Talladega Superspeedway Presidents's Blog

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2010-03-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Visit http://tsschairman.blogspot.com/ for all the latest from Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch.

Archived blog posts from former Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey will be stored here.

March 12, 2010

2010-03-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever just wondered how much stuff you can accumulate over time? Well, I’m starting to notice.

As some of you may know, I am leaving Talladega Superspeedway to take the position of Managing Director of Business Operations for International Speedway Corporation, the parent company of Talladega and 11 other tracks. This is something my family and I are very excited about.

I have been at Talladega for 13 years and during that time I have accumulated a lot of things . . . great knowledge, some trinkets and plaques and even a few honors along the way. All things I can pick up and take with me.

However, the thing I am most proud of are the friends that I have gathered over the years. For 26 races, I have watched as fans have flowed in and out of TSS and have always considered every one of them friends. Because you know, you always try to treat your friends a little different and a little more special. That’s just the way things are done at TSS by the entire staff.

So as my family and I pack up all of the stuff we’ve accumulated over the years and get ready for the move to the Daytona Beach-area, I say thank you for your support of Talladega Superspeedway and thanks for being a friend.

February 26, 2010

2010-02-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

I’ve been saying all along that 2010 is going to be a big season for us. With things like new rules, new seats and new pricing in some of our grandstands, it’s very exciting to think what the 2010 season at Talladega Superspeedway holds.

The season will actually get started a little earlier for us than expected. Tuesday, March 16th, race fans will get the chance to come out and experience the new rules and new seats, as NASCAR has scheduled a test for that day. The test will give teams the opportunity to test the new spoiler rules NASCAR mentioned before the season started, as well as the size restrictor plate that will be used for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend, April 23-25. The restrictor plate that was used for the Daytona 500 was the largest in nearly 20 years. There’s also some rumblings that the teams might be testing one a little larger on March 16th. Most of the teams, if not all, are expected to be at the test. The test is open and free to the public. Parking lots will open at 8:30 a.m. and testing should begin at 9 a.m.

This open test will also give us the chance to showcase our new grandstand seats that we’ve been telling you about. I believe race fans who choose to sit in these sections for the upcoming Talladega events will be very pleased with the wider seats, wider aisles and the cup holders.

I hope to see all of you on March 16th, but if not, please go ahead and make plans to join us for Aaron’s Dream Weekend in April.

February 19, 2010

2010-02-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Some might have questioned NASCAR’s decisions during the off-season to make some changes it felt was necessary to make the on-track activity more exciting. I believe after the Daytona 500 and all of the Speedweeks events, very few are questioning now.
For example, leading up to the Daytona 500, NASCAR decided to increase the green-white-checkered attempts to three instead of just one attempt. That rule change came as a surprise to me, but proved to be very pivotal for Jamie McMurray to win his first Daytona 500.

There might be more changes to come before the teams get to Talladega for the Aaron’s 499 April 23-25. Teams will be at the track March 16th to test things ranging from spoilers to restrictor plates. We are expecting a majority of the teams if not all of them and plans are to open the test to the public to let you test our new seats.

New seat construction is going well and ahead of schedule. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by mid March and ready for the NASCAR test on March 16th.

One other big announcement this week at Talladega is the addition of Aaron’s Gift Cards for our Allison Grandstand customers. For those fans purchasing a $49 two-day ticket in the Allison Grandstand for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend, Aaron’s is pitching in a $25 gift card that can used at any Aaron’s store across the country.

With the season underway, the countdown has officially started and I can’t wait to see everybody in April.

February 12, 2010

2010-02-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have a good feeling that the 2010 Daytona 500, and even the 2010 season, is going to be one we will all remember.

We couldn’t be off to a better start with Kevin Harvick’s victory in the Budweiser Shootout and the Talladega-like finishes in the Gatorade Duels. Oh yeah, and don’t forget the rules change that was announced this week in hopes of assuring a race to the checkered flag.

All of the excitement coming out of Daytona and a good part of the country stuck inside because of snow or severely cold weather, reminds me a lot of 1979. Most in the sport recognize the 1979 Daytona 500 as a day NASCAR Racing got a lot of attention. With most of the east coast socked in with snow, CBS entertained the country by doing the first-ever live NASCAR race in its entirety. Those watching at home that day, as well as in the stands, watched Richard Petty win his record seventh Daytona 500 as Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the last lap. What the television audience also saw that day was an altercation that occurred between Cale and Donnie, as well as Donnie’s brother Bobby. It’s a finish that is still frequently used to promote the Daytona 500 and the sport.

The excitement of the 1979 Daytona 500 caught my dad’s attention and two weeks after that event I attended my first race. There’s no telling how many other race fans were born with that finish, but if you ever ask Bobby or Donnie about it they will share with you they did their part to put NASCAR on the map. Donnie once jokingly mentioned he couldn’t understand why he got fined that day when that race did so much to help grow the sport.

