Talladega Days: Behind the Scenes at NASCAR's Most Hated Track

A look inside the nation's most notorious speedway.

October 10, 2012

Image via Complex Original

Loved by fans. Hated by drivers. The pride of Alabama, and the bane of an entire class of sportsmen. Oh yes: This is Talladega.

Since 1969, Talladega's 2.66-mile, four lane track has produced fast, often contentious races (read: "wreckfests"). The competitive spirit runs high, the margin for error, low. This past weekend, Tony Stewart triggered a 25-car crash on the final lap. The pile-up enraged drivers, or as Dale Ernhardt Jr. succinctly put it: "It's not safe."

That said, it is Talladega. The fans revel in the danger of the tight, 33-degree banks. Crashes are part and parcel of the entertainment, having ended races with frightening regularity.

Race days at the Superspeedway are a juxtaposition between calm and chaos. Before the engines start, crews busily ready cars and pits, drivers attend mandatory meetings, and NASCAR does what does best—engage fans. Complex.com got a driver's seat-look behind the scenes at America's most notorious speedway on raceday, as it prepared and cheered on both the fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race and the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500.

Related: The 50 Craziest (Non-Fatal) NASCAR Crashes

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Friday night before the races, the trucks are quarantined in Talladega's garage.

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The Turner Racing teams wears pink in honor of breast cancer awareness. Driver Nelson Piquet Jr. collaborated with Alpinestars and graffiti artist CLAW MONEY to bring a special look to Talladega.

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Driver Ty Dillon's support team represents in the garages.

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The Turner Racing crew, again.

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Not all the trucks at Talladega are built for racing. This fan's ride caught our eye.

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Pre-race inspections are serious.

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Drivers gather for the mandatory pre-race meeting before the fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race.

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Calm before the storm.

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Trucks lined up along pit row before the start of the fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race.

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During the driver introductions, Nelson Piquet Jr. collects a check from NASCAR's PJ Rashidi. He was honored as Mobil 1 Driver of the Race award for winning in Vegas.

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Nelson Piquet Jr.'s Chevy Silverado gets gassed up in the pits.

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Canhead was one of the colorful characters entertaining fans (and race teams) along pit row. Only four other people on earth share his talents.

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Eating well is an important element of race day. This man shared his BBQ pork chop with us.

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Talledega is so serious that the Motorsports Hall of Fame needs its own beauty queen.

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Don't discount the athleticism required to work in the pits. Many of these guys were recruited straight out of Division I athletic programs. We jokingly asked if this dude was going to yoga class after the race. He responded, deadpan, "oh, we do."

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NASCAR does one thing better than most all other sporting bodies, fan involvement. Before every race, a select few can hit the track in the official pace car and a few other vehicles. Naturally, we chose to roll in the Shelby Mustang.