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| RICKY STENHOUSE JR. WON THIS SEASON AT TALLADEGA |
DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON TALLADEGA: “But this race track is really a special race track, just in general, to the sport. I think the history of this place and just how it was conceived and the unique circumstances of that first race and how the drivers, many felt it was unsafe or what have you. And how the track eventually turned into one of the most impressive and unique, concerning speed, and how the style of racing that you have here is so unique, it’s just amazing what this place has been able to deliver year after year. I do enjoy coming here and I remember this was one of my favorites as a kid. When I was young, out of all the tracks that I had the chance to go to, this was definitely one of my favorites to come to. Milling around in the garage during the race and just how big the place was and the cars looked different because of the superspeedway bodies and it was just a really fun experience for me.
“And this was actually the first race track that I drove on aside from Myrtle Beach. I was racing at Myrtle Beach. Actually I wasn’t even racing Myrtle Beach. I was racing street stocks at Concord. And I think they were testing the V-8. They were going from V-6’s to V-8’s in the Nationwide Series. And Dad was down here driving it and Dave Marcus was out here driving Dad’s car. And Dad called me at the dealership. I was changing oil and told me to get my helmet and my suit and be at the airport the next morning and not to ask any questions or tell anybody where I was going. I didn’t know where I was going. I mean, I knew I was going to Talladega, but I didn’t know why. I assumed I was going to drive a race car somewhere. But we got here and he told me to get my stuff on and get in the car and go out and run; and hold it wide-open, that it would be on the stick. And I remember going down the back straightaway in that car and wondering if it was really going to stick when I got in that corner because it just didn’t seem like it was possible.
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