With a huge audience tuning in Sunday and a big crowd in the stands, let’s hope the 2010 Daytona 500 continues what we’ve already seen this week.

February 5, 2010

2010-02-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well the season has already started with a bang and a bold prediction.

The stock car portion of Speedweeks got underway this week at Daytona International Speedway, and right out of the block the pressure has been placed on Jimmie Johnson. The motorsports media picked Johnson to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship for the fifth consecutive year. You might think that’s not much of a stretch. However, the interesting fact is in his four previous titles, the media chose someone else to win the championship. Based on that statistic, I’m not sure Johnson has been blessed or cursed with the prediction.

It didn’t take long for the first on-track incident to take place in Daytona, as Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin got together to trigger a multi-car accident. Both admitted to trying to make the situation safer as Hamlin approached Martin, but this time it didn’t work as they had hoped.

The next couple of weeks should be very interesting to watch from Daytona. These two weeks typically set the tone of the season. Let’s hope for some safe and exciting races not just in Daytona but for the entire 2010 season.

January 29, 2010

2010-01-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

Its been another big week for us at Talladega Superspeedway.

The seats for our grandstand project have arrived and installation started Monday. We began talking about this project several years ago and to see it starting to really take shape is exciting.

Just to give you an idea of how big of job this is, the communications team came up with some interesting facts.

For instance, 4.5 miles of caulk will be used on the job. That's enough to create a 1/2-inch strip around the track 1.5 times. When the job is complete, the concrete used will equal enough to pour the foundations for 300 single family homes and 45 miles of reinforcement steel will used in the concrete once completed.

But the fact I'm most proud of is this $13 million job has put 100 local people to work in our area and will put approximately $3.5 million directly into our community.

I hope you will follow our progress on our website, but more importantly I hope you join us in April to see it for yourself.

January 22, 2010

2010-01-22T07:25:00.001-08:00

By now you’ve probably heard, but if you haven’t, let me tell you again . . . Bumpdrafting is back! That’s right, NASCAR made the announcement Thursday at its annual pre-season press conference to relax its restrictions on bumpdrafting in the turns at Daytona and Talladega. Many folks, including myself, believe this will make for even more exciting racing at Talladega, if that’s possible.

I’ve been asked how does NASCAR decide to change its rule and regulations? In this case it was pretty simple, they listened to the fans. Following the AMP Energy 500 last fall, many fans voiced their opinions that the on-track activity was less than what they had come to expect. They shared those opinions with us and with NASCAR. So while in Las Vegas in December, NASCAR met with all the promoters and informed us they would have meetings with the drivers and teams to address the fans’ concerns. Thursday’s announcement, that also included a larger restrictor plate as well as replacing the wing with a spoiler, was the result of those meetings.

As one veteran said Thursday, I’m as excited as I’ve ever been about getting a season started.

So keep up the good work race fans and let us know what you’re thinking. Because as you can tell, we’re all listening.

January 8, 2010

2010-01-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and your New Year has started as great as mine.

The talk around Alabama today is the University of Alabama’s big victory over the University of Texas for the college football National Championship. My wife is an Alabama alum so our house pulls for the Crimson Tide every Saturday in the fall. However, last night’s victory was especially rewarding for me and the staff here at Talladega Superspeedway.

Earlier in the week we reached out to our friends at Texas Motor Speedway and placed a little wager on the game. Today, the Talladega Superspeedway flag flies high above the offices at Texas Motor Speedway and was raised there this morning by my counterpart Eddie Gossage.

Eddie is also sending us some brisket to enjoy next week.

More than 20 years ago I interned under Eddie at Charlotte Motor Speedway and over the years he’s fed me and others a lot of “bull.” This time, however, it’s some bull I can actually eat.

Roll Tide!!

December 21, 2009

2009-12-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well it’s Christmas time and everything is supposed to be quiet around the racing world, but that’s certainly not the case. I have never seen more attention focused on the annual ARCA test at Daytona since I’ve been in the business. That’s right, I said annual ARCA test, as in they are in Daytona every December to get ready for the season opener. Some of you were probably not ever aware of that. This year the test was highlighted by Danica Patrick’s debut in a stock car. Early reports are pretty positive about her performance as she posted a speed in the top-20. You can be certain that a lot of attention will be placed on her in February.

I remember in 1999, Shawna Robinson finished second in the ARCA race at Daytona and we did a special promotion with her for the ARCA race at Talladega. If Shawna won the race here at TSS, we were going to award $100,000 to a fan. We did a lot of media around Shawna for that race, which created a lot of attention on her performance. While it wasn’t the magnitude that Danica is getting today, Shawna was a big focus of our fall weekend that year. While I can’t remember where she finished, I do recall her not finishing the race because of a wreck. Shawna recently posted on her Facebook status that she was about 10 years too early in her racing career. Maybe so, but she, along with the other female racers, must be credited with helping open the doors for the nine female drivers who were testing ARCA cars last weekend in Daytona.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

December, 15, 2009

2009-12-15T05:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is always a special time of year around Talladega Superspeedway.

