This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is visiting Talladega Superspeedway for its first of two races there throughout the sanctioning physique’s seventy fifth anniversary season. Superspeedway racing has change into almost synonymous with NASCAR’s marquee occasions. The large race tracks function speeds over 200 miles per hour, massive packs racing nostril to tail, even larger crashes and spectacular picture finishes.
While Daytona has its place of prominence on NASCAR’s schedule, Talladega is its bigger and extra raucous Alabama cousin. The 2.66-mile oval outdoors of Birmingham is the longest oval in inventory automotive racing and the positioning of NASCAR’s all-time qualifying report run. In 1987, Bill Elliott gained the pole for the Winston 500 with a report common lap of 212.809 mph.
However, a horrific crash the place Bobby Allison’s Buick flew into the catch fence overshadowed the 1987 Winston 500 and Elliott’s report run. NASCAR feared what may have occurred at such excessive speeds regardless of nobody being critically injured. By 1988, the sanctioning physique launched restrictor plates to restrict engine energy and gradual the vehicles.
Plate racing created an atmosphere the place vehicles journey sooner in teams with little room for error. A single mistake from a driver may trigger a crash important sufficient to destroy over a dozen inventory vehicles, generally known as the Big One. The shut racing additionally permits for fixed passing and unpredictable finishes, which have made plate races a fan-favorite for many years. Here are NASCAR’s most unforgettable moments at Talladega.
Source: jalopnik.com