Lincoln, Alabama · US
The biggest and baddest track in NASCAR. At 2.66 miles with 33-degree banking, Talladega produces the fastest and most unpredictable racing in stock car history.
Talladega Superspeedway is an oval speedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The lap measures 4.281 km (2.66 miles) across 4 corners, run anti-clockwise.
It opened in 1969. Series racing here include NASCAR and Oval. Capacity is around 80,000 spectators.
Bill France Sr. built the place himself, at a cost of around $5 million, and opened it in 1969 as Alabama International Motor Speedway. At 2.66 miles with steep banking it was longer and faster than anything in NASCAR, and the drivers concluded the tyres of the day could not survive it.
They formed the Professional Drivers Association and asked France to postpone the first Cup race until the track was safer. France — who had founded NASCAR in 1948 and had no patience for anything resembling a union — refused, and most of the field withdrew. The race ran anyway on 14 September 1969. Richard Brickhouse broke ranks and won it, and France filled the grid by inviting drivers up from the Grand American series. Speeds here were eventually reined in by restrictor plates, which is what produces the tightly packed racing the track is known for.
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