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Coordinates: 33°34′01.06″N 86°03′57.85″W / 33.5669611°N 86.0660694°W / 33.5669611; -86.0660694
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Talladega Superspeedway

Tri-oval
Location3366 Speedway Boulevard, Lincoln, Alabama, 35096
Time zoneUTC−6 (UTC−5 DST)
Coordinates33°34′01.06″N 86°03′57.85″W / 33.5669611°N 86.0660694°W / 33.5669611; -86.0660694
OwnerNASCAR (2019–present)
International Speedway Corporation (1969–2019)
Broke ground23 May 1968; 56 years ago (1968-05-23)
Opened9 September 1969; 54 years ago (1969-09-09)
Construction cost$5 million USD
Former namesAlabama International Motor Speedway (1969–1989)
Major eventsCurrent:
NASCAR Cup Series
GEICO 500 (1970–present)
YellaWood 500 (1969–present)
Former:
AMA Superbike Championship (1980–1983)
IMSA GT Championship (1971–1972, 1974–1976, 1978)
Websitetalladegasuperspeedway.com
Tri-oval (1969–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length4.281 km (2.660 miles)
Turns4
BankingTurns: 33°
Tri-oval: 16.5°
Straights: 2°
Race lap record0:44.998 (United States Bill Elliott, Ford Thunderbird, 1987, NASCAR Cup Series)
Road Course (1969–1989)
Length6.437 km (4.000 miles)
Turns11
Race lap record1:53.400 (United States Peter Gregg, Porsche 935, 1978, IMSA GTX)

Talladega Superspeedway (formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969 to 1989) is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) tri-oval superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1969; primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The track has been owned by NASCAR since 2019 with Brian Crichton serving as the track's president. Talladega Superspeedway is served by Interstate 20.

The track has a capacity of 80,000 as of 2022, down from its peak

After a proposal in Spartanburg, South Carolina, fell through in the early 1960s, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. opted to seek his proposal elsewhere, eventually landing on an area near Talladega, Alabama. Over the track's first couple decades, it gained a reputation for being a fast, wild, and chaotic track, with both speeds of over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) and major accidents being commonplace. NASCAR's introduction of the restrictor plate in the late 1980s exasperated its chaotic reputation, with "Big One" accidents occurring often due to the appearance of pack racing. Due to this, along with its vibrant party scene on race weekends, the track has become one of the most popular in the United States.

Description (to do)[edit]

Configuration[edit]

The speedway in its current form is measured at 2.66 miles (4.28 km), with 33 degrees of banking in the turns, 16.5 degrees of banking in the tri-oval section, and two degrees of banking in the straights.[1] The track, similar in shape to the NASCAR-owned Daytona International Speedway, differs from Daytona due to its start-finish line; Talladega's start finish line is around a 14 mile (0.40 km) away from the track's center point.[2]

Amenities[edit]

Talladega Superspeedway is located near Interstate 20.[3] As of 2022, Talladega Superspeedway has a capacity of 80,000 according to the Sports Business Journal.[4] At its peak, the track boasted a capacity of

Race weekend party scene[edit]

Talladega Superspeedway is known for its infield party scene during race weekends, gaining a reputation for a chaotic, Woodstock/Mardi Gras-type atmosphere.[5] The party scene has been described by ESPN's Ryan McGee as "full of redneck engineering and school buses and questionable decisions".[6] Games, parades, and nudity has been reported by numerous journalists as being commonplace;[7][8] with reporter Mike Hembree stating that the focus of the party scene was "toward beer, liquor, racing, boobs and, somewhat down the list, college football."[9] Elizabeth Blackstock, writer for Jalopnik, stated that at Talladega, "People turn into animals. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it looks like when humans just cease giving a fuck, I highly recommend finding your nearest infield campground."[10] Considered to be "notoriously rowdy" in the 1980s,[11] by the 2000s, Talladega Superspeedway officials started to crack down on "hard-core lawlessness", adding in a makeshift jail and making the scene "more civilized".[12]

Track history[edit]

Planning and construction[edit]

Failed Spartanburg proposal[edit]

