Talladega = Graceland or better?

[Princess Valiant]

Maybe i am a strange but to me....my Graceland has to Talledega superspeedway in Alabama.

i have never been there but i have a dream to go there someday soon.

i cant explain what the allure is, but to me there is almost something magical about the place.

i often fantasize that i can have the track open to myself and i can take my 68 dart out and go as fast as i possibly can without hurting myself.

then other times i have a strange fantasy that im racing with a crowd of cars and gaining on the lead in all sorts of heroic drafting and passing moves, all while moving towards the checkered flags with certainty.

During 1960s Bill France was wanting to build a track faster and longer than Daytona International Speedway. He would end up breaking ground on an old airfield on May 23, 1968. The track would be named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS), but the name would not carry on and was later changed to Talladega Superspeedway. The track opened on September 13, 1969

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talladega_Superspeedway#History


Am i the only who feels this way and get really excited about this track and place?
its so awesome it has had my attention for years now. rayer:

 

[OldmanRick]

That's my favorite Nascar track also, and i haven't been there either. I lost my engine builder there around 1980 in a ASA race. He was a drag racer that got frustrated with the tech at national events and bought a Cale Yarborough car to try something different. I have the obit writeup somewhere in my archives if i can find it. Name was Ken Kalla and he left small children and a wonderful wife.....I still miss him to this day.

 

[4spdragtop]

Touching story Rick, and Rani this track has to be my favorite...never been. I have been to Graceland as a wee lad bout 11 yrs old. Talladega is the night race too right?? THAT IS FRICKIN COOL!!
Oh the pics are outstanding Rani!!

 

[cudavert]

Wow, cool, Rani! I got to go there and taken a tour of the place. What's really strange is that, the banked turns are so banked in certain turns, if you sat down, you'd probably just start sliding down them! Awesome track! Their Nascar museum next door absolutely kicks *** too.....cars from way back in the 40's in there, and a lot of cool 60's cars, which are my personal favorite. Better than Graceland? For SURE!!!

http://www.motorsportshalloffame.com/main/05_tour.htm

 

[krazykuda]

Hey Rani, where did you get the pictures of the Superbirds/Daytonas on Talledega? We took our Superbird to Talledega in 88 or 89 (I think it was 89, but dad wrote 88 on the picture of all of us with the Superbird on the track).

Here is a picture of the picture that we took of all of us on the track with the car while waiting to do the parade lap with the Daytona/Superbird Auto Club. We had around 125 - 150 winged cars there for the lap. I wonder if those pictures were from we were there...



View attachment Sprbrd Tall 03A_crop.jpg


In the picture is from left to right: My brother in law Jerry (he wasn't back then, but my brother married his younger sister about 12 years later. We hung out with him since high school). OK now it's bro in law Jerry, my bro Butch, my dad (Spike), me (when I was skinny) and my cousin Pete. I guess you could say it was a "family" outing.

Here's the story from that trip:

I told my brother to get the car out and drive it a little because it had been sitting for at least 8 years since it was last driven. I asked him to take it out and find out what isn't working for it sitting so long without moving. This was two months before the trip. I was away at college 300 miles away and did not have time to do it myself as I was taking classes in summer so I can graduate in time. Well, he didn't.

So bro in law Jerry tows it down with his Chevy pickup (we didn't have a tow vehicle at the time). I flew in the next day from Detroit where I was going to school. When they unloaded the bird, it had a strange noise. Turns out one of the rear brake drums was warped. So they put it in a shop to get it fixed on Friday. We got it back Sat night like 7PM or later. Too dark to work on it...

So in the morning, I went down early to synchronize the outboard carbs and a quick tune up. The battery that they threw in the bird (original from my 85 Laser) went dead, so I traded it for the one in my rental K-car. So I get it running, then "tweak" it a little and we had under 1/4 tank of gas. We all go to fill the car up with gas and come back, and the group had already left for the track. Luckily we saw two straggler Superbirds pulling out of the hotel parking lot, so we decided to follow them as we did not know the way to the track.

I had to argue that it was my turn to drive on a track, since my brother Butch had ALWAYS got to drive on the tracks (Chelsea proving grounds, Indy) and I haven't driven on one yet... So I did get to drive (the only time I got to drive). Ok, back to the story.

So we see these two Superbirds pull out of the hotel parking lot and decide to follow them to the track (and hope that they knew the way). Well, these guys were in a hurry, and I had to do 120 - 130 MPH just to keep up with them. Dad says to me, "slow down"...

I say, "I can't, if I do we'll lose those guys and not find the track".

Then dad says, "OK".

We got to the track and then we get to line up on the track for the parade lap. As usual, we had to wait a bit after lining up before we were able to do the lap. Most of us had to turn off our cars as it was very hot and the Superbirds/Daytonas overheat easily because they have such small grilles and run hot (especially at idle standing still). We finally get ready to go, start our car, and the Superbird behind us catches on fire. A HUGE ball of fire blasts out of the hood and we saw it come out the bottom of the undercarriage. Luckily someone had a fire extinguisher and put out the fire quickly, however the car would not start afterwards. We helped push him off the track (by hand) and then the parade lap continued.

