Sept.24, 2010

I recently attended the Auburn/Clemson football game at Jordan-Hare stadium and I got to say it was a really fun time. You have to love the SEC for its passion and intensity.

I have a close connection to Auburn. Though I went to school in North Carolina, both of my daughters went to school at Auburn. Ashley, my oldest, graduated last year and Sara Katherine is still attending.

Here’s a few photos from the game I thought you’d enjoy.











Last but not least, here I am trying out my best "sorority girl" pose.

September 2, 2010

The other day I was thinking about how great the racing action is at Talladega Superspeedway. Quite simply, it’s the most competitive racing on the planet. But I wanted to know just how much better the racing is compared to other famous races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.

So I took the night race at Bristol, the spring race at Atlanta and the big 600-miler at Charlotte and compared the 5-year averages to Talladega’s 5-year spring race averages. I looked at what makes a great race…Lead Changes, Leaders and Green Flag Passes. What’s amazing is that while Talladega’s numbers absolutely blow all the other tracks out of the water, Talladega has significantly fewer laps (or chances) for there to be lead changes and leaders. Those are only recorded when the cars cross the start-finish line. I’ll let the numbers below speak for themselves.

5-year Averages

Bristol
Laps: 500
Green Flag Passes: 1,720
Lead Changes: 12
Leaders: 6

Charlotte
Laps: 365
Green Flag Passes: 2,646
Lead Changes: 30
Leaders: 15

Atlanta
Laps: 329
Green Flag Passes: 2,341
Lead Changes: 26
Leaders: 11

Talladega
Laps: 191
Green Flag Passes: 11,826
Lead Changes: 59
Leaders: 23


Notice that Talladega doubles nearly every single stat at these other tracks. When it comes to green flag passes in the pack, Talladega Superspeedway features nearly 5-times as much passing than any of these other tracks. As I have said before, This Is More Than A Race, THIS IS TALLADEGA!


This fall should feature more of the exciting race action we expect at Talladega Superspeedway. Make sure you are a part of it Oct. 29-31. Call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit us online at http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/.

August 25, 2010

Goodyear came to the track this week to do some tire testing for the AMP Energy 500 and next year's Daytona 500. Several drivers participated, including Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Elliott Sadler and Aric Almirola. Aric was driving Jeff Gordon's No. 24. Below are some photos I wanted to share. Don't forget, the AMP Energy 500 is just around the corner. If you haven't bought tickets yet, we have some great seats available. Call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit us at http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/.

August 6, 2010

A lot of talk has come out this week about the 2011 NASCAR schedule. While NASCAR hasn’t announced the complete calendar, one thing we do know is that Atlanta will no longer have a spring NASCAR weekend. However, I want to assure race fans throughout the southeast and throughout the country that Talladega Superspeedway, only 90 minutes from Atlanta on Interstate 20, will have NASCAR racing next spring and is ready to provide them with all the NASCAR excitement they desire.

This year Talladega Superspeedway shattered the NASCAR record books with 88 lead changes, 29 different leaders and one of the closest finishes in history with Kevin Harvick beating Jamie McMurray by 0.012 seconds. In addition to our unmatched on-track action, Talladega also offers unbeatable values for fans and their families. FREE Camping, FREE Parking and FREE Kids on Sunday in select areas are only a few of the many benefits we offer that no track can match.

This year and beyond, ‘This is more than a race, This is Talladega’.

July 22, 2010

We recently announced our Fan Salute and it’s something that I’m really excited about and I think our fans will be excited about too. It’s a three-part rollout that includes the formation of the ‘DEGA Club rewards program, a Fan Advisory Network and a Fan Hall of Fame.

Our fans are the ones that make this sport so special and we are always looking for ways to reward them. Our Fan Salute is taking it one step further by making them an integral part of our team. We’re going to be able to bounce ideas off each other so we can make sure that every improvement made at Talladega Superspeedway will have the most positive impact. It also allows them to bring ideas to the table that perhaps we hadn’t even thought about. It’s a win-win for everyone.

The ‘DEGA Club, or Dual Event Gold Account Club is a rewards program for fans that renew Saturday and Sunday tickets to both race weekends at Talladega Superspeedway. Members of this special club will receive exclusive benefits, rewarding them for their loyal support.

The Fan Advisory Network will give fans a direct line of communication with Superspeedway administration and vice-versa to better the overall guest experience at future events.

Finally, the Fan Hall of Fame will be a way of honoring Talladega’s most passionate and beloved fans.

Stay tuned to www.talladegasuperspeedway.com for more details as we’ll be rolling out these initiatives in the weeks to come.

July 9, 2010

Yesterday we hosted nearly 200 Army National Guard Officer Candidates at Talladega Superspeedway. Part of their training requires a 7-mile foot march and for the last several years, they have come to Talladega for a change of scenery. It’s very rewarding to provide these soldiers a location to complete their training. Their selfless duty to our country allows us to do our jobs. For that we are thankful.

Above: (Will King, son of Kristi King our Sr. Director of Communications and Consumer Marketing, helped cheer on the Officer Candidates. He waved the checkered flag as each one crossed the line.)

NASCAR recently released the mid-season competition stats for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. While this year is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons ever, I can’t help but marvel at how much Talladega Superspeedway surpasses the standard.

For example, through the first 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races:

• Average of 28 lead changes per race TALLADEGA’S WAS 3-TIMES AS MANY WITH 88 LEAD CHANGES!

• Average of 3,613 green flag passes per race (highest through 18 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005) TALLADEGA HAD NEARLY 4-TIMES AS MANY WITH 12,773 PASSES!

• Average Margin of Victory of 1.294 seconds. TALLADEGA’S WAS 0.012 SECONDS!

Something we’re very proud of at Talladega Superspeedway is the incredible racing action we feature twice a year. This past spring, the Aaron’s 499 set new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series records for lead changes (88) and leaders (29). (I should remind you that Talladega held both of the previous records too, so really we broke our own records)

This fall should feature more of the exciting race action we expect at Talladega Superspeedway. Make sure you are a part of it Oct. 29-31. Call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit us online at http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/.

July 2, 2010

It’s time for NASCAR’s return trip to Daytona which can mean only one thing….it’s the 4th of July!

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see the new NASCAR Nationwide Series cars get on the track. The Dodge Challenger is one of the coolest looking race cars I’ve seen in a long time. It looks incredibly similar to the showroom version of the Challenger and I think that’s great for both NASCAR and the manufacturers. With each of the brands being easily recognizable, I think we’ll see a return to the old adage “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday”.

Enjoy your 4th of July celebrations this weekend and take time to remember our troops. If enjoy a Miller Lite or partake of a Crown Royal, remember to drink responsibly. Happy Independence Day!