Talladega

Talladega, or the Alabama International Motor Speedway as it was originally known, is the longest oval on the NASCAR calendar and it remains one of the fastest. Its debut race was marred by a mass boycott by drivers who thought it too bumpy and dangerous. Several spectators were injured in 1987 when Bobby Allison’s car flew into the fence. Organisers immediately moved to slow the cars by introducing aerodynamic restrictions, so Bill Elliott’s lap record is unlikely ever to be challenged. Tragedy struck Talladega away from the racetrack when Davey Allison was killed here in a helicopter accident in 1993.