Sometime in the early 1960s, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. made initial plans to construct a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) superspeedway in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with the help of Spartanburg native Joe Littlejohn.[13] In October 1963, designs for the Spartanburg track were drawn up by C. H. Moneypenny, with it planned to be built near the Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport.[14] An official announcement was made on February 18, 1964, with stated hopes of building 50,000 seats and a budget of "near a million dollars";[15] it was also touted as a "little Daytona". However, while France Sr. later stated that plans were "far away from building" in March, local residents near the airport immediately raised opposition towards the proposal in the Spartanburg City Council; particularly due to concerns of increased noise.[16][14] Despite further rumored plans to build a new airport terminal for the airport, further opposition was raised due to local blue laws.[17] Despite this, in May, France Sr. continued to scout for potential sites.[18] The proposal was eventually rejected by the local city council; the rejection, which heavily contributed to the declining racing scene of Spartanburg that started in the start of the 1960s, was seen by locals as the point of no return of the city's decline. In an interview, longtime NASCAR driver James Hylton stated that the city council "stuck a knife in their hearts, their own hearts. Because if the city fathers in Spartanburg and Spartanburg County had approved that, this would be Talladega... All the people who had a vote on that really didn't understand racing. They really didn't have a clue as to what the future held."[17]

Anniston Air Force Base proposal[edit]

According to multiple people associated with Talladega Superspeedway's beginnings, sometime in 1965, former driver and businessman Fonty Flock convinced France Sr. to scout the Anniston, Alabama, area.[19] At the beginning of 1966, The Anniston Star reported that France Sr. was negotiating to build a $1.5 million (adjusted for inflation, $14,086,154) facility in Eastaboga near the Talladega Municipal Airport. However, according to France Sr., local Alabama tax laws and the cost of surrounding land were deterrents to the track's construction.[20] By February, France Sr. had reportedly began negotiations in Gadsden.[21] However, in the next several months, France Sr. and city of Talladega officials resumed negotiations for the Eastaboga proposal. In August, the Alabama Senate passed a measure to allow Talladega and its nearby cities to finance the track with their own credit.[22] The measure was signed by governor George Wallace soon after; by this point, Talladega Industrial Development Board chairman O. V. Hill stated that the budget for the project had rose to $6 million (adjusted for inflation, $56,344,615), and planned to host a capacity from 40 to 50 thousand seats.[23] Leaders of the now-proposed 2.5 miles (4.0 km) track also hoped to raise $3 million and acquire approximately 1,500 acres of land to kickstart the project.[24] By the end of the year, leaders awaited a verdict from the Union Oil Company on whether they would invest $3.5 million for the project.[25][26]

France Sr. later stated hopes of starting construction in the summer of 1967 and to open the track sometime in 1969.[27] A finalized plan of the project was reported in April 1967, which according to France Sr. was "economically justified".[28] In June, France Sr. stated in The Anniston Star that the "bond market just isn't what it should be at the present"; however, speculated rumors of Pure Oil, a subsidiary of Union Oil, investing the entire amount needed to finance the project were also being made, with a feasibility report stating that the project was "highly favorable".[29] By the next month, a party associated with France and Pure Oil were reported to have invested two-thirds of the financing needed for its construction,[30] along with the city of Talladega offering 650 acres.[31] At the beginning of 1968, France Sr. announced that the track would be longer than the France Sr.-owned Daytona International Speedway by "400 [to] 600 feet". In the same announcement, he also stated that he aimed to start construction in a couple of months and that the project was "90 percent assured".[32] On March 14, Talladega County officials announced that they hoped for a final verdict on access road financing in order to finally approve the project;[33][34] however, a sale of $2 million to First Alabama Securities relating to industrial bonds failed to go through.[35] Despite this, France Sr. and Hill did not consider the lack of funds to be a major problem, and instead were so confident that they thought that the purchase would nevertheless be secured within the next month.[35][36][37] By April, the city of Talladega gave France Sr. 2,000 acres at the site of the former Anniston Air Force Base.[38]