Fortunately the fire just melted a couple of wires under the hood. It was caused because it was converted to manual secondary actuation of the carbs instead of vacuum secondaries and there was a gas leak. The gas leaked on the exhaust manifold and POOF!. A few members helped the guy and he did get it started before the race ended. However, he missed the parade lap. It was nice of the other members to help him get it running so he could drive it back to the hotel.

So after the race, I had to make my flight back to Detroit for school. We were running so late, that we did not have time to fill up the gas in the rental car or change the battery back. The battery wasn't completely dead, it would start the rental car. We figured that with what we had to pay for them to fill up the gas for us, it was an even trade for the bad battery. They couldn't tell that the battery was changed because they were identical original Mopar batteries. Luckily, they didn't notice the battery and all was well...

 

[66340SEDAN]

Cool story Karl, thanks for sharing!

 

[duster360]

I live 10 minutes from there and have been to the museum and car shows there, but never a race. :dontknow:

 

[toddp277]

Been there a couple times. Once for a race that Jr. won - the place went crazy. I was amazed by the size of the place after spending close to twenty years racing at a third of a mile oval in Connecticut. The other time was to the museum and I noticed Richard Petty haulers in the infield. I went over and asked if they were doing the ride alongs, which they were, so a little while later I got to strap into a cup car and ride three laps at 175mph! Awesome! Hope you get the chance to go there. After that plan to hit Bristol for the night race!

 

[dart64gt]

Me and the wife was there on the track with my 64 Dodge GT with HOT POWER TOUR 2000 we all got to run on the track wide open and it was a blast will never forget that moment.

 

[Princess Valiant]

Me and the wife was there on the track with my 64 Dodge GT with HOT POWER TOUR 2000 we all got to run on the track wide open and it was a blast will never forget that moment.

LUCKY oh dang ....that would be soooo cool

 

[Princess Valiant]

Cool story Karl, thanks for sharing!

Xs2 i know you said that story in the delted thread long time ago but it got buried in there with everything else and i was hoping you shared that story again with us here

 

['73 Root Beer]

I have a vacation planned I hope to take circling through Memphis Nashville Tupelo and Talladega. Someday...

 

[JDMopar]

I stopped in there on my way to Birmingham about 8 years ago. That place is HUGEMONGOUS!! The museum was interesting. I've got a bumpersticker hanging on the wall in my cubicle at work that says "I toured Talledaga Speedway and Museum" Everybody that likes cars should go if they ever get the chance, NASCAR fan or not.

 

[73hcode]

Rani you must see both places I have been to the track for races between 1992-2003. Yes it is an awesome experience. If you ever get the chance go there and camp out at the track. You get 150,000 drunk rednecks out at the same time and it is CRAZY. I promise you will never forget the experience.

 

[73hcode]

73 root beer sounds like a good trip come on down to the south and I guarantee you will love it here just don't come in July August or September it gets very hot here in the summer. I have been to your state and it is beautiful but you know what they say you can take the redneck out of the country but you can't take the country out of the redneck.

 

[Princess Valiant]

rayer:

 

[Princess Valiant]

just like the charger Daytona was anmed in honor of a famous track ...seems Ford name a car to honor Talladega.

there have been events there that include Fords and Mopar wing cars

 

[JDMopar]

The pic above....outside row, 5th car back is Dave Marcis' Daytona. When I first went to work at the power company, back in 1978, that car was sitting in the weeds behind Daves shop. I used to live up the road from Dave in Arden,NC. We had more than one race going home from work! Banjo Matthews used to have a Torino Talledega sitting out by his shop in Arden also. It was some type of prototype that Ford sent him back in the day. Banjos son sold it after Banjo passed away. The Mercury version of that was the Cyclone Spoiler. Dang....I'm showin my age!

 

[afbill]

Rani, if you make the trek from Colorado to Alabama you may as well stop off in Memphis and see Graceland. I have to say that the left turn circuit is not my forte, but to each his (her) own. Elvis, on the other hand, is god.

 

[Princess Valiant]

Rani, if you make the trek from Colorado to Alabama you may as well stop off in Memphis and see Graceland. I have to say that the left turn circuit is not my forte, but to each his (her) own. Elvis, on the other hand, is god.

and i agree i was not really comparing Elvis to the track ....but rather comparing the devout reverence of Elvis fans to that of Racing Fans.

i am a big fan of Elvis ....especially his later work into the 70s.

if i make it across the country you better believe i will stop in and check out Graceland.....this is not my country from birth so that makes me want to see everything coast to coast while im here....after graduation i plan to put some mega miles on my little slanty powered Dart LOL.

thanks for the suggestion thats awesome