Eastaboga, Talladega County in Alabama is home to the Talladega Superspeedway which was built during the 1960's. International Speedway Corporation had it built to replace Anniston Army Airfield which had been abandoned. The France family which founded NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway and a number of other race tracks controlled the corporation that built the track. The track is the most steeply banked and largest at just under three miles long in the Sprint Cup Series.
The track has seating for more than 175.000 spectators. Bill France wanted to increase the ticket sales for the pit sit so the start/finish line is after the exit for the pit. The finish line is usually across pit road's center, the unusual placement has affected the outcome of some races at the track which can be seen from Interstate 20 which it is adjacent to.
The race track is next to the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame and Museum which opened during April of 1983. The admission costs for the museum is free for children aged six and younger. Kids aged seven to seventeen get in for a charge of $5 and adults pay $10 to enter. The hours of operation are from 9am until 4pm each day seven days a week except for major holidays. The summer hours are from 9am until 5pm each day.
There is a self-guided walking tour at the museum that takes about and hour to complete depending on how much time is spent per exhibit. The venue of the museum changes constantly with the arrival of new displays and exhibits. There is an eighteen seat ADA accessible van that provides tours of the Talladega Superspeedway as well which takes about twenty minutes to complete and comes with a tour guide to give details about the history of the track.
The tours of the Hall of Fame and track are given during the same hours. Race week tours can be gotten each day through Thursday. During race weekends at the Talladega Superspeedway there are no tours given on Friday through Sunday. A discounted rate can be gotten when purchasing the track tour tickets with the admission to the Hall of Fame. The gift shop in the hall of fame sells these tickets to those that wish to purchase them.
Educational institutions receive a special rate for tours of the museum at Talladega Superspeedway. The gift shop can be found in the main rotunda and offers a variety of options suitable to any racing fan. The hours of the gift shop are the same as the hall of fame. The McCaig-Wellborn Research Library has over ten thousand photos and over fourteen thousand books making it one of the most popular attractions at the racetrack.
Anyone with a love of racing and its vast, colorful history should make it a point to visit the Talladega Superspeedway if they are ever in the area of Talladega, Alabama. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the facility directly, and the races are always action packed.