On May 16, 1968, France Sr. officially announced the construction of the project along with a new airport runway near the track, which came at a final projected cost of $5 million and an opening date in September 1969.[39] Groundbreaking occurred seven days later, with the facility officially being named the Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS). At the groundbreaking ceremony, France Sr. stated plans to host NASCAR, sports car, and motorcycle events at the facility. France Sr.'s son, Bill France Jr., was placed in charge of AIMS.[40] During construction, the track was advertised to have bankings steeper than Daytona International Speedway and potential average speeds over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h).[41] By October, work began on constructing grandstands, which involved bulldozing part of the Talladega Mountains.[42] In April 1969, a 4 miles (6.4 km) "roval" road course was announced by France Sr.[43] That same month, reports by the Associated Press stated that AIMS was selling 70 tickets daily on average.[44] By July, the amount of tickets sold daily was "100 or more", with the goal of 100,000 people coming to the inaugural race being "assured".[45] The next month, the only construction fatality occurred when W. L. Harry died when a crane hit his head, crushing his skull.[46]

Chaotic first years[edit]

1969 Talladega 500[edit]

A date to christen AIMS was scheduled for September 14, 1969, for the 1969 Talladega 500.[47] The first tire tests for the facility were ran by LeeRoy Yarbrough and Donnie Allison in early August, with both claiming unofficial world closed circuit speed records.[48][49] Both drivers complained of "rough places" on the surface of the track during testing.[50] Later in the month, Bobby Allison in a newly-unveiled Dodge Charger Daytona ran another test session;[51][52] Bobby later claimed that the track had "great big holes" in its surface. France Sr. admitted the appearance of three holes due to Hurricane Camille, but also claimed that the holes were filled before Bobby made testing runs.[53] By race weekend, although the track surface was completed, numerous amenities, including VIP suites, were either unfinished or "barebones" according to longtime motorsports journalist Dave Despain.[19]

The track officially opened to the public on September 9 for practice sessions for the Talladega 500.[54] The track surface drew complaints from drivers, particularly drivers from the newly-formed Professional Drivers Association (PDA), a drivers' union. PDA drivers Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, and Charlie Glotzbach all reported that the surface was "rough" and caused increased tire wear amongst both Goodyear and Firestone tires; the two tire suppliers for the race.[55][56] Baker later added, "they haven’t built a tire out of anything that will stand up if you hit a chuckhole at 200 miles per hour".[55] Tires were also reported to have only lasted 4 laps until they became "shredded", with Firestone pulling out of the event.[19] Anniston Star writer George Smith remarked that due to the never-before-seen speeds in NASCAR, "no one really knew what to expect of speeds in the 195-200 m.p.h. range."[57] As a result of the complaints, drivers asked France Sr. if the race to be postponed; he refused, mainly due to the high cost of building the track, which France Sr. feared would bankrupt the track if the race was postponed.[19] He proceeded to tell the drivers to race at slower speeds; this was refused by the drivers.[58] After an incident that involved Yarbrough punching France Sr. after France Sr. called Yarbrough too scared to race,[56] a meeting involving 36 PDA drivers almost unanimously agreed to withdraw from the event.[59][56]

Despite almost every major driver withdrawing from the race, with the exceptions of Tiny Lund and Bobby Isaac,[56] France Sr. announced his intents to still run the race, stating in The Anniston Star, "I can't guarantee you how many cars will run right now, but there will be a race Sunday afternoon."[60] After the first race ever ran at the track, a 400 miles (640 km) preliminary NASCAR Grand American Series race won by Ken Rush,[61] France Sr. decided to seek out non-PDA, Grand American, and PDA scab drivers to race in the main event; he also let in the smaller Grand American "pony cars", which had less power, run in the event.[19] Chrysler, who was set to debut the winged Dodge Charger Daytona at the event, replaced Bobby Allison with PDA scab Richard Brickhouse.[62] To appease fans, France Sr. also announced that any fan with a Talladega 500 ticket stub could attend any Daytona or Talladega race for free in 1970.[60] The race ran without any major issues, with Brickhouse winning the event in front of a crowd of 64,000, which was lower than expected.[63] However, second-place finisher Jim Vandiver, who was driving an older Dodge model, accused NASCAR of rigging the race; the protests were unsuccessful.[19]

Don Naman era, slow expansion, increasing attendance[edit]

