October 1st, 2023 saw Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece of Stewart-Haas Racing have paint schemes from the comedy Talladega Nights. Furthermore, Briscoe and Preece role-played as Cal Naughton and Ricky Bobby. While teammate Kevin Harvick had his 2nd place finish disqualified, the photo finish was still indicative of yet another overall exciting race at Talladega.
With the memory of the exciting regular season finale night finish at Daytona fresh in my mind, I couldn’t help but think about the possibility of a Talladega night race. I love night races. Many fans love night races. The Bristol night race has always been one of my favorites. Also, the 4th of July weekend night race at Daytona was always one I looked forward to.
Talladega is always an exciting race. Night races always add an element of excitement. Many people take the philosophy of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” I am not one of those people. In the case of Talladega not having lights, I am of the mindset that we could make a great race, even better. The time has come for a Talladega Nights 500.
Stewart-Haas Role Playing at Talladega:
Packing our Talladega essentials. pic.twitter.com/SwNP9b5xOc
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) September 25, 2023
On September 25, 2023, the X account for Stewart-Haas Racing posted the above video hinting at the Talladega Nights role playing that was to come for the Talladega race weekend. The video showed someone packing “Talladega Essentials.” These essentials included a can of Busch Light beer, some Smithfield Bacon, Old Spice deodorant, and Wonder Bread. Of course, Harvick is sponsored by Busch Light. Furthermore, Almirola is sponsored by Smithfield Bacon. Finally, we learned that Wonder Bread was sponsoring Ryan Preece, and Old Spice would be sponsoring Chase Briscoe.
Preece & Chase!
We wanna go fast with @WonderBreadUSA and @OldSpice at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/oxGY2UgvRG
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) September 25, 2023
Talladega Nights is one of the all-time greatest comedies, but it is a great tragedy that Talladega Superspeedway has no lights. Imagine this past race at Talladega but under the lights. First, fans love Talladega. Second, fans love night races. So why don’t we combine the two? That would result in the ratings equivalent of a “slingshot engaged.” Talladega is “shake.” Night racing is “bake.” Ricky Bobby/Ryan Preece is Talladega, and Cal Naughton/Chase Briscoe is night racing. You get the picture.
Talladega Days. pic.twitter.com/2yPwDBXJQH
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) October 1, 2023
Previous Superspeedway Night Racing:
Night time superspeedway racing isn’t a new idea in NASCAR. Daytona announced in 1997 that they would be installing lights at the track. In 1998, the second race held at Daytona was the first night race held at what was once called “restrictor-plate” tracks. (For my purposes, I simply call them superspeedways.) This first night race at Daytona was originally supposed to be on the Fourth of July weekend, but had to be rescheduled to October 17, due to wildfires. Yet, it still went down as the first superspeedway night race. Furthermore, while the 400 mile race at Daytona has been moved from its Independence Day weekend to the regular season finale weekend, it has remained scheduled as a night race.
Daytona 500:
The Coke Zero 400 hasn’t been the only race at Daytona to be run, at least in part, after sunset. From 2007 through 2009, the Daytona 500 was scheduled to start later in the afternoon. In 2007, this would result in a finish under the lights during prime-time. Furthermore, it was a perfect finish for the first prime-time Daytona 500 finish. Kevin Harvick, then racing for RCR in the #29 Pennzoil Chevy took the white flag rather far back from the top few cars that were in single file. Somehow, Harvick ended up winning the race. Talk about great racing (as well as great television.)
In 2010, the start time for the Daytona 500, was moved back from its 3:30 pm start time that began in 2007, to 1 PM. Still this race ended up finishing under the lights due to issues with the track surface and the red flags associated with such issues. Weather would result in multiple other Daytona 500s being run, at least in part, at night. Some of the best, most exciting, and closest Daytona 500 finishes have been under the lights at Daytona.
Conclusion:Â Install Lights at Talladega:
Talladega Superspeedway has two races each year. First is the GEICO 500. Second is the YellaWood 500. On the surface, the need for lights doesn’t come up often at Talladega. In 1996, the second race was shortened due to darkness. Both the 2019 and 2021 YellaWood 500s were finished on Monday, with the latter being shortened to 117 laps due to rain. On the other hand, the GEICO 500 has only been shortened twice and postponed three times.
Clearly, there is no need to install lights at Talladega. Then again, I never said this was about necessity. Sure lights would very occasionally help a daytime scheduled Talladega race to avoid postponement. Lights would definitely ensure that no race at Talladega is shortened due to darkness.  These are not my selling points for installing lights at Talladega.
While I have my concerns with the safety of superspeedways, it is hard to argue against the excitement such tracks produce when the racing product is at its best. Installing lights at Talladega would only add to that excitement. I realize that there is a lot to consider when scheduling a race, and maybe it wouldn’t be feasible for NASCAR or the track. Still, I can’t help but imagine how great a Talladega Night race could be. Let us know what you think about the possibility in the comment sections below.
I think it depends on the costs, which is probably why they haven’t done it yet.
I agree. I feel like something could be worked out to cover the costs between NASCAR, the track, and the networks. A Talladega Night Race could benefit all.