Fan's Eye View ~ The Talladega Beast

5/07/2013

Jim Fitzgerald

 

 

There is no other name for it.  It is what it is, and it is, in one word, a beast.

 

 

The Physical Beast

 

In size and appearance, it is a monstrosity.  The track is 2.66 miles in length, and the infield alone is 212 acres.  The track can hold cars up to four and sometimes five wide.  The turns rise from the ground as the Kraken would from the depths of the ocean, rearing back and ready to strike any unsuspecting captain.  The back stretch is an endurance race in itself, the goal to travel from one end of it to the other a grueling 188 times without touching anything else, including the wall or another driver.  The front stretch is another monster all to itself, banked like a turn, and seemingly never ending for the driver which just happens to be in the lead on the final lap. 

 

 

The Mythical Beast

In lore, it is the antagonist of a scary ghost story told around a campfire on the darkest on nights.  The track is rumored to have been built on a Native American burial ground.  Other stories have the land as the host to some horse races run by the Native Americans, and a Chief was killed when thrown from his horse.  Others will tell you that an Indian Shaman put a curse on the valley.  No matter what you believe, or if you believe nothing, Talladega has had its share of strange occurrences.  More on that later.

 

The Abnormal Beast

 

In peculiarities, well, it just looks different, like any other beast you could create or even imagine.  The tri-oval superspeedway shape is unique to Talladega and Daytona International Speedway, which Talladega was built to be faster than.  Unlike Daytona, however, the start and finish line is not positioned in the traditional center of the front stretch, but towards the end of it, after the exit of the pit lane.  This often has an effect on the outcome of the race, and many times the lead changes hands between what would normally be the finish line, and where it ultimately resides.

 

 

The Historical Beast

 

In history, it is the monster which lies beneath the bridge over a bottomless chasm, a bridge which must be crossed twice annually.  It is dormant troll, lying in wait until the perfect time to strike.  It awakens from its slumber, reaches out and snatches up whatever hapless victims which may unfortunately within its reach.  It is never, ever, sympathetic or compassionate, and sometimes it will even eat the bones.  It is the story of beginnings and ending, as it is the place where some drivers will earn their first or last career wins, and sometimes those occur in the same race.

 

 

A Beast Named “Jinx”

 

There are many stories about a jinx surrounding Talladega, and one is the well-known story of a 1973 race.  On lap 14, a driver by the name of Larry Smith brushed the wall, seemingly lightly enough, that he would have been able to continue, or at least drive the car to the garage.  Unfortunately, according to legend, Smith had removed the padding from his helmet to make room for his hair, and was killed in the impact.  Later in the same race, on lap 90, 1970 Cup Series Champion Bobby Isaac pulled his car off the track and retired for the day.  Isaac claimed he heard voices in the car telling him to do just that.  Outside of that race, many other strange occurrences would play out at Talladega. 

In 1987, Bobby Allison, member of the famed Alabama Gang, would spin on the front stretch, his car getting airborne and sailing into the catch fence.  Bobby’s son Davey would go on to win that race.  Then in 1993, Talladega proved it could take as much as it could give.  Davey Allison would fly his helicopter to the Talladega infield to watch the practice session of David Bonnett, Neil Bonnett’s son.  As Allison was attempting to land his helicopter, the nose of the vehicle suddenly shot into the air, and then the crashed.  Riding with Allison in the helicopter was Red Farmer, a friend of the Alabama Gang and short track racing legend.  Farmer, thought to have been between the ages of 61 and 65 at the time, survived the crash.  Davey Allison, with severe head injuries, would not, as he died the following morning in the hospital.

 

 

The Gift of The Beast

 

Some of these stories almost may have never happened.  In 1969, the track was due to hold its inaugural race.  Tire issues and speed became a concern for the drivers, and they rallied to go on strike the night before the event was to take place.  Bill France, determined to see his four million dollar track host the event as he planned, hired replacement drivers, and the event did take place.  This was the first and only win for Richard Brickhouse in his Sprint Cup Career.  But while Talladega and the beast that it was took certain drivers from the fans' vision that day, it provided the opportunity to see one other for the first time.  This driver had never run in the Sprint Cup Series before, and he was determined to get his opportunity.  He didn’t win that race that day, obviously, and he only completed 80 laps before a problem with his axle forced his retirement from the race.  After his initial start, this driver would go on to have a lackluster career as a driver, starting 285 races and scoring only six top five finishes.  This guy had an eye for talent, however, and stepped out of his car to make room for a talented kid from North Carolina.  That driver was Richard Childress, and that North Carolina kid was some fellow by the name of Earnhardt.  The duo would go onto to tame the Talladega track ten times as owner and driver before they were done, and gave us some of the most thrilling rides we have even been privileged enough to see.

 

 

The Beast in Talladega has brought pain and posterity, triumph and tragedy, the winning of races, and the losing of lives.  These types of stories are shared with others in the series.  Short tracks and road courses, intermediate tracks and superspeedways.  Racing at Talladega is a part of NASCAR history, now, as it should continue as long as we continue to do this thing we love. 

 

Until it is not, small children will continue to check their closets and under the bed to make sure The Talladega Beast is not there, somewhere, lurking...in the dark.

Be sure to follow me @Forewasabi on Twitter

[email protected]

 

HTML Comment Box is loading comments...