Annually we participate with a local radio station to do an on-air auction to raise money for families in need. We have been doing this for about 13 years with Thunder 92.7 in Oxford and it has been a tremendous success. It’s been a very heart-warming experience as well. This year the event raised more than $13,000 that will go back out to families in local counties. While the amount is down a little from past years, it is certainly an amount we are as a staff are proud to be able to contribute.

What a great way to start the Christmas season. I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas.

December 7, 2009

2009-12-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

The move to Las Vegas for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series banquet was well received. The comments were all very positive from the industry and the fans.

Fans lined the streets of Vegas for the Sprint Victory Lap and several hundred fans attended the banquet for the very first time.

These fans were guests of the tracks, drivers and others within the sport.

We invited long-time ticketholder Charlie Crawford and his wife to the banquet.

While Charlie was unable to attend, his wife Betty (top photo, L) and her friend Kathy (top photo, R) were able to attend and had a great time. It was a pleasure to spend time with Betty and Kathy and the other fans at the banquet.

November 30, 2009

2009-11-30T12:56:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s time to turn the focus toward crowning Jimmie Johnson with another NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. That is certainly nothing new as of late, but something is a little different this year.

For the first time since the early 1980s, the banquet will not be held in New York. Instead, Wednesday, the Talladega team and I will head to Las Vegas for the start of something new – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series banquet at the Wynn.

I, for one, have always enjoyed going to New York. Over the years, it’s like any other place, you get accustomed to things, you know where the good restaurants are and you just know your way around. But I can tell you it wasn’t that way the very first time I went to New York back in 1993. Much like how I feel about going to Vegas this year, I had no idea what to expect.

One thing is for sure, the Sprint Cup Series banquet is always a good time and Las Vegas always does a good job of hosting events. Therefore, it should be another great time as we honor Jimmie Johnson and his team for a fourth consecutive year.

I will send another blog Thursday to let you know how everything is going. Stay tuned.

November 24, 2009

2009-11-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

If you sit down and really consider what Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus accomplished when the checkered flag fell on the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s very impressive. I was very impressed last year when he won his third straight championship, accomplishing a feat that only Cale Yarborough achieved more than 30 years earlier.

I attended my first race at North Carolina Speedway in 1979, the season Yarborough was going for his fourth straight championship. He was driving for Junior Johnson that year and despite four wins, 19 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes in 31 races, he came up short in his bid for what Jimmie Johnson accomplished this season.

In our sport, I have always felt like there are some records that will never be broken. Richard Petty’s 200 wins as well as the seven championships that Petty and Dale Earnhardt have accomplished. I believe I will put Jimmie Johnson’s four straight titles right alongside the feats mentioned above, although I’m not so sure the seven championships might be within reach.

Whether you’re a fan of Jimmie Johnson and his team or not, you’ve got tip your hat to what they’ve been able to do in the last four seasons. Congratulations.

Now, let’s get started on the debate of who will stop them from winning a fifth straight Sprint Cup Series title. After all, it’s only 81 days until the 2010 Daytona 500.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

November 19, 2009

2009-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'm on vacation this week and will post a new blog entry when I return.

November 16, 2009

2009-11-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

The season wraps up this week with the Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway and for some it will be a sad day, for others the checkered flag can’t come fast enough.

For some in the sport who have been traveling week in and week out, Sunday evening will be a welcome sight. However, don’t be fooled with misnomer of ‘off-season’ that is used to describe December and January. The sport is very busy during these two months with banquets mixed in with the holidays, as well as adjusting and adapting to the many changes that are typical between seasons.

When I traveled the circuit for several years, there was a lot of enjoyment and excitement from one stop to the next. And when Atlanta, the season-finale back then, rolled around, I would always think I was excited for the end of the season. Back then, it would usually take me about a week before I would start missing all of the travel and excitement that comes with our sport.

Although I don’t travel the entire circuit, there’s still that excitement around my house for another champion to be crowned and another season of NASCAR racing to be put in the record books.

But if it’s like any other year at my house, shortly after Thanksgiving, we’ll start our countdown to the Daytona 500 and the start of another season.

November 13, 2009

2009-11-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

I had a great opportunity Thursday to talk with a group of students from Troy University. They were part of the Health and Physiology Club from the university and all of them had something in common – an interest in sports.

I could tell by some of the questions, that some of these young adults have an interest in NASCAR racing and even an interest in maybe one day working in the sport. Which brings me to a question I get asked pretty frequently ‘how did you get started in the sport?’