The track's second season oversaw decreasing attendance and increased disdain over the quality of racing at the track. The 1970 Alabama 500 saw a decrease of over 10,000 people from the 1969 Talladega 500, with NASCAR officials stating the attendance was "disappointing".[64] By June, reporters stated that AIMS had covered up several parts of grandstands with tarp due to a lack of spectators during races.[65] A series of races held at AIMS in July were described by Anniston Star writer Tommy Hornsby as "a complete flop".[66] In October 1970, AIMS appointed Don Naman, promoter of the Tennessee-based Smoky Mountain Speedway, as the track's first general manager.[67] Within the first month, Naman announced an improvement project that aimed to remove track surface bumps along with renovating press boxes and the track's control tower.[68][69] As part of the project, the track surface was resurfaced by using a mixture that acted as a sealant.[70] The first race under Naman's tenure saw increased attendance, with 63,500 attending despite heavy doubt placed onto the track, leading to hopes of later races having more attending per race.[71] By 1972, attendance had rose with Naman stated hopes of building new grandstands;[72] the track also had a better reputation in local Alabama media.[73] The next year, attendance had rose to such a point to where one reporter had described AIMS' future as "all sunshine".[74]

Expansions and renovations remained at a slow pace throughout Naman's tenure. In 1975, AIMS officials announced renovations worth over $200,000; among said renovations was the addition of a new press box on the track's frontstretch that costed around $150,000, additional loudspeakers, and additional spectator gates.[75][76] Further renovations to paddock areas were announced in 1977,[77] along with the addition of a new 2,200-seat grandstand.[78] A second repave was also announced in 1979 due to heavy rain.[79] That same year, Naman stated that officials hoped to expand to accomodate at least 150,000 fans by 1990.[80] The next year, a new, $80,000 scoring stand was added that accommodated around 100 people.[81] In 1985, $200,000 worth of renovations were made to the track's garage area and parts of the grandstands.[82] A new, 2,500-seat tower, the Anniston Tower, was constructed in 1986 and completed the following year, increasing the grandstand capacity of AIMS to 72,000.[83][84]

Rising speeds, breaking records (to do)[edit]

Within the track's early years, the track became known for its fast speeds. In March 1970, Buddy Baker became the first person to break 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) on a closed course, setting an average speed of 200.449 miles per hour (322.591 km/h).[85] Seven months later, Bobby Isaac broke Baker's record, setting a lap of 201.104 miles per hour (323.646 km/h).[86]

Injury and chaos-riddled period, alleged Talladega Curse[edit]

In the track's early years, numerous incidents that were either deemed unusual or caused either major injury or death occurred at AIMS both on and off the track, leading to beliefs of a "Talladega Curse" which stems from the belief that the track was built on cursed indigenous American land as a result of the Trail of Tears.[87] In the 1973 Winston 500, a crash involving 19 cars hospitalized four drivers;[88][89] Wendell Scott, one of the hospitalized four, was left so badly injured that the accident effectively ended his racing career.[90] That same year at the Talladega 500, driver Larry Smith became the first fatality at the track when Smith blew a tire and hit the wall, suffering major head injuries.[91] In the same race, longtime driver Bobby Isaac retired abruptly from both the race and full-time racing after he stated that he heard voices in his head telling him to quit during the race.[92] Two more fatalities, pit crew member Randy Owens and driver Tiny Lund, both occurred in 1975 in separate races.[93][94] At the 1986 Winston 500, spectator Darren Crowder broke into the race's safety car and took it for a joyride in what is considered by longtime NASCAR journalist Steve Waid as "Talladega’s most bizarre incident".[95][96] At the 1987 Winston 500, Bobby Allison blew a tire in the track's frontstretch at high speeds, causing his car to go airborne and crash into a protective catchfence, injuring four spectators.[97][98] Considered to be one of the most influential moments in NASCAR's history, as a result of Allison's crash, NASCAR introduced the restrictor plate to reduce speeds; a requirement that lasted until 2019.[99][100]

Mike Helton and Grant Lynch eras (to do)[edit]

