When NASCAR founder Bill France originally conceived Alabama International Motor Speedway, which would go on to take the name of Talladega Superspeedway, he did so with the goal of creating the world’s fastest and largest oval.
Seeing the success of Daytona International Speedway, which opened in 1959, France had a template for his goal. France looked to replicate this template, and he purchased the land on which it was to be built — a 2,000 acre plot near what used to be Anniston Air Force Base.
NASCAR broke ground on the project in 1968, building a venue that was larger than Daytona in every aspect —2.66 miles instead of 2.5, 33 degrees of banking instead of 31.
The placement of the finish line was even more experimental, with it being placed between the tri-oval and turn one for a more eclectic track design. The track didn’t please drivers at its inception, with said drivers forming a union and walking out over concerns of the track being too fast and too dangerous. The inaugural Talladega 500 in 1969 treated the 62,000 fans in attendance to a splendid battle for the lead between three drivers. Richard Brickhouse held off Jim Vandiver and Ramo Scott to score his only career NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Ever since then, the tradition of danger and excitement of Talladega has been part of NASCAR’s cultural lexicon.
1981: The Ron Bouchard Upset
The 1981 Talladega 500 would see Darrell Waltrip leading in the closing laps. As he started on the final lap of the contest, he had to fight off a hard-charging Terry Labonte. Behind both drivers lurked a hungry rookie, that being Ron Bouchard.
Labonte made his move for the lead with the checkered flag in sight. As he pulled to the top and alongside Waltrip, the door opened for Bouchard. Bouchard drove his machine to the inside of both drivers, passing them both in the final moments of the race and just narrowly scoring his only ever Cup Series victory.
2014: The First Playoff Cutoff
The year 2014 saw the introduction of today’s elimination style playoff format. The 2014 Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was the second cutoff race of that year’s “Chase.” Some big names such as Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. found themselves in must-win scenarios if they hoped to advance to the Round of 8.
Earnhardt Jr. would not see the checkered flag, being eliminated from the race in a late crash. Jimmie Johnson fell back on numerous restarts and could not recover. Unlike the two drivers previously mentioned, Brad Keselowski was able defy the odds. A late-race pass on Ryan Newman, albeit with help in the form of a push from Matt Kenseth, would propel Keselowski to victory, keeping him in the Chase for at least one more round of races.
2001: No cautions, all action
Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death in 2001 brought safety to the forefront of the sport, and one such rule that followed his passing was that of the yellow-line rule. This controversial rule prevented racing from taking place on the apron at superspeedway tracks.
With safety on all drivers’ minds, the race would miraculously see no cautions or incidents. The race still managed to be an exciting showcase of speed, with 37 lead changes occurring between 26 drivers. Conservative driving was not seen in the final laps though, as Bobby Hamilton roared past Tony Stewart on the penultimate lap, leading to Hamilton’s fourth and final Cup Series win.
2020: NASCAR Supports Bubba
During 2020, protests over the murder of George Floyd were very much a nationwide phenomenon. After an apparent noose was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace, an FBI investigation followed. The investigation referred to the object as a noose, but ruled out the possibility of there being any hate crimes. Nonetheless, Bubba Wallace’s car was pushed to the front of the grid with fellow drivers and team owner Richard Petty walking behind Wallace in an unforgettable showing of solidarity.
While Wallace did have palpable speed in the Geico 500, Ryan Blaney would prove to be the class of the field. Blaney held off a barrage of charges from drivers such as Erik Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to score the victory, his second straight at the famed superspeedway. Jones, along with John Hunter Nemecheck and Aric Almirola, had a spectacular crash while crossing the finish line to end the race.
2009: Unforgettable Edwards Crash
With the Car of Tomorrow being introduced to NASCAR, the prominent style of superspeedway racing was that of the tandem draft. Prior to the 2009 Aaron’s 499, very few drivers had experimented with this style of racing.
Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski were two drivers who were willing to utilize the tandem draft, using it to pull away from the field on the final lap. In the tri-oval, Edwards would throw a late block on Keselowski, sending his car into the air and onto the hood of Ryan Newman’s car, and then ultimately, the catchfence. The move led to Keselowski scoring his first ever victory in his James Finch-owned machine. Edwards would have to settle for a different way across the finish line, as he exited his car and ran across the line in an homage to Talladega Nights.
1985: Bill Elliott unlaps himself … twice … under green
Bill Elliott was an undeniable juggernaut at superspeedways in the 1980’s. Elliott’s 1985 Daytona 500 victory was the first in his campaign to win the Winston Million. His efforts faced adversity in the Winston 500, as a broken oil fitting sent him two laps down early in the race.
Elliott needed not to worry, as the raw speed of his no. 9 Ford propelled him to make up both laps, without any help from the draft either. Elliott passed Cale Yarborough with 20 laps remaining and went on to win. His campaign for the Winston Million would be clinched after his victory in the Southern 500 later that year.
1987: Bobby Allison Takes Flight
The 1987 Winston 500 would see an instantaneous end to NASCAR’s era of speed after a violent crash involving Bobby Allison. Allison cut a tire on the frontstretch, which caused his car to fly into the catchfence as he was traveling at speeds over 200 mph.
Allison suffered no significant injuries in the crash, but a few fans did in fact get hurt. Davey Allison, Bobby’s son, went on to score his first ever NASCAR Cup Series victory that day, but the crash caused NASCAR to force the implementation of restrictor plates on cars starting at the 1988 Daytona 500.
2011: The Four Wide Finish
At this stage of the Car of Tomorrow, tandem drafting was a necessity if you wanted to win at a superspeedway. Constant momentum shifts, which were a direct cause of the field being broken into several tandems, resulted in the lead being swapped 88 times in the 2011 Aaron’s 499.
The final lap saw Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick battling with another tandem, that being Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would pull to the inside of both tandems, while Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle made one last attempt for the lead as well. Johnson would score the victory over Clint Bowyer by the smallest of margins, .002 seconds to be exact. This finish tied the record for the closest finish in Cup Series history, which was previously and solely held by Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch’s finish at Darlington in 2003.
2010: NASCAR’s Most Competitive Race
Following Carl Edwards’ iconic crash at Talladega in 2009, restrictions on tandem drafting were lifted by the sanctioning body. This let drivers aggressively push each other while racing in one large pack of cars.
The 2010 Aaron’s 499 produced some of the most intense and competitive racing in NASCAR history, with 29 drivers swapping the lead a whopping 88 times. The final lap resulted in a photo finish which saw Kevin Harvick leave his tandem with Jamie McMurray, passing McMurray at the line to win by a margin of .011 seconds.
2001: Dale’s Final Win
With five laps to go in the 2000 Winston 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the field, looking to score his third ever Cup Series victory. Meanwhile his father, Dale Earnhardt, sat back in 16th position.
One of the greatest feats of Earnhardt’s storied career followed, as he utilized the draft to swiftly charge through the field and overtake Earnhardt Jr. and teammate Mike Skinner for the lead coming to the final lap. Earnhardt was able to rest easy at that point, with Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemecheck sitting behind him. Dale Earnhardt scored his 76th and final victory on that day, a feat that no one in the sport will ever forget.