There are certainly different paths to take and it also depends on what path you want to take. To be a driver, the path likely will be different from someone wanting to get into the public relations side of the business. For me, the direction I took went through the public relations department at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Through an internship at Charlotte, I was able learn some valuable lessons, as well as make some contacts that still help me today. That certainly was a great opportunity that I was afforded.

As I told the group from Troy Thursday no matter what their desires might be, if internships or opportunities come up, take advantage up them and put all of your effort into it. You never know where it might lead.

November 9, 2009

2009-11-09T12:35:00.001-08:00

It’s the week after and fan feedback continues to come. Some choose emails, some mail letters and others use some form of social media – Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Social media is a new faze that I have really come to enjoy. It’s also a new way for us to communicate with our fans – whether it’s a new offer, a new amenity or just the opportunity to have a conversation with our fans. When we started our Facebook page, I’m not sure we knew exactly what to expect. We have more than 12,000 friends on Facebook who we are able to provide feedback and information. But the best part about it is, those 12,000+ fans are able to provide us with valuable feedback and information as well.

Some of the feedback we are getting is about the on-track activity that occurred during the AMP Energy 500. Fans both at the track and at home watching it on television has expressed they thought the race was boring. While it might not have been what you’ve seen in the past at TSS, I believe it was far from boring. What do we use to define a good race in our sport? At Talladega we base it on lead changes and the number of different drivers who might lead the race. On Nov. 1, there were 58 lead changes among 25 drivers. The number of lead changes fall within the top 10 in the history of our sport and the most this season.

Even with that said, we have been responding to feedback all week to let our fans know that we hear their concerns. And much like we do in other instances, we will get to all of the right people to make sure our fans concerns are heard and addressed where possible. I appreciate the input and the staff here at TSS appreciate the input, so keep it coming.

November 6, 2009

2009-11-06T08:38:00.001-08:00

The week after a race is typically one of the more depressing weeks of the year. We spend six months preparing for an event and we ride that adrenaline right up until Monday morning after the race, and then it’s all gone. People always ask me, ‘man, it must be nice to see all those campers leave on Monday morning?’ My response is the same every time, ‘if that was the case, I would change jobs.’

But we have had some things going on around here this week, with the Nationwide test for the new car on Monday and the construction crews moving in equipment for the grandstand renovation. The new car test seemed to go very well and NASCAR seemed to be pleased with what they saw. The new car will not debut at TSS until 2011, but will be at Daytona in July of 2010.

Wednesday I sat in on a construction meeting concerning the grandstand renovations and realized just how choreographed this project has to be. They have started taking out the seats and demolishing the concrete pillars where the seats were. As you can imagine, these contractors are on a pretty tight timeline and understand the urgency – they have to be finished with Phase 1 before the Aaron’s Dream Weekend. There are no other options.

This reminds me of 2006 when we paved the track for the first time 25+ years. There were a lot anxious people during that project, because without a race track we couldn’t have a race. That was the first thing the contractor was told when they got the job to re-pave the track and they were reminded daily. In the end, the drivers gave the paving crew a standing ovation at the driver’s meeting, and maybe at the end of the grandstand project, another standing ovation will be given.

November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I’m not sure where to even begin to start to wrap up the AMP Energy 500 weekend. I guess the best word to use to describe it is WOW!

We had a little bit of everything happen this weekend, as we wrapped up our 40th anniversary season and kicked of a new tradition – HALLOW-DEGA. I guess when TSS got its new date for 2009, I’m not sure I knew what to expect or how well the fans would embrace it. Well, based on what I saw Saturday and Saturday night walking around the stadium, HALLOW-DEGA was certainly celebrated in great fashion at TSS. The parties and bands at the Corporate Display Saturday night were wonderful and it was a pleasure to meet some fans. I met one family who started coming to TSS when they were pregnant with their first child 5 years ago. With them Saturday night was their 5-year-old daughter and their 17-month-old son. They were really enjoying the festivities and told me they planned to make this a yearly event for them and their family. And the Zac Brown Band concert was phenomenal and very well attended. They put on a great show.

Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray left TSS as winners. Kyle won the Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred’s Saturday and Jamie ran up front all day and was able to claim his first Talladega victory. Both events were good races, I thought. Once again there were more than 50 lead changes in the Sprint Cup Series race at TSS. And when you consider we have only 188 laps or opportunities for a lead change to be scored, that’s pretty impressive.

Mother Nature threw us a curve over the weekend, and we had some rain race week that we certainly didn’t need. However, I continue to be amazed and excited about the patience and passion our fans have sometimes. With all of the weather, our parking lots and campgrounds were wet in some areas. Despite that, every fan I talked with said they were having a good time.

