Talladega: A Personal Perspective

Talladega, Ala. -- I plead guilty in advance to the criminal amount of Gonzo journalism that’s about to be spilled upon NASCAR Ranting and Raving.

You see, Trevor Bayne and I have a lot in common. Bayne got his first start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2010 at Texas and parlayed it into a limited schedule that saw the 19-year old become the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history.

His search for All Star Race sponsorship has been well-publicized and is something I very much relate to right now.

This is my first weekend reporting on NASCAR for a credentialed media outlet. I’ve covered open-wheel racing and short tracks but I’ve never something so massive. A fact that I’m reminded of each time I step out of the infield.

Television and pictures cannot do this place justice.

Like Bayne, I too am looking for “sponsorship to run the full schedule” this year in hopes of moving up to Sprint Cup full time in 2012.

This weekend is an experiment in that effort.

Back to the speedway itself - the facility is massive. Beyond the 2.66 mile racetrack is a property that spans over 3,000 acres.

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum that stands just off-track reads like a history book of the sport. The machines, characters and stories enshrined speak for themselves. Like the Barber Motorsports Park and museum I visited last weekend for the IndyCar Series, Talladega is the perfect blend of both motorsports’ past and future.

With both Talladega and Barber within 30 miles of each other, north Alabama is becoming quite the motorsports mecca. And with both spring race weekends within a week of each other, visiting both events is easier than ever.

Over a span of nine days, I will have seen the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, ARCA, IndyCar and Indy Light, the Rolex Series and Star Mazda. That’s just to name a few.

That’s the last of my self-indulgence today. It’s a beautiful morning for racing here at Talladega Superspeedway.

Round two of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has been pushed back to 8 a.m. start time on Saturday after storms canceled its Friday start. Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler will start on the front row. A race day open thread will be posted shortly.