NASCAR is the biggest racing series in the USA. The races are usually held on oval
tracks that come in a variety of shapes. Some have steep banking with over 30 degrees
in the turns, some are flat. Some have 3 turns, some 4. Not seldom do cars go bumper to
bumper, 3 or even 4 wide!

I have been a proud owner of renewable tickets for the fall race at Talladega since 2002.
Visiting a NASCAR race is much more than just a race – it is an experience. I wrote a little
report about my Talladega experience for a NASCAR fan site but I guess it fits here as
well…so here you go:

Talladega is awesome and I can recommend it to anybody! But in order to get the entire
Talladega experience I strongly suggest to camp at one of the many campgrounds at  
the racetrack. There are many “open” grounds near the track – however I only
recommend official Talladega camping. They are close to the actual track and belong to
the speedway grounds. It takes me 7 minutes on foot from my camp spot to my seats.
There are also shuttles…You are allowed to bring 2 vehicles and as many friends as you
like - as long as they fit into the vehicles ;-) Most people have RVs but tents are fine too.
Toilets and showers are available, electricity is not. But guess what: 4 days without power
is alright. Besides: If you desperately need it just go to one of your neighbors with an RV.
They all have generators…speaking of which: The only thing I dislike about camping at
Talladega is that some people leave the generators running all night. They are not
supposed to- but nobody enforces the rules…Other than that camping is great. Like I
said I have been to Talladega many times since 2002 ( I usually go there with my friend
Joe from Mississippi)  and I always have the same camp spot (part of my renewable
tickets). Each year we have the same neighbors and have developed friendships with
them and even stay in touch during the year (thank you facebook). I still remember the
first time we met them: We pulled into our camp spot and this is how our camping
neighbor Rick greeted us:”Hey ya`ll, my name is Rick…this is my pick up truck right there
and whatever is on the truck bed is yours too…serve yourself”. They fed us with shrimp,
ground cooked turkey and whatever. We brought plenty of food and drinks but never
needed it. Our neighbors took care of us pretty good. Southern hospitality at it`s best!
Talladega is just one huge party! It seems like everybody in the South can play an
instrument so people sit around the countless campfires and play, sing or dance. You`ll
hear guitars, fiddles or whatever play all night long…Others cruise up and down
Speedway Boulevard in their trucks. There are also official concerts near the
campgrounds and the infield, mainly by well known Country singers or bands. Saturdays
it`s time for college football. There are big screens all over Talladega to follow the
games…There is a truck series race on Saturday afternoon but it has trouble to compete
with football, especially when Alabama plays ;-) So like I said in the beginning, I can only
recommend camping at the track! I f you don`t you miss half of what Talladega is all
about!

My tickets are pretty good as well. My seats are in Moss Thornton Tower. They are high
enough to see the entire track but low enough to get a great view. And since they are
seats 1 and 2 I have nothing but a clear view down the front- stretch. I have been
blessed to witness many great moments in Talladega. I saw Dale Junior win there ( I am
not a Junior fan but everybody else at Talladega is – so that was special), I saw the last
caution free race there back in 2002, I saw Sadler flip over two years in a row and I saw a
chain reaction crash that took the 3 leaders out of contention on the very last lap of the
race!!! Great memories!

Also noteworthy are the thousands of merchandise stands - either official or private.
They are not only directly at the speedway but start miles before you get there... It never
gets boring at Talladega!!!