May 23, 1968

Ground was broken for the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, on May 23, 1968. It was formerly known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway. Talladega hosts numerous racing competitions and is the longest NASCAR oval at 2.66 miles in length. It holds the record for the fastest recorded time by a NASCAR vehicle on a closed oval course. The Talladega Superspeedway resulted from the vision of William “Bill” France Sr. The motorsports track was constructed and opened in 1969. It contains a peak capacity of nearly 200,000 spectators.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

NASCAR founder Bill France, second from right, breaks ground on the new Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) in Talladega County in 1969. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Talladega Superspeedway)

Construction of the Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) began in Talladega County in May 1968. The track hosted its first race in September 1969. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Talladega Superspeedway)

Pictured here is a ticket for the inaugural Alabama 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Talladega Superspeedway Race, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.