In October 1987, Naman announced his intents to retire to become a member of the board of directors at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, with former Atlanta International Speedway general director Mike Helton taking his position.[101] In the aftermath of Bobby Allison's 1987 crash at AIMS, a renovated and heavier catchfence replaced the original catchfence in 1988.[102] On January 30, 1989, Helton became the president of the track; on the same day, the track was renamed to Talladega Superspeedway, with publicity director Jim Freeman stating in a press release, "it's shorter, and everybody called it 'Talladega' anyway".[103]

Continued reputation of wild, crash-riddled track (to do)[edit]

The track's reputation as a chaotic facility continued into the 1990s and 2000s. As part of the introduction of the restrictor plate mandated in the wake of Bobby Allison's crash in the 1987 Winston 500, cars were made drastically slower; an unintended consequence due to slower speeds was the introduction of pack racing.[104] As part of restrictor plate racing, major accidents involving numerous cars, often called the "Big One", occurred often.[100] At the 1993 DieHard 500, two separate major accidents occurred. Early in the race, multiple drivers were involved in a seven-car crash; one of them, Stanley Smith, suffered a basilar skull fracture that affected Smith for the rest of his life.[105][106] In the same accident, Jimmy Horton's car went over the protective wall; the first of its kind since 1969 in the NASCAR Cup Series.[107][108] Later in the race, Neil Bonnett's car went airborne and hit the catchfence on the track's frontstretch, tearing a 20-foot gap.[109] The next year at the 1994 Winston Select 500, a multi-car accident involving Mark Martin sent Martin through the infield of the track, with Martin breaking through an infield guardrail.[110]

21st century renovations, capacity decline, Brian Crichton era[edit]

In December 2005, track officials announced a complete repave of Talladega; the first since 1979.[111] Construction on the repave started on May 2, 2006, a day later than expected due to rain.[112] The repave was met with positive reactions from drivers, including Tony Stewart[113] and Dennis Setzer.[114] It was eventually completed by September 25 of that year, in time for ARCA Re/Max Series testing.[115] The next year, Lynch was replaced by general manager Rick Humphrey, with Lynch being transferred to work at the corporate ISC offices.[116] A $13 million, two-phase renovation project was announced in 2009, which aimed to renovate outdated seating and improve accessibility.[117] Lynch came back to his old position the following year when Humphrey was transferred to ISC.[118] The early 2010s saw steep attendance declines due to the effects of the Great Recession; a peak of approximately 190,000 in the 2003 Aaron's 499 had fallen to 108,500 by the 2012 iteration of the same event.[119] By 2013, track officials announced that grandstand capacity would be decreased to 80,000, demolishing the backstretch Allison Grandstands.[120] In lieu of the Allison Grandstands, officials decided to honor the Alabama Gang by renaming the backstretch.[121]

In 2018, ISC announced a $50 million renovation to the track's infield which aimed to completely revamp the garage and media center along with the additions of several amenities, including additional suites and a new infield tunnel.[122] Work on the project started in October of that year,[123] and was completed in September 2019.[124] Also in 2018, Lynch announced his retirement from the track, ending a 25-year reign.[125] It took effect after the 2019 1000Bulbs.com 500, with vice president of marketing and sales Brian Crichton replacing Lynch.[126][127] The next year, the track came under controversy when a member of Bubba Wallace's crew reported a potential noose in the midst of the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.[128][129] A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation later determined that Wallace had not been a victim of a hate crime; the noose was a garage door pull rope that had existed since October 2019, although it was the only one shaped like a noose across NASCAR-owned tracks.[130][131] To further modernize the track, a scoring pylon was removed in 2024 to get spectators to look at modern video screens for live scoring.[132]

Events (to do)[edit]

Racing[edit]

NASCAR[edit]

Since the track's inaugural season of racing in 1969, the facility has held two annual NASCAR Cup Series weekends per year for most of its history: the spring GEICO 500 and the fall YellaWood 500. The former was first ran in 1970,[133] with Pete Hamilton winning the event.[64]

IMSA SportsCar Championship[edit]

Other events[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

In June 2005, a collaborative movie project between NASCAR and Sony Pictures was announced, with Will Ferrell slated as the lead actor.[134] Initially put into doubt,[135] the working title was eventually announced as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in February 2006.[136] Although most of movie's production took place in the state of North Carolina, some scenes for the movie's ending were shot at the Talladega Superspeedway.[137][138] Talladega Nights was released on August 4, 2006,[139] and is considered to be one of the most beloved racing-related movies of all time.[140][141]

