So much positivity coming from my beloved Talladega Short Track in the little burg in Eastaboga, Alabama. This post will be all over the place and in no order by any means.
* The off season before the highly successful Ice Bowl and afterwards. My atta boy to a long-time friend, co-worker and now boss Adam Stewart. We worked together at Green Valley and it is a honor to be his announcer at TST again, 10 years.
During the off season in October, November, and December there was so much work weather permitting that might not be seen, could have been seen and obvious to the naked eye. Work was done on the infrastructure. Drainage, wiring, grading and such. I get to go there in my work travels twice a week to see progress.
So after the Ice Bowl things got busy. Folks have had concerns on some areas, and they have been heard and answered. Pit booths, ticket booths, concessions have all been either entirely replaced or renovated. Lights all thru the facility have been changed, we are well lit at TST, Climate controlled bathrooms are in place. Added parking, new signs thru out the grounds have been replaced and look spiffy, did I just say spiffy? Entrance signs look tight and right.
Now the track folks. For years the fans have asked for a change in the dirt, we did it. The top of the track to the tune of 10 to 12 inches was taken off as it was laden with rubber. It was tired and hopeless to prepare. A local source was found. It took about a couple hundred truckload to resurface the track. I have personally had that dirt in my hands, some good clay. We had it analyzed by some dirt experts from a highly-regarded university here in Bama to see what the alkaline and other properties are in this clay. It is much darker than the other clay.
The clay taken off the track was laid on the go-cart track and spread thru the back pits. Also the tree line that lined the interstate has been whacked and visibility is incredible from I-20. Signage is a coming.
TST also spent a huge wad to have a concrete wall put in turns 1 and 2, it is bad a$$.
We had our first practice on it last Saturday and we shattered the record for car counts as we had 115 cars! The banking and turns were altered to help side-by-side action, it sure did! We are throwing the kitchen sink at TST to make it better.
The schedule, sheez is it good. We will have after a near decade the World of Outlaw Sprints in the house on March 24. Regular season get's rolling on April 1st for our 24 race season. The big one however is Nascar weekend when the WoO Late Models come in for 2 $4-Granders on Friday and the ALABAMA GANG 100 paying a TST and State record $50,000-to-win, The card also has the USCS Winged Sprints and only 1 other division on the bill.
Other visits will have 4 Crate Racing Touring Series, Hunt to the Front, Iron Man, Topless Outlaw and many other specials dotted thru out the season. We run the best run shows in Bama starting when it is hot with the 1st car to hot lap and 7 and getting done by 10:30.
Coolers are very welcome, just no glass. TST is going to rock it in 2023!
Late Model Mark
TST Announcer
