The shared roars of the racing engines and the fans whose cheers fueled their favorite drivers have faded from Talladega Superspeedway two weeks after the NASCAR race weekend, but the economic echoes reverberate across the state.

Talladega race weekends like the GEICO 500, Winn-Dixie 300 and International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 May 1-3 proved once again how the state’s economic engine hums when fans and one of the sport’s most legendary tracks come together.

Fans who bought tickets to the three-day event at what has been called “NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track” came from 24 countries across five continents (North America, South American, Europe, Asia, and Australia), including every state and the District of Columbia in the United States.

How strong was Talladega Superspeedway’s pull? Strong enough to pull fans from more than 9,300 miles and more than 8,000 nautical miles away in Australia.

The fans numbered about 190,000 for the weekend, as “Chamber of Commerce” sunny blue skies cooperated with enough on-track action to draw families, individuals and groups of friends.

“Our race fans are passionate. This just proves what they will do to witness in person the incredible racing and fan experience that Talladega Superspeedway offers,” said Talladega Chairman Grant Lynch, who has overseen Talladega Superspeedway since 1993. “It is so true that when we say ‘It’s more than a race, this is Talladega,’ our fans know it firsthand.”

Talladega race fans numbered about 190,000.

Those fans in attendance, as well as millions at home, were treated to three competitive races, climaxing with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s sixth career triumph at the 2.66-mile, 33-degree banked venue in Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The victory marked the first time he had won at the historic track since 2004. His father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., is the track’s all-time winner with 10 victories. Dale Jr. held off a flurry of drivers, including two-time Talladega winner and six-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson by .158 second.

Saturday saw Joey Logano, winner of the season-opening Daytona 500, hold off a host of young guns like Brian Scott and Austin Dillon (by .130 second) to capture the Winn-Dixie 300, his second ‘Dega win in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Newcomer Blake Jones captured his first career ARCA Series Presented by Menards victory in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 on Friday in yet another nail-biting finish.

The real wheels of commerce

More than 70 percent of Talladega Superspeedway’s dedicated fans come from outside of Alabama – generating more than $380 million annually for Alabama tourism – to enjoy racing as well as a fun, social atmosphere for all ages.

The track has spent more than $434 million in operational, event and upgrade costs over the past decade to continue to provide fans and competitors top-notch facilities and services to host two NASCAR weekends every year.

“Everybody knows that Talladega Superspeedway throws the best party on the circuit,” said Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell of the track that has been an Alabama tradition since 1969.

The Talladega Superspeedway events are the highest watched motorsports events in Alabama thus far in 2015.

“They host worldwide marquee events and are a major contributor for tourism in the state of Alabama, which allows us to showcase to those attending what our state has to offer.” “While Talladega Superspeedway may be the destination, visitors find “Sweet Home Alabama” has much more to offer – from fantastic food to road-trip destinations. Fans were encouraged to slow down, enjoy the trip, explore the cities and towns, experience the culinary side of the state and stay a little longer or come back sooner.

“Over the last 45 years, Talladega Superspeedway has produced some of the most memorable moments in our sport’s history,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR’s President since 2000 and former Talladega Superspeedway president from 1988-1993. “Great competition is at the heart of NASCAR, and Talladega constantly showcases three- and four-wide, side-by-side racing. For me, it’s great coming to Talladega twice a year because I know how important the track is to the state of Alabama and the NASCAR industry worldwide.”

Preliminary television viewership for the GEICO 500 was more than 6.3 million viewers (peaking at 8.5 million viewers), which aired live on FOX. The Winn-Dixie 300 had 2.4 million viewers on FOX while the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 ARCA event had 472,000 on Friday evening on FOX Sports 1.

The Talladega Superspeedway events are the highest watched motorsports events in Alabama thus far in 2015. After the Alabama 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event the weekend of Oct. 23-25, the track expects to own the top five most-watched motorsports events in the state for 2015. The Alabama 500 will be the pivotal sixth race (and the final event in the Contender Round in which the field of eligible contenders will be reduced from 12 to eight) in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

In addition to the high TV numbers, “NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track” was front and center on Thursday, May 14, in the documentary series “100,000 CAMERAS: TALLADEGA,” which aired at 8:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.

“NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track” was featured May 14 in a special documentary series “100,000 CAMERAS: TALLADEGA.”

The documentary weaved together fan and driver-generated video to tell the story of the May 1-3 Talladega weekend from every conceivable angle, regardless of location. It captured the “life in a day of NASCAR” and how the sport connects people and communities at the track and around the world.

From a social media standpoint, the hashtags #Talladega and #GEICO500 trended nationally on Twitter throughout the entire GEICO 500 on Sunday. There were 2.4 million unique Twitter users reached during the race.

“The location of our world-class facility in Talladega, Alabama was handpicked by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., who saw the potential for tremendous success in the area,” Lynch said. “The strategy in picking the Talladega geographic location pays dividends, with over half of our race fans traveling more than 290 miles – one-way on average – to get to our weekends of racing. Our fans are as passionate as any on the planet and we look forward to being here for many years to come.”

Now that the roars have faded, Talladega Superspeedway officials turn their focus to the October races – the fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the all-important Alabama 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series classic.

Nobody can predict who will win the races that weekend, but what is already known is the local and state economies can all but declare an early victory.