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Quick Facts

  • The Event: The Aaron’s 499
  • Location: Talladega, Ala.
  • Date: April 29, 2007
  • Results (Top 5): 1. Jeff Gordon, 2. Jimmie Johnson, 3. Kurt Busch, 4. David Gilliland, 5. Jamie McMurray
  • Attendance: Approximately 160,000 including the infield
  • Vantage point: The Infield, a 212-acre gathering ground inside the 2.66-mile tri-oval

Perhaps no race track personifies the world of NASCAR and its passionate fan base more than Talladega Superspeedway. The 2.6-mile tri-oval sits in rural Alabama (40 miles east of Birmingham and 95 miles west of Atlanta), so unless you’ve come for the races, you’ve come to the wrong place. Driving towards the track on Speedway Blvd.—the only access road off the interstate—you’ll be blown away by the sheer size of the track and the land surrounding it. Ask any fan of the sport what makes Talladega special, and you’ll get a few answers. First, the restrictor-plate racing at ’Dega (reducing car power) forces cars to race 3-5 wide across the track. With that, the track has become known for its penchant for massive wrecks, involving anywhere from 10-20 racers.

But ask other fans, and they’ll tell you that the tailgating in the infield at Talladega is second to none. The 212 acres of land inside the speedway are a case study in insanity, and if you go, you won’t be disappointed. Whether you’re parking your RV on Talladega Blvd. (the infield’s main drag) or setting up shop between turns 2 and 3 (one of the most active stretches of track in the sport), expect craziness to ensue. Beer, beads and creativity flow freely through the infield. From homemade bars and dance floors to full kitchens and painted buses with metal railings welded around the roof (to watch the race from), this is where NASCAR’s finest come to play. Add to the mix the Southern-inspired culinary classics like crawfish, pit-barbecued meats, fried green tomatoes and biscuits, and you’ll never want to head home. If you go, do it in style by renting an RV and sleeping in the infield. Three guarantees: You won’t go hungry, you won’t want to go home, and you won’t be able to wait until next year.