Part of the fun of camping at Talladega for the entire week was being able to watch all the behind-the-scenes work going on. Each morning we would walk the outside perimeter of the track (about five miles) and take in all the daily preparations that were taking place.
As big rig aficionados, one of our favorite parts was watching the arrival of all the trucks that support each race. Early in the week, the media trucks arrive and begin setting up all the broadcasting equipment. Next, an entire fleet of support trucks arrives hauling everything from food and souvenirs, to the golf carts each team uses to get around the track. Finally the car haulers arrive, and they make a grand entrance Friday evening before the race.
Each truck is meticulously maintained, polished to a shine despite bad weather and miles of travel. You can tell the NASCAR organization and the drivers who support it take great pride in the appearance of their rigs.
In keeping with NASCAR’s long-standing tradition of supporting our first responders and our military (one of the many reasons we love the sport), several of their trucks have elaborate paint schemes honoring our heroes. We found these haulers paying tribute to our police and fire fighters unloading golf carts for the various teams.
The grand finale happens when the car haulers arrive. Car haulers for every team stage just outside the track, line up and parade into the infield with horns blaring and fans cheering them on. It’s quite a spectacle to see, worthwhile for anyone who has an appreciation for these amazing pieces of machinery. Here are a few images of the rigs as they arrived, with video of the big truck parade to follow…
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