So with the AMP Energy 500 weekend complete, I always get the response, “well, I guess you’ll take Monday after the race off, right?” Not hardly. This morning we started demolition this morning on our lower grandstand project. I was able to get on a piece of machinery and start the demolition myself. That was enjoyable. This $13 million job will widen the seats and rows in the grandstand along the frontstretch. It’s going to be an exciting project to watch. We will do the first phase to be ready in time for the Aaron’s Dream weekend, while the remainder of the project will be ready in time for the 2010 AMP Energy 500.

Oh yeah, did I mention several Nationwide Series cars are here testing their new car?

October 27, 2009

2009-10-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Well it's here -- AMP Energy 500 weekend. This is the week we all enjoy so much and why we work so hard.

Campers began arriving Saturday to line-up for the Family Campground. I had the chance Monday to go out and talk with some of them. Everybody is excited and ready to set up their homes for the next 5 or 6 nights. I met one gentleman who said he had been to all of the races during the 40 year history. He had some really good stories about everybody from Brickhouse to Earnhardt.

That's one of the best parts of my job -- letting the fans educate me. It's amazing what you can learn when you just sit and listen to the customer. Some of the biggest and most significant changes have come from ideas brought to us by our fans.

Fans who visited the Hall of Fame Monday got a neat surprise as Bobby Allison was hanging around the Hall of Fame doing some promotional photos. He also signed a few autographs for fans waiting in line to buy tickets.

That's another neat thing about our sport, you never know when you might bump into one of the sport's legends or stars. So this weekend if you're around the track, keep your eyes open, because they will be around.

October 23, 2009

2009-10-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy week at Talladega Superspeedway and around the state. I spent all day Monday in Huntsville promoting the upcoming AMP Energy 500 weekend. I got the chance to spend some time with an old friend Mark McCarter. Mark is a columnist for the Huntsville Times. I first met Mark in 1993 when he was the media representative for Michael Waltrip during his Pennzoil days. It was fun to catch up with him and rekindle stories about Michael and Jimmy Spencer.

Kurt Busch came to Birmingham Wednesday to hang out with some fans, do some media work for us and take home one lucky fan in the AMP Energy 500 pace car. Boy was she excited! She especially got excited when he peeled out of the parking lot. Kurt enjoyed driving the Dodge Challenger so much, he requested to drive back to the airport instead of going as a passenger.

The most exciting event of the week, however, occurred Thursday when Robert Thrower, a medicine man with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, came and blessed the speedway and restored balance to the land. I’m not sure you’re aware of this, but there are many urban legends and superstitions centered around strange occurrences that have happened in and around Talladega Superspeedway. For example, Bobby Isaac once came in and parked his car for no other reason than he heard voices in his head to get out. The driver strike back in 1969, race cars being vandalized in the garage area the night before a race and it goes on and on. So after 40 years of existence, we thought that there was not a better time than now to put these legends and tales behind us and get a blessing. Mr. Thrower came and prayed over the start finish line and held a traditional ceremony to restore balance.

Next week is race week and it’s always one of the two most exciting weekends of the year for me. Race fans will begin arriving Saturday to line up for the Family Campground that will open Tuesday. When our first guest arrives, that’s when we know it’s show time.

October 16, 2009

2009-10-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

The first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame has been announced and I couldn’t think of five more deserving people -- Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Junior Johnson and Dale Earnhardt. All of these men, in different ways, helped mold our sport to what it is today.

While I never had the pleasure of meeting Bill Sr., I have had the opportunity to spend some time around the other four, if only limited. Some of my fondest memories in the sport have come from the time I have spent around Junior Johnson.

My first job out of college was with a newspaper in North Wilkesboro, N.C., the home of Johnson and North Wilkesboro Speedway. While covering all of the sports in the community was my job, my passion for racing found me spending a lot of time writing about NASCAR and specifically Junior’s teams. I was constantly calling the shop to talk with Junior to find out what he thought about the last race or about the upcoming event. He was always kind and patient with me.

My first full-time job in motorsports came in 1993 when I was hired by a company to handle media for the McDonald’s Racing Team, a team which Junior owned. This allowed me to be around Junior even more and listen to some of the legendary stories he would share with others.

Those stories will be treasured forever.

At 78 years old, Junior still looks young and gets around well . . . but that’s nothing new. We were at Dover in the early 90s and fell out of the race early. This was before they had the pedestrian bridges, so back then when you were in the infield you were stuck until the race was over. For some reason, on that particular day, NASCAR let us cross the track while the cars were on the backstretch under caution, but they didn’t open any gates. So after we jumped over the pit road wall, we had to climb the catch fence and go through a little opening to get out. All of this had to be done with about 100,000 fans watching. Junior was one of about 10 of us who left early that day and was my inspiration to make that dash across the track and up the fence. I figured if he could do it at his age, so could I, right? Well trust me, he was up the fence and out before I could make much progress. We all made it out safely that day just not ahead of Junior.

