Talladega spring race is this week

Alabama is the center of the automobile racing world this week as NASCAR descends on Talladega Super Speedway.

The Alabama Air National Guard and the 187th Fighter Wing will perform the flyover prior to the running of the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 on April 21.

The spring race weekend action at Talladega kicks off on Saturday, April 20, with a doubleheader featuring the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 200 at 11:30 p.m. CDT and continues at 3:00 p.m. CDT with the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300. On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series stars will race in the GEICO 500 to close out the weekend at 2:00 p.m. CDT.

Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and William Byron are the points leaders coming into the race in the NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott just won the Texas race last week.

NASCAR also has a second race at Talladega on the first weekend of October.

For more information or to purchase tickets to the GEICO 500 race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, please visit http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

https://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/events/spring-cup-race/

 Alabama has a long history of automotive racing. Bobby Allison, Neal Bonnet, Davie Allison, and Red Farmer are all Alabamians who were NASCAR legends.

The International Motor Speedway opened in 1969. Talladega is VASCAR's biggest, and track.

Talladega, AL was selected several possible sites in the Southeast. The main criteria for selection being the availability of land, access to the interstate system, and a population base of at least 20 million people within 300 miles. Anniston insurance executive and racecar driver Bill Ward helped NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation founder William H.G. (Bill) France find the land in Alabama following a casual conversation with France in Daytona in the mid-1960s. Construction began on the 2,000-acre site on May 23, 1968, with the first race being the 'Bama 400 Grand Touring race on Saturday, September 13, 1969. Ken Rush was the first winner.

NASCAR will be racing in Dover next week.