In 2010, The Legend of Hallowdega, a mockumentary film produced by RadicalMedia as part of an Amp Energy advertising campaign that poked fun at the alleged Talladega Curse was released on Halloween of that year.[142][143] Four years later, the track was heavily referenced in the Eric Church song "Talladega", which detailed Church's experiences with high school friends attending auto racing events at the track after Church graduated from high school.[144][145]

References[edit]

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  2. ^ Albert, Zack (April 21, 2022). "Off-center: How Talladega's start-finish line placement came to be". NASCAR. Retrieved July 4, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Whitaker, Carla (April 20, 1997). "Talladega Superspeedway is just one of the attractions found around the oval". The Dothan Eagle. pp. 1E. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  4. ^ Stern, Adam (April 25, 2022). "Talladega sees strong crowd for NASCAR Cup". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Newberry, Paul (July 26, 1992). "'A Redneck Woodstock'". Montgomery Advertiser. Associated Press. pp. 6B. Retrieved July 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  6. ^ McGee, Ryan (April 25, 2019). "Booze, optional clothing and smoke: Tales from Talladega's infield". ESPN. Retrieved July 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Wray, Cheryl (May 6, 2017). "Queso races, crazy games bring NASCAR fans to Talladega infield party". AL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Hembree, Mike (May 7, 2017). "Party people in the house: Talladega's wild scene extends beyond racing". USA Today. Retrieved July 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Hembree, Mike (October 2, 2021). "Party Time Returns To NASCAR Infield At Talladega". Autoweek. Retrieved July 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Blackstock, Elizabeth (April 30, 2019). "Behold the Mind Blowing Amount of Trash Left over After NASCAR's Talladega Race". Jalopnik. Retrieved July 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  14. ^ a b Winston, Chris (April 16, 1998). "A dream rooted in dirt Joe Littlejohn built Spartanburg into the heart of stock car racing "Back in those days, Spartanburg was the real capital of racing."". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "New Speedway Proposed For Spartanburg Area". The Greenville News. Associated Press. February 19, 1964. p. 16. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  16. ^ Clayton, Jack (March 5, 1964). "Speedway Spasm". The Columbia Record. pp. 3D. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  17. ^ a b Caraviello, David (April 30, 2009). "Cotton Owens Garage: In Former Hub of NASCAR, Now Only Memories Remain". Cotton Owens Garage. Retrieved July 3, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Anderson, Joe (May 22, 1964). "Name Chosen: Royal Omen". The Greenville News. p. 17. Retrieved July 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
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  20. ^ "Track Hopes Appear Dead At Eastaboga". The Anniston Star. January 4, 1966. p. 7. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  21. ^ Smith, George (February 2, 1966). "Gadsden and NASCAR". The Anniston Star. pp. 9A. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  22. ^ Ingram, Bob; Mackin, Tom (August 25, 1966). "Legislature Expects To Adjourn September 2". Montgomery Advertiser. p. 3. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  23. ^ Smith, George (September 4, 1966). "$6 Million Raceway Reported In Offing For Anniston Area". The Anniston Star. pp. 1A, 8A. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  24. ^ Plott, Bill (October 18, 1966). "France Outlines Speedway Plans". The Anniston Star. p. 3. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  25. ^ "Raceway Due Fund Answer". The Anniston Star. December 28, 1966. pp. 1A, 5A. Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
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  27. ^ Smith, George (March 9, 1967). "France Moving On Local Speedway". The Anniston Star. pp. 1C. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  28. ^ Harwell, Hoyt (April 12, 1967). "Talladega May Get Race Track". Birmingham Post-Herald. Associated Press. p. 19. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  29. ^ Smith, George (June 18, 1967). "1967 Date Still Eyed". The Anniston Star. pp. 1C. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  30. ^ Weaver, Kendal (July 12, 1967). "New Speedway May Soon Be A Reality". Birmingham Post-Herald. p. 14. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
  31. ^ Smith, George (July 19, 1967). "Speedway Project 'Alive'". The Anniston Star. pp. 4B. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Open access icon
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