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Throwback to when I drove a NASCAR at Talladega Superspeedway

6th February 2025, 17:00 by R Patil

NASCAR used to be a 'Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday' tactic for most auto-makers and hence most manufacturers that sell in US have a team out there

BHPian 14000rpm recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

It was 2008. I was in Birmingham, Alabama for a month to start a new project together with a Leeds, AL based customer. I was there only for a month which meant every weekend had to have something to keep me from boredom. One such activity I booked was Sky Diving. I have had Vertigo all my life and I was told Sky Diving is one way to get rid of it. I wasn't still very keen but I still mustered the courage to book a ride for one of the weekends. For some reason, my sky Diving session was canceled. Was it an Instructor issue, technical fault? don't seem to recollect why.

Nevertheless, I got my money back. With money and time at hand, I chose the next best place to take it - Down the road. Literally.

I'd been reading about Talladega and NASCAR since it is quite famous. It was made famous furthermore by the movie - Talladega nights.

https://youtu.be/ku4rbxnxr5Q?si=Oj6U79Bsi9eqa6os

Thought I'd go and visit the International motorsports hall of fame just outside Talladega race track.

Further research pointed me to a company that was offering a Pay and Drive session on NASCAR racecars! How can I say no to Speed?

Background of Talladega and NASCAR:

Talladega Superspeedway has the record for the fastest recorded time by a NASCAR stock car in a closed oval course, with the record of 216.309 mph set by Rusty Wallace on June 9, 2004. Buddy Baker was the first driver to qualify at a speed over 200 mph, with a 200.447 mph lap during testing on March 24, 1970. Baker’s record was set while driving the #88 Chrysler Engineering Charger Daytona.
In May 1987 Bobby Allison experienced a tire failure while going through the tri-oval portion of the track, which sent his car airborne. His car tore out a portion of the frontstretch catch fence, nearly entering the crowd. NASCAR imposed rule changes to slow the cars after the incident, with a 1988 rule requiring cars running there and at Daytona to use restrictor plates. The most often cited reason is a fear that the increasing speeds were exceeding the capabilities of the tires available at the time, as high-speed tire failure had led to some gruesome crashes at slightly lower speeds. The plates limit the amount of air and fuel entering the intake manifolds of the engine, 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 Talladega Jinx
The high numbers of crashes over the years, along with other factors, have led to rumors of Talladega Superspeedway being cursed. Stories of the origin of the curse vary. Some claim that a local Native American tribe held horse races in the valley where the track currently resides and a chief was killed when he was thrown from his horse. Others say that the site of the superspeedway was once an Indian burial ground. Still another version says that after the local tribe was driven out by the Creek nation for their collaborating with the forces of Andrew Jackson, a shaman put a curse on the valley.
Since the construction of the track, many strange happenings and untimely deaths have fueled the rumors of a curse. In 1973, Bobby Isaac left his car during the race on lap 90 because of voices he claimed to have heard which told him to park his car and get out. Earlier on lap 14 in the same race, young driver Larry Smith died in a seemingly minor wreck.
To some, Bobby Allison’s 1987 wreck described above was yet another reminder of the curse. In 1993, Bobby’s son, Davey Allison, died in a helicopter crash in the infield of Talladega.
Source : Wikipedia.

NASCAR is a race with 4 left turns taken at a very high rate of speed. That's it.

NASCAR used to be a 'Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday' tactic for most auto-makers and hence most manufacturers that sell in US have a team out there. Directly or Indirectly via professional racing teams.