This weekend NASCAR heads to
The Track That No One Wanted to Race At
But in 1969, Alabama Motor Speedway was just a big, bad ass, rough scary track. The track was still called Alabama Motor Speedway until 1989, by the way. There hadn’t been a Big One, but the surface was so rough and the speeds that the track were producing was something that few drivers wanted anything to do with.
Who can name the first winner at the track? I couldn’t, I’ll admit it. I had to go and look it up. (Thanks to Racing-Reference.com! A resource that I keep at hand at all times.) Richard Brickhouse, from
The first race at Talladega Motor Speedway was something different. Those first races are always something, aren’t they? The surface of the track was so rough that tires couldn’t last. They tore to shreds, unable to withstand the speeds or the surface. In response to the danger, the newly formed Professional Drivers Association decided to boycott the race. The drivers were certain that Bill France was more interested in showing off his new track than worrying about the safety of the drivers. The drivers associated with the PDA walked away from the track, packed up their trailers and left after the Saturday night race. By Sunday morning, there were only thirteen Grand National cars line up, the rest of the field was set with the Grand Touring cars from the night before. Grand National drivers who stayed to race included Richard Brickhouse, Tiny Lund, Jim Vandiver, and Coo Coo Marlin.
Greg Fielden lists the attending crowd at that first race at 62,000. Fans who had faith in France France Talladega
The race at Alabama Motor Speedway was certainly not the end of the dispute between the PDA and NASCAR. And it surely wasn’t the last time that the track at
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