For every motoring enthusiast and especially those of motor racing, NASCAR, and more, then a visit to the Talladega Speedway and International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a ‘got to do it at least once!’ deal that you don’t want to miss.

There is an abundance of cars from all eras of motor racing within the museum.

There are many cabinets with memorabilia from drivers photos, race suits, flags, helmets, collector cars, you name it! They probably have it there.

Three large connecting buildings house cars that are restored, some are still original and unrestored. There are a few wrecks from one of the largest NASCAR race accidents in history involving 14 cars in 1996. There are dirt track cars, drag cars and midgets. Throw in a few motor bikes just for good measure.

The Hall of fame honors men and women from motor sports with a cabinet holding a trophy and lit description of their racing career. Around the walls are drawings of recipients, spectacular paintings of race cars and outside there is even one of the ocean racing boats, Dale Earnhardt’s tour bus, Richard Petty’s plane. It’s wild!

Do you remember the movie with Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby in, Talladega Nights? The museum also has Ricky Bobby’s Wonder Bread car used in the film! I need to watch that movie again now.

Next we took the tour bus over to the track. Bobby 😂😉 (not Ricky Bobby) was our host and as Bobby drove us around I tried to capture as much information as fast as my fingers could type.

Talladega is the biggest and most competitive track in the US for NASCAR racing.

The track is 2.6 miles long, 188 laps will give you a full 500 mile radius.

During race week it is estimated some 200,000 people would be here between fans, officials, drivers, crew, law enforcement, first responders, vendors, workers etc!

We entered the North tunnel that takes you under the track and into the infield where during a race some 50,000 people can be found camping!

The track has its own care facility/hospital for race days. The garages house up to 62 vehicles. Goodyear has its own building for tyres/tires changing and balancing any of the race cars where needed.

There are some specialty seating areas where you can join a club for a premium price to enjoy air conditioned restrooms, special food pavilion and covered seating with its own tv screens to enjoy the race on the whole track. This ‘club’ sits near the checkered line.

Moving right along and we didn’t get to drive round the track in the bus or get out to experience it.

Around the top of the stadium, in special booths, each team can have two spotters watching the race and feeding info back to the garage.

The track was built on a WWII air base. The two airstrips remain on the infield and are now RV hookup spaces.

Near the ‘front line’ there is a motor home hook up area called Front Runners club, Also pay a premium price for these spots. They have a view of a 4 stories high wall, where cars are going to be hanging on sideways above the yellow line!

There you have it, would lovvvve to see a race there but can at least say we have visited and taken in the sheer size of this famous speedway.

Shake ‘n’ bake!

Kat xo

P.S. there was no Lightning McQueen or Hudson Hornet kidlets 😉