 |
|
Talladega Superspeedway
EA Sports 500
|
|
Location: Talladega,
AL
Shape: Tri-Oval
Distance: 2.66-miles
Banking, Turns: 33
degrees
Front Straight: 4,300
feet
Banking, Front
Straight: 18
degrees
Back Straight: 4,000
feet
Banking, Back
Straight: 2
degrees |
|
Talladega Superspeedway |
|
CAN'T CATCH A BREAK
By Larry Foyt
 This
weekend at Talladega was so full of ups, downs, twists and turns
that I don't know where to begin so I'll just start from the top.
NASCAR made several rule changes for the restrictor plate tracks
just a few weeks ago. They made the holes in the restrictor plates
bigger, giving the engine more horsepower, and changed the rear
spoiler, affecting the downforce of the car. Being a smaller team,
we didn't get the chance to test the changes before we arrived at
the track on Friday, but it didn't make a difference because we
still qualified for the race on speed!
The car was very strong during practice on Saturday and we were sure
that if we could avoid the multi-car accidents that are so common in
restrictor plate racing then we would come away with a strong
finish.
 But those hopes were quickly squashed on lap nine of the race on
Sunday. I was running behind Jeremy Mayfield coming off of turn four
when he blew a left rear tire and started spinning down the track -
away from me. My spotter told me to hold my line but, unfortunately,
Jeremy drifted back up the race track – straight into me. I hit the
wall pretty hard and it knocked the breath out of me.
After visiting the infield care center, the physicians felt I needed
to go to the hospital. X-Rays on my left wrist and left ankle were
negative and I was released.
On Tuesday in Charlotte I visited a specialist and he found a crack
in my left wrist. They gave me a brace to use and while it will
probably be uncomfortable, I'm sure I'll forget about the pain once
the race starts.
When you're involved in an accident like that you just have to put
it behind you and focus on the next race. There wasn't anything
anyone could have done to avoid it; we were just a victim of
circumstance. One positive note that I took away from the accident
is that all my safety equipment worked exactly like it was supposed
to. NASCAR has worked very hard over the years to improve safety and
I believe it's really paid off. My hat goes off to them.
I'm really looking forward to going to Kansas City and visiting
everyone at Harrah's this weekend. It's a great facility, located in
a great city and the race fans are awesome!
Notes
& Quotes: EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Track Configuration:
• Distance: 2.66-mile tri-oval
• Banking: 33° (turns), 18° (tri-oval) and 2° (backstretch)
Records:
• Qualifying: 212.809 mph set by Bill Elliott on 4/30/87
• Race: 188.354 mph set by Mark Martin on 5/10/97
Fun Talladega Facts:
• During a race in 1972 a tow truck was finished cleaning up an
accident and was headed back to its station. It drove through turn
one, but didn't keep up enough speed, and the 33 degree banking sent
the truck tumbling side-over-side down the racetrack.
• Talladega is the biggest track in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
• When it was built, the speedway was molded out of a soybean field
located next to a couple of abandoned World War II airport runways.
Larry Foyt on Talladega:
"The new rule changes are going to be interesting. The added
horsepower will definitely result in safer speeds. We're at a slight
disadvantage because we haven't been able to test or go to the wind
tunnel. We raced pretty well at Daytona in July, so I think we can
build from that."
• Larry competed twice at Talladega in the NASCAR Busch Series and
was quite successful. He finished 12th in 2002 and in 2001, he moved
up from his 31st starting position to finish eighth.
• The best finish for A.J. Foyt Racing at Talladega is 22nd (4/01).
|
|
|
|
|
