Monthly Archives: October 2012
37 posts
By Rich Foust
The Chase enters its fourth race at the track that, in the blink of an eye, can make or break the dreams of a championship for any driver and his team.
Talladega Superspeedway is located north of Talladega, Alabama, on ground formerly known as Anniston Air force base.
This track is a tri-oval and is known for its steep banking and unusual location of the start finish line. Talladega is NASCAR’s longest track at 2.66 miles. Turns 1 and 2 are banked at 33 degrees, turn 3 at 32.4 degrees, turn 4 at 32.5 degrees and the back straight is at a mere 3 degrees .
The lap record was set in 1987 by Bill Elliott at 44.998 seconds and still stands unchallenged today.
Originally named Alabama International Motor Speedway, the track opened on September 13, 1969, at a cost of 4 million dollars.
The first race at Talladega did not go as planed due to tire issues. Most all drivers walked away from their cars and substitute drivers filled those seats, except for Bobby Isaac, who ran his qualifying laps, before climbing out of his car to never return again. Although there were many issues during the race, it ended in a historic three-wide finish, with Richard Brickhouse as the winner.
Other drivers to get their first win at Talladega are Brian Vickers and Brad Keselowski.
‘Dega, as it’s affectionately called, is known for its high speed chess match type of racing. Tight, close racing, more often then not, leads to “The Big One,” which looms over every driver’s mind from the green flag to the inevitable crash that can take out half the field.
As a by-product of this style of racing, the race this Sunday at Talladega, could be a game changer for all Chase contenders – good or bad.
So fans, put some extra padding on the edge of your chair, because it’s more than likely, this is where you’ll spend most of the race this weekend. Talladega is the most exciting, yet unpredictable race of The Chase.
Ask Rich your NASCAR technical questions and he’ll answer them in his weekly blog. Reply below with your question or via email to Rich@ChicagolandFans4Racing.com
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This week’s show is about…
- Dover’s AAA 400 – The good, the bad and the ugly
- NASCAR’s Wave Around Rule – Should it be changed?
- Talladega’s up next – winners & losers in this wild card race of the Chase
- Top-three championship contenders – Keselowski, Hamlin, Johnson – Can anyone else break into top-three?
- What’s up with Roush Fenway Racing?
- Q&A Tech Talk with Rich
- Andrew’s race day at NHMS
- Tell us what racing related topic you want to talk about on Fan4Racing’s Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk
Listen to replays
September 10, 2012
September 17, 2012
September 24, 2012
October 1, 2012
In 2009, when NASCAR implemented double file restarts they also implemented the wave around rule. The purpose of the rule was to make sure leaders would start at the front on every restart.
Based on the rule, lap down drivers can choose not to pit under a yellow flag while the leaders pit, to gain a lap back. At times this can lead to several cars taking a wave around, under a yellow flag, after getting caught a lap down with an untimely caution. Continue reading