Talladega Superspeedway

The brainchild of NASCAR founder Bill France, he aimed to build a track bigger, longer, and faster than his prized Daytona International Speedway. Bill France had a few requirements for his newest track. He wanted it to be right off the interstate, with a large amount of land, and a large population within driving distance of the track. Talladega, AL, just west of the town of Anniston, was selected as the site of the new track, and construction began in 1968. Built on the site of a former United States Army airfield, the 2,000 acre site was plenty of room for this massive project. At 2.66 miles and 33 degrees of banking, this track is the fastest and steepest in NASCAR.

Opening in 1969 as Alabama International Motor Speedway, the track held it’s first race that September. However, it was not without controversy. Many of the drivers entered in the race felt the track was too dangerous due to the high speeds and tire issues during the weekend. Richard Brickhouse took the first win that day, and in 1989, the track was renamed to Talladega Superspeedway.

Due to the high banks and speeds at the track, the record for the fastest pole speed in NASCAR was run here. In 1987, Bill Elliott set a speed of 212.809 in his Ford. This record has yet to be broken in NASCAR, and the car is considered to be the fastest car in the history of the sport.

In 2018, Talladega announced a renovation project that featured the building of an all new fan focused garage area, new amenities in the infield, a new victory lane, new RV camping areas, and a brand new vehicle tunnel. This project was completed in 2019, and was live for the track’s fall race weekend.

In addition to the great racing, Talladega is known for an exciting camping scene. With over 15 campgrounds on the property, there is a section for every fan, including the famous “Talladega Boulevard”.