2022 Geico 500 at Talladega

500 miles of NASCAR action

Taking place each spring in late April or early May is the HASCAS's Geico 500 stock car race. This exciting event is held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, and is part of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. This race is unique in that restrictor plates are used on the cars, meaning that they have limits to their horsepower and can’t travel quite as fast. Although this may make it seem like the race would less exciting, however, the reality is quite different. This is because of the size of the track and the extreme speeds that the cars could reach and is in the interest of the safety of the drivers. Nonetheless, the Geico 500 is one of the NASCAR's most exciting races. In fact, even with the "slower" cars, the 1997s event was the fastest NASCAR race ever and had an average speed of over 188 miles per hour. The Talladega Superspeedway is the largest track in the series at 2.66-miles around as well as the fastest and most competitive track.

While it’s true the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is the centerpiece of the weekend, it also becomes what is known as the “Party Capital of NASCAR”. On the Friday night before the race is the “Big One on the Blvd”. This is a huge, pre-race party with an exciting atmosphere where fans and drivers can meet and greet, get autographs and enjoy the excitement building before the big race. Visitors to the Geico 500 have a variety ticket options including VIP Packages that include garage and pit visits, premium access to the evening events as well as tours and suites available. For lodging, there are hotels in Talladega, AL, however, Birmingham is less than an hour away and has Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook, Autograph Collection, The Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and The Westin Birmingham.