October 12, 2009

2009-10-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity recently to do something I haven’t done in a long time and I realized how much I miss it. Saturday night I went to Montgomery Speedway to promote the upcoming AMP Energy 500 and man was that fun. In addition to meeting some of the fans at the track, I was able to watch a little bit of the racing and hear the passion among the fans for the race officials and their favorite drivers. During one red flag, I think everyone in the stadium was passionate and was willing to share it with the crowd.

Saturday night at Montgomery Speedway was a special Late Model race that attracted a good field of cars. Fans who arrived there were probably surprised to find the car of Chase Elliott in the field. Chase is the 14-year-old son of Bill and Cindy Elliott. They raced Friday night at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola and then came up to race Montgomery on Saturday night. Bill mentioned to me recently how proud he is of Chase and his accomplishments at such an early age. He specifically talked about a race he won at Hickory earlier in the summer. Chase had a top-five finish Saturday night.

So for those who have been wondering what Bill is doing while not driving for the Wood Brothers, he’s helping his son get his career started on the short tracks around the southeast. Visit your local short tracks and support those future stars of our sport and you never know who might be there.

As for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway what a race? Jimmie Johnson and his team continue to have something no one else appears to have in California. And wow, what about some of those late-race cautions. They say Talladega’s going to twist up the championship, I don’t think any of the 12 drivers in the Chase can relax until the checkered flag in Miami-Homestead.

October 8, 2009

2009-10-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

In years past, this would be our race week. Since moving our second Sprint Cup Series date from July to October in 1997, we have typically raced in and around the second weekend of October. Since the Chase came into play, we have typically been race 4 in the 10-race Chase for the Championship, but we’re very excited about being race No. 7 this year and having a bigger play in the championship decision. And besides, they are forecasting rain for Friday evening and Saturday morning.

I have been asked since the date change, how did Talladega get a new date in the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway switch? There were several reasons for the switch. Auto Club Speedway had expressed some desire to move away from the heat of Labor Day weekend, and Atlanta Motor Speedway had an interest in the Labor Day date because of it being a holiday weekend. The two tracks couldn’t make a clean switch because that would put races on the West Coast within two weeks of each other and because of Auto Club Speedway’s early-season date in 2010. By putting Talladega in the mix, it also separated us from Atlanta Motor Speedway’s fall date, which is beneficial for both of us.

When asked to consider the date change, I was somewhat hesitant. But when we started talking about the numerous ideas that Halloween would present us, I thought it was a great idea. That’s how HALLOW-DEGA was born. Next year, the AMP Energy 500 is scheduled for Oct. 31st, so we’ll keep the HALLOW-DEGA message alive for years to come.

October 5, 2009

2009-10-05T11:11:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I know I certainly did. I spent the weekend at Kansas Speedway and in my opinion there’s just no better place to be on a weekend than at a NASCAR race.

When Kansas Speedway opened in 2001, it brought NASCAR racing to an area of the country that was starving for our sport. It also took NASCAR to an area that already had big-league sports with the Chiefs and the Royals. I remember a time when our sport would try to avoid going head-to-head with the NFL or other big events in an area. This weekend in Kansas, Kansas State played Iowa State at Aarowhead Stadium on Saturday and on Sunday, the NY Giants were in town playing the Chiefs. Despite that, the crowd at the Speedway Sunday was large and looked great.

Tony Stewart’s victory Sunday at Kansas just shows that he continues to be, in my opinion, the biggest story of the year. You know everybody has been talking about the Hendrick association have a lot of to do with Stewart’s success, but he certainly surrounded himself with some good people when Stewart-Haas was formed. One of those individuals is Bobby Hutchens. Bobby, the director of competition for Stewart-Haas, spent many years with Richard Childress Racing and many of those years were spent with Dale Earnhardt. Bobby has always been one of those behind-the-scenes guys that make it happen. And he’s certainly helping make it happen this year at Stewart’s new operation.

This week is gearing up to be another busy week. Monday it’s an all-hands-on-deck ticket selling push trying to make some last minute sales for the upcoming AMP Energy 500 weekend. So if I call you, please don’t hang-up. Dave Despain from SPEED will be here for several days this week shooting a Talladega special as part of our 40th anniversary and ESPN will be here as well doing some stuff. Race time is getting close and the excitement is here.

October 1, 2009

2009-10-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year, the morning air is cool, college football on Saturdays and drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship are already discussing Talladega . . . even though it’s 30 days away.

Despite his success here, Mark Martin has never made it a secret that he is not fond of TSS. In 1997, Mark won the fastest 500-mile stock car race ever ran, with an average speed of more than 187 mph, quite an accomplishment to say the least. Yet recently when Mark won at New Hampshire, he mentioned Talladega as the Lottery in the Chase. I guess he considers the AMP Energy 500 a gamble and we’ve already been called the Wild Card. So I don’t totally disagree with Mark, you’ve got to play your cards right at Talladega a little more than at other tracks.

