TALLADEGA, Ala. – For fans who will be attending this weekend’s (April 26-28) motorsports tripleheader at Talladega Superspeedway, featuring the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, a must pit stop is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, located adjacent to NASCAR’s Most Competitive track.
Since its creation, the Hall has been an impeccable fascination with the automobile, and in the fine state of Alabama, lovers of motorsports have a destination they can go to see one of the largest collections of racing vehicles imaginable. And, when it comes to NASCAR and the ARCA Menards Series, it actually houses more than 40 machines that have competed at the 2.66-mile venue.
Here are some cool facts about those memorable machines:
- The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is the home of 10 cars from NASCAR’s premier series that won at Talladega Superspeedway during a particular year. They include: Richard Petty’s (#43) Dodge, Ron Bouchard’s (#47) Buick, Bill Elliott’s (#9) Ford, Bobby Allison’s (#22) Buick, Bobby Hillin’s (#8) Buick, Davey Allison’s (#28, black, white & gold) Ford, Davey Allison’s (#28, black) Ford, Dale Earnhardt’s (#3) Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon’s (#24) Chevrolet and Jimmie Johnson’s (#48) Chevrolet.
- Four historic pieces won the NASCAR championship – Bobby Isaac’s 1970 (#71) Dodge, Petty’s 1974 (#43) Dodge, Alan Kulwicki’s 1992 (#7) Ford and Johnson’s 2006 (#48) Chevrolet.
- A total of 22 drivers who have cars in the Hall have won at Talladega Superspeedway, including 18 in the Cup Series, three in the ARCA Series and one in the Xfinity Series.
- The competitors who have race cars in the Hall have accumulated a total of 973 career Cup wins, led by Petty with 200.
- Of the drivers who have piloted vehicles in the Hall, 29 have at least one Cup victory in their career.
- Drivers in the premier series who have cars on campus have won a total of 35 Monster Series titles, and include: Petty (7), Earnhardt (7), Johnson (7), Gordon (4), Darrell Waltrip (3), Dale Jarrett (1), Isaac (1), Kevin Harvick (1), Elliott (1), Kulwicki (1), Bobby (1) and Kyle Busch (1).
- Of the six ARCA cars in the Hall, two won at ‘Dega – Grant Adcox (#2) Chevrolet and Tim Steele (#16) Oldsmobile. Adcox is the all-time winning ARCA driver with five (sweep in 1986-87; summer of 1988) while Steele, a three-time ARCA Champ, had four (1993, then three straight from 1996-98).
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame provides an incredible platform to take a step back in time, with not only more than 120 various vehicles but countless memorabilia items as well. Fans are encouraged to stop by during the upcoming race weekend, or at any time throughout the year.
Race time extended hours of operation this week are the following:
- Monday-Thursday, April 22-25: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT
- Friday, April 26: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. CDT
- Saturday, April 27: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. CDT
- Sunday, April 28: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. CDT
For additional International Motorsports Hall of Fame information, log onto www.motorsportshalloffame.com. For more information on Talladega Superspeedway’s highly-anticipated tripleheader, featuring the General Tire 200 for the ARCA Menards Series (April 26), the MoneyLion 300 (April 27) for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and GEICO 500 for the Monster Energy Series, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 855-518-RACE (7223).
About Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway – which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year – is the most competitive race track on the NASCAR schedule (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), the highest-banked (33 degrees) and the longest (2.66 miles) as well as the most fun and fan-friendly. Talladega offers something for everyone, including hundreds of acres of free camping, amazing kids tickets and college student prices, along with special offers for military members, first responders, teachers and educators. The historic venue, which opened in 1969, is deemed NASCAR’s “Party Capital” thanks to the track’s infamous infield, the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert on event weekends and renowned Talladega Blvd., home of the “Big One on the Blvd.” party. It’s the site of the most comfortable seats in motorsports, large ISM Vision HD video boards lining the frontstretch and numerous pre-race activities for fans on race day, including special Kids VIP opportunities. For ticket information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 855-518-RACE (7223).
The track, along with its parent company, International Speedway Corporation, announced last year Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project presented by Graybar. The approximate $50 million redevelopment endeavor is part of ISC’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes. The project, highlighted by a one-of-a-kind Talladega Garage Experience, will feature “up-close” access, interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders in the iconic Talladega infield. Full completion of the modernized project is scheduled for October 2019. Fans can learn more about the project and view the progress 24/7 via the construction cam by visiting www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/transformation.
