Speedway and several other racetracks. At 2.66 miles long, Talladega is the largest track in the Nextel Cup Series and has seating provisions for over 175,000 patrons. It is adjacent to, and visible from, Interstate 20, a major east-west highway across the Southern United States.
Talladega got off to a controversial start when a faction of drivers led by Richard Petty threatened not to race on it because of 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. This potential mutiny was quelled when NASCAR founder Bill France took to the track himself in a car and drove around it at high speeds. Speeds well in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h) were commonplace at Talladega until the 1980s, when a rule requiring cars running there and at Daytona run with restrictor plates limiting the amount of air and fuel which could be entering the intake manifolds of the car at any one time, 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 than 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.
Talladega hosts both two Nextel Cup and two Busch Series races, NASCAR's top two divisions, annually. Both of the Nextel Cup races are generally about 500 miles (800 km) in length. The names by which the races are called now vary due to the purchase of naming rightsNaming rights as contemplated in this article are the right to name a piece of property, either a tangible property or an event, usually granted in exchange for valuable consideration such as money. Universities and colleges have long given alumni and oth, with the most recent Cup race (spring 2004See also 2003 in sports, other events of 2004, 2005 in sports, list of 'years in sports'. Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul. Prosecutors arrest Kim minutes after) being referred to as the Aarons 499 after a furniture-rental chain.
The International Motorsports Hall of FameThe International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. It was founded in 1982 and is currently located in Talladega, Alabama is adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway.
See also: List of NASCAR race tracksThe following is a list of race tracks used by NASCAR as part of its Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series. Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Georgia Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee California Speedway Fontana, California Chi