Ever since our second date on the schedule was moved to October in 1997, Talladega has played an integral part in the championship. But this year, being race No. 7 in the Chase, I’m not sure if integral is a strong enough word to describe the AMP Energy 500.

We’ve got some new advertising coming out that I think best describes Talladega – Dream Maker . . . Heart Breaker. What else can you say about a track where so many drivers have scored their first and only victories or had victory snatched from them because of someone else’s mistake or just bad luck?

Dale Earnhardt coined the phrase, “That’s Just Racin” to described just about anything that happed on the track. Come Nov. 1, I’m sure a lot of answers to questions will be, “That’s Just ‘Dega.” And those words might even be uttered in Victory Lane.

September 28, 2009

2009-09-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

What a ride Joey Logano went for on Sunday at Dover. Fortunately, he escaped without injury but it sure did look horrible. When I saw it happen, it reminded me of a story that Jimmy Spencer shared with me one time about an accident he had at Talladega. I spent some time with Jimmy handling his media opportunities when he drove the McDonald’s car, so he provided me with a lot of funny stories . . . and made me a part of some of them.

I think it was back when Jimmy drove the No. 98 car for Travis Carter, he went for a similar journey like Logano did Sunday. Jimmy didn’t barrel roll, but his car became airborne down the backstretch and stood up on its nose. Jimmy said everything got real quiet and when he opened his eyes, he saw the frontstretch grandstand. He knew then it was time to hold on. As the story goes, the car landed back on its wheels and Jimmy drove it back around.

The incident probably had a bigger impact on Ken Schrader that day than Jimmy. Schrader thought he was seeing things because when he came back around under the caution, Jimmy had driven the car back to the pits. Schrader communicated to his crew that he knew he saw somebody up in the air the last time he was back there but now they were gone. According to Spencer, who has never let truth stand in the way of a good story, it took Schrader’s crew a few minutes to convince him he wasn’t seeing things.

Logano’s crash on Sunday is another testament to the cars that these teams build. Logano admitted it scared him, but what 19-year-old wouldn’t be shaken by such a violent crash?

September 25, 2009

2009-09-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Every day we get a little bit closer to the AMP Energy 500 weekend. In just a little more than a month from now, campers will be arriving at Talladega Superspeedway to get ready for the HALLOW-DEGA festivities. I always get asked what do you and the staff do the rest of the year, you only have two races? Well, I can assure you that we stay busy. For example, this week I have been in numerous meetings revolving around last-minute advertising , logistical discussions around the Zac Brown concert in the infield, as well as the 2010 Aaron’s Dream Weekend. With us opening the Zac Brown concert to all AMP Energy 500 ticket holders, this is creating an entire new element to our weekend and we’re excited. I also spent some time in Birmingham Thursday morning doing media for the race. Those activities never get old. I enjoy doing radio and television. It’s a lot of fun. We’re very fortunate around here that we have educated media that really asks the right questions and help you promote the race.

This weekend it’s off to Dover and race #2 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Dover is one of those tracks where drivers and teams who have had success there in the past usually do well. With that said, I think Jimmie Johnson will have a good weekend and I pick Martin Truex as a sleeper.

September 21, 2009

2009-09-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Fan Appreciation Day at Talladega Superspeedway and we enjoyed a tremendous turnout. What a success. We had close to 12,000 people here and nearly 3,000 personal vehicles went around the track as part of Fan Appreciation Day. We had planned to do track rides from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. but because of the crowd, we finished up our last rides at 6:45 p.m. What a day!

I personally enjoyed the day because I was able to interact with fans throughout the day. A typical race weekend doesn’t always afford me that opportunity, so yesterday was a great treat for me. Sterling Marlin, Dave Marcis and Richard Brickhouse also were on hand for Fan Appreciation Day and to listen to some of the stories they shared was quite a thrill as well.

Speaking of thrills, the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup was exciting yesterday. Mark Martin winning is certainly not surprising and he will very likely be a contender for the championship. What other sport can an athlete still be in contention for its top award at the age of 50? Sterling said yesterday that he was pulling for Mark to win the championship in hopes it will create a push for owners looking for 50-year-old drivers with some experience.

Our 40th Anniversary celebration continues as we gear up for the AMP Energy 500 weekend and our HALLOW-DEGA celebration, Oct. 30 –Nov. 1. And don’t forget, tickets start at $40 for the AMP Energy 500.

