The word that best describes the Talladega Superspeedway? Unique.
The 2.66-mile monstrosity located in Lincoln, Ala., boasts plenty of interesting features that make it stand out from other tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Whether it be the wild party scene, the scale of the crashes or an alleged curse that dates back to the 1830s, NASCAR’s fastest track always provides plenty of entertainment for race fans.
Here are four of the track’s most infamous moments that no fan will soon forget.
PDA with a punch (1969)
Talladega Superspeedway, known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway at the time of its opening, got off to a rather inauspicious start when it opened in 1969. The track’s completion was rushed in order to meet the opening day deadline of Sept. 14 and the “luxury suites” that were set to host black-tie executives were unfinished rooms with little to no real amenities.
Driver Bobby Allison claimed the track had “great big holes” all over it, and Goodyear was unable to provide a tire that could traverse the rough surface safely. Eventually, the PDA, (Professional Driver’s Association) led by Richard Petty, opted to skip the race. The tension between NASCAR President and Talladega visionary Bill France, who was the farthest thing from a union man imaginable, and the PDA resulted in driver LeeRoy Yarbrough landing a punch on France, and the first race at the new speedway was controversially won by Richard Brickhouse after nearly all of NASCAR’s best bowed out.
Bobby Isaac hears voices (1973)
The nature of Isaac’s sudden retirement from racing is somewhat disputed, but it was during the 1973 Talladega 500 that the 1970 champion suddenly brought his car down pit road mid-race. Rather than making a pit stop, however, Isaac retired on the spot. As the story goes, Isaac heard voices telling him to quit racing — another example of the supposed ‘Talladega Curse’ — which prompted the unscheduled pit stop. Sadly, the race would be remembered for a much more somber reason than Isaac’s impromptu retirement as driver Larry Smith passed away after suffering head injuries in a crash. Earlier in the season, Talladega had been the site of Wendell Scott’s career-ending crash, and 1973 was the first year the facility came to be known for the chaotic nature of its crashes.
Bobby Allison goes airborne (1987)
The 1987 Winston 500 would end up being the birthplace of restrictor plates in NASCAR racing. As Bobby Allison roared through the tri-oval during the race, he blew a tire, sending his No. 22 car flying through the air and into the catchfence. While four fans were injured, no fatalities occurred during the grisly wreck. The incident caused NASCAR to mandate the restrictor plate at Daytona and Talladega, and modern-day superspeedway racing was born.