Talladega
2.66 miles of steep banking in the Alabama countryside. Talladega is the longest oval in NASCAR, where cars run flat out in tight packs and one small slip can collect half the field. Learn how the lap works, then open it in the designer and make your own version.
The track at a glance
Talladega Superspeedway is in Alabama, in the United States, next to the city of Talladega. It is a 2.66-mile (4.281 km) tri-oval, banked at 33° in the turns and 16.5° on the tri-oval, and it runs anticlockwise. It opened in 1969 and is the longest oval NASCAR races on.
Its 500-mile races are 188 laps. Because the track is so long and so steeply banked, cars can stay flat out all the way round, and races are decided by slipstreaming in packs two or three cars wide.
That pack racing makes Talladega exciting and dangerous. Multi-car crashes are common enough to have a nickname: “the Big One”.
A lap of Talladega, corner by corner
An oval has no corner names in the usual sense. This guide splits the lap into four sections. Their numbers match the map.
- Turns 1 and 2
The first long, banked turn after the start. Cars run three wide here in a pack.
- The back straight
Renamed in 2013 to honour the Alabama Gang, a group of local drivers. Slipstreaming lets cars close up and pass.
- Turns 3 and 4
The second banked turn, where drivers line up their moves for the run to the line.
- The tri-oval
A gentle kink in the front straight, banked at 16.5°, in front of the grandstands. Races are often won by inches here.
Racing at Talladega
Talladega was built to be bigger and faster than any other oval, and for years it was.
- 1969The track opens, and the first Talladega 500 is held.
- 1987The fastest lap in NASCAR history is set in qualifying, at 212.809 mph (342.5 km/h). A big crash later that year leads to engine restrictor plates.
- 2013The back straight is renamed in honour of the Alabama Gang.
- 2019Restrictor plates are replaced by a new engine rule that still limits speed.
Designed for speed
Banking lets cars carry far more speed through a turn than a flat track would. At Talladega the turns are so long and steep that a car never needs to lift, so the track is limited by engine rules rather than by its shape.
That is why the racing is so close. For more, read our guide to oval track design or see how big tracks compare in how long is a race track.
Ideas for your remaster
The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:
Add a road course. Many ovals have a road course in the infield. Design one that uses part of the banking.
Make it shorter. Try a smaller oval or a short track and see how lap times change.
Change the shape. Turn the tri-oval into a D shape, a true oval or something stranger.
Finish it properly. Add track width, a pit road and run-off so it reads like a real venue.
When you’re happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Talladega Superspeedway?
It is 2.66 miles (4.281 km) long, the longest oval NASCAR races on. A 500-mile race there is 188 laps.
How steep is the banking at Talladega?
The turns are banked at 33°, the tri-oval at 16.5° and the back straight at 2°.
Which way does Talladega run?
Anticlockwise, like nearly all American ovals.
What is the fastest lap at Talladega?
The fastest lap was set in qualifying in 1987 at 212.809 mph (342.5 km/h). It is still the fastest lap in NASCAR history.
Is the remastered Talladega an exact copy?
It is a close trace of the centreline using 26 editable points, within a few metres of the mapped track. Track width, banking, the pit road and run-off are left for you to design.
Layout traced from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via open-racetrack-db. Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.