Talladega Superspeedway was built to be the biggest, fastest, and most competitive superspeedway in the world. At 2.66 miles, this massive tri-oval is the biggest track on the NASCAR Schedule. It was at this track that Bill Elliott set the fasted recorded time in a stock car at 212 mph back in 1987. Since that time, NASCAR has implemented the use of restrictor plates, which are used at Talladega and Daytona to slow the speed of the race cars.

As a result of restrictor plate racing, the Talladega Superspeedway has become the most competitive track on the NASCAR schedule. The racing seen here is extremely tight and it is not uncommon to see rows of cars 4 and sometimes even 5 wide. The total number of passes made in the last two NEXTEL Cup races at Talladega have exceded 10,000.

The start/finish line at Talladega Superspeedway is not in the traditional location in at the center of the frontstretch. At Talladega, the start/finish line is placed after the exit of pit road. This unusual placement has affected the outcome of many races here, where the margin of victory is usually less than a tenth of a second.