After a weekend off from racing action, the Sprint Cup Series returns to competition at Talladega Superspeedway for the running of the Aaron's 499 on Sunday, April 27th. Standing as the largest track on the NASCAR circuit at 2.66-miles, Talladega hosts two of the four restrictor-plate events on the 2008 schedule.
Several drivers will have hectic schedules while visiting Talladega this weekend as many are expected to compete in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday, April 26th. UPS driver David Reutimann is one of the 12 drivers who will run double-duty action during Aaron's Dream Weekend and is expected be joined by Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kyle Busch, to name a few.
Talladega also serves as home to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame which is ramping up its schedule of activities in celebration of its 25th Anniversary. Each year, the annual International Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is held on the grounds of the museum to honor those men and women chosen for induction from among the greatest names in motorsports.
This year the list of inductees consists of land speed record breaker Art Arfons, NASCAR champion Robert "Red" Byron, drag racing guru Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, car fabricator Frank Kurtis, NASCAR car owner and driver Everett "Cotton" Owens and Winston promoter Ralph Seagraves.
On Sunday, fans will have the opportunity to see musical guests Toby Lightman and former American Idol winner Taylor Hicks perform prior to the start of the Aaron's 499. Lightman's voice will be recognizable to NASCAR fans as the singer of the new musical opening on all NASCAR on FOX network television broadcast, "NASCAR Love (Let's Go Racing)." Hicks, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is scheduled to perform the National Anthem on Sunday.
In addition to the talent slated to appear at Talladega, the track has introduced two new options to make the fan's visit a more convenient experience. With travel costs soaring, Talladega has opened additional land dedicated to overnight parks available to ticket holders at no cost. Staying in an overnight park can be as simple as setting up a tent, or as elaborate as getting a group together and sharing an RV. The track hopes that the option to stay on track property for free will help offset some expense for those fans traveling to view the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races.
Additionally for the first time, ticket buyers now have the opportunity to print their tickets at home. With this option, tickets buyers will not need to worry about storing their valuable tickets for weeks prior to the race or have the ability to reprint tickets on any printer via their email if they leave them at home.
FOX is scheduled to broadcast live television coverage of the Aaron's 499 beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The green flag is scheduled to fall at 2 p.m. ET.
Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway
- Qualifying Record: Bill Elliott (212.809 mph, 44.998 seconds), April 30, 1987
- Race Record: Mark Martin (188.354 mph, 2 hours, 39 minutes, 18 seconds), May 10, 1997
- 2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
- Total Purse: $6,101,309