September 18, 2009

2009-09-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy week around the Speedway this week. On Monday, Talladega Superspeedway turned 40 years old. September 14, 1969, Richard Brickhouse drove into Victory Lane after winning the very first NASCAR race at what was then known as Alabama International Motor Speedway. To celebrate the day, I surprised about 15 fans in Gatorade Victory Lane Monday with lunch and a cake to commemorate the day. The fans were at the track that day taking the normal track tour and I really enjoyed the opportunity to speak with them.

Speaking of Richard Brickhouse, he will be at the track Sunday for our Fan Appreciation Day. Brickhouse, Dave Marcis and Sterling Marlin will all be on hand to meet the fans and sign some autographs. We are also going to let 2009 ticket holders take their personal vehicles around the track . . . at legal interstate speed. The day gets started with the gates opening at 10 a.m. and activities at start at 11 a.m. We will wrap up the day with a concert by Darryl Worley that begins at 3 p.m. All of this is free and I hope you can join us. Remember, AMP Energy 500 weekend is just around the corner and tickets start at just $40.

September 8, 2009

2009-09-08T05:31:00.000-07:00

I would have to say this is what the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship is all about. After 25 races there are still three drivers outside of the top 12 who mathematically have a chance to make the Chase. Doug Fritz and his team at Richmond International Raceway must be excited to have it all come down to their race Saturday night.

Doug, who is my counterpart at Richmond, is a graduate of Virginia Tech, and as most of you are aware college football started last weekend. Doug’s alma mater played Alabama Saturday night and to get the season started off right, my communications team thought it would be neat to send Doug a care package. So we boxed up some Tide detergent and rolls of toilet paper with a nice little note that read “Roll Tide Roll.” Of course we took pictures of it and made sure everyone knew about it. Doug has already assured us he will get us back.

After Saturday night’s race, there could be some high-profile drivers who have had some victories in 2009 left out of the Chase. A reporter sent an email Monday asking about the importance of certain drivers making the Chase and what kind of effect Dale Jr. not making the Chase might have on us at TSS? I told him that obviously we would like to have everybody's favorite driver in the Chase, and Dale Jr. certainly has a huge following at Talladega. Fortunately, Talladega is one of those tracks in the Chase that what you've done the rest of the season doesn't always matter. The AMP Energy 500 can certainly make or break the Chase, but it can also make a season for some.

I expect the AMP Energy 500 to be an exciting race, as usual, no matter what 12 drivers are in the Chase.

September 4, 2009

2009-09-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a funny press release we sent out earlier in the week. I hope you enjoy it.

Special Delivery For RIR President Doug Fritz

With the matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Virginia Tech Hokies looming, Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey sent a special delivery to Richmond International Raceway President, and avid Virginia Tech fan, Doug Fritz today.

The package consisted of several rolls of toilet paper and Tide laundry detergent, along with a personal note to Fritz.

“Just getting into the football spirit,” said Humphrey of his special gift. “I’ll be cheering on Alabama to roll over Virginia Tech this weekend. Roll Tide Roll.”

Race fans should make plans now to experience the AMP Energy 500 weekend, Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. This weekend features the Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and Race Number Seven in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the AMP Energy 500. For information on attending HALLOW-DEGA℠ Presented by Captain Morgan festivities, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/. For our hearing impaired guests, please call TDD 1-866-ISC-TRAK (1-866-472-8725). Tickets also are available in person by visiting the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. CDT, Monday- Friday.

September 3, 2009

2009-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Anniversaries are such an exciting milestone, no matter what the year. At Talladega, we're wrapping up our 40th year with the AMP Energy 500 on Nov. 1. It's been an exciting year, especially when we look back at where we are and where we've been.

On Sept. 20 we will have our Fan Appreciation Day and some Talladega legends will be on hand. Talladega winners Richard Brickhouse, Dave Marcis and Sterling Marlin will join us Sept. 20. I hope you can join us as well.

There's also a personal milestone in 2009 for my family. I will spend the weekend with my parents as they celebrate their 50th anniversary. Quite a remarkable feat.

August 31, 2009

2009-08-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

Even though the Sprint Cup Series had the weekend off, it was another great weekend of NASCAR racing with Kyle Busch winning the Camping World Truck Series event at Chicagoland and Carl Edwards beating Marcos Ambrose in Montreal. It was a quiet weekend around Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, just a few Harley-Davidson motorcycles circling the track and some on-going construction projects folks will notice when they return for the AMP Energy 500 weekend and our first-ever HALLOW-DEGA celebration. It was a sad weekend in our community as a local high school football coach who volunteered with us at race time died of a heart attack after leaving his team to get checked out at halftime of their season opener. Coach Keith Howard will certainly be missed race weekend.

It will be another busy week around the track for the staff as we put some final touches on what’s going to be a weekend of activities like Talladega Superspeedway fans have never seen before. Don’t forget about my on-line chat Tuesday night. The bi-weekly chats have been very enjoyable and have given me an opportunity to get to know our fans even better.

I hope to talk to you Tuesday night.