With NASCAR, you don’t just get one day of racing, but rather an entire weekend of excitement. On a typical weekend, the cars hit the track on Friday, running practice laps and honing the tuning on each car in order to achieve maximum performance on race day. During our visit to Talladega, we each paid $25 for Friday access, which included a general admission ticket to watch all practice sessions as well as admittance to that night’s ARCA race (think AA baseball).
ARCA races develop young, up-and-coming drivers, many of whom will become future stars at the top levels of racing. Because they’re all fighting to get to the next level, the racing is often better at this lower level of NASCAR than at the top level.
The next day, usually a Saturday, cars qualify for both the Xfinity race series (think AAA baseball) and the Monster Cup series, the top level of racing. Once qualifying is completed, drivers in the Xfinity series run their race. Many of the Monster Cup drivers also participate at this lower level, which not only gives them a first glimpse at how the track feels but also gives them a shot at some extra prize money. It’s a controversial practice that NASCAR has begun limiting. Many of the fans want to see the young drivers have a good shot at winning the purse, but many of the lower-level drivers say they like learning what it takes to race against the big guns.
Sunday is the main event. Racing’s top names take to the track and, on a track like Talladega which is known for spectacular wrecks, anything can happen. Winning is as much luck as skill, and every driver’s strategy includes how not to be caught up in “the big one.”
Race day opens with amazing fan access to all the racing areas, including the track itself and pit road. As we walked across the racetrack, we were surprised at how steep the banking is, which is barely noticeable on television. We had the chance to walk through the pit stalls and see the race cars up close. Armed with a Sharpie pen, we even wrote a good luck message to our favorite driver on his pit stall wall (with the blessing of his crew, of course).
At about noon, all the fans are cleared from the track and the opening ceremonies begin. One of the reasons we love NASCAR is that they still say a prayer before each race, and they pay tribute to our military and honor our country. I can’t think of another sport where patriotism is more alive than in NASCAR. Talladega’s signature salute is the big semi truck that races around the track just before the race begins, a giant American flag streaming along behind it. I have always loved seeing it on television, but to experience it live will give you goosebumps.
Once racing begins, the roar of 40 high-horsepower engines screaming past in a pack is deafening. Rather than just wear earplugs, we chose to rent headsets for this race, which allowed us to tune in and listen to the conversations between the drivers and their spotters and crew chiefs. It added a whole new dimension to the race, and one I would highly recommend to anyone planning to see a race live. It was also interesting to hear the teamwork happening between drivers, even those of rival teams. (The top five drivers slowed the pack briefly to pick Kevin Harvick back up…not happy about that one!!!)
From our experiences at this race and a previous one we attended in Phoenix, it’s a fun atmosphere with good-natured ribbing among the various drivers’ fans, but no hostility or animosity. We met a great couple who happened to be huge Harvick fans (who we both can’t stand), and they weren’t thrilled about our fandom for all the Penske drivers (Keselowski, Logano and Blaney). We teased each other throughout the race as our respective drivers jostled for lead position. At the end of the day Joey Logano won the race, and the other couple congratulated us on seeing one of our favorites win. We wished them better luck next time, and everyone left with big smiles, having enjoyed a great day of racing on a gorgeous Alabama afternoon.
We returned to our rig and watched the mass exodus of RVs, preparing our own to head out first thing the next morning.
Next stop…Nashville.
