1.
Charlotte, North Carolina
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Charlotte /ˈʃɑːrlət/ is the largest city in the state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Mecklenburg County and the second-largest city in the southeastern United States, just behind Jacksonville, Charlotte is the third-fastest growing major city in the United States. In 2014 the estimated population of Charlotte according to the U. S. Census Bureau was 809,958, the Charlotte metropolitan area ranks 22nd-largest in the U. S. and had a 2014 population of 2,380,314. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a sixteen-county market region or combined statistical area with a 2014 U. S. Census population estimate of 2,537,990, residents of Charlotte are referred to as Charlotteans. It is listed as a global city by the Globalization. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international hub, and was ranked the 23rd-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic in 2013. Charlotte has a subtropical climate. The city is located several miles east of the Catawba River and southeast of Lake Norman, Lake Wylie and Mountain Island Lake are two smaller man-made lakes located near the city. The Catawba Native Americans were the first to settle Mecklenburg County and were first recorded in European records around 1567, by 1759 half the Catawba tribe had been killed by smallpox. At the time of their largest population, Catawba people numbered 10,000, Mecklenburg County was initially part of Bath County of New Hanover Precinct, which became New Hanover County in 1729. The western portion of New Hanover split into Bladen County in 1734, Mecklenburg County formed from Anson County in 1762. Further apportionment was made in 1792, with Cabarrus County formed from Mecklenburg and these areas were all part of one of the original six judicial/military districts of North Carolina known as the Salisbury District. The area that is now Charlotte was settled by people of European descent around 1755, Thomas Polk, who later married Thomas Spratts daughter, built his house by the intersection of two Native American trading paths between the Yadkin and Catawba rivers. One path ran north–south and was part of the Great Wagon Road, within decades of Polks settling, the area grew to become Charlotte Town, incorporating in 1768. The crossroads, perched atop the Piedmont landscape, became the heart of Uptown Charlotte, in 1770, surveyors marked the streets in a grid pattern for future development. The east–west trading path became Trade Street, and the Great Wagon Road became Tryon Street, in honor of William Tryon, the intersection of Trade and Tryon—commonly known today as Trade & Tryon, or simply The Square—is more properly called Independence Square. While surveying the boundary between the Carolinas in 1772, William Moultrie stopped in Charlotte Town, whose five or six houses were very ordinary built of logs, local leaders came together in 1775 and signed the Mecklenburg Resolves, more popularly known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. While not a declaration of independence from British rule, it is among the first such declarations that eventually led to the American Revolution
2.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
3.
NASCAR
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is an American family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto-racing sports events. Bill France Sr. founded the company in 1948 and his grandson Brian France became its CEO in 2003, NASCAR is motorsports preeminent stock-car racing organization. The three largest racing-series sanctioned by this company are the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, the company also oversees NASCAR Local Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, the Whelen All-American Series, and the NASCAR iRacing. com Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 of the 50 US states as well as in Canada. NASCAR has presented exhibition races at the Suzuka and Motegi circuits in Japan, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico, NASCAR has its official headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, and also maintains offices in the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Concord, and Conover. Regional offices are located in New York City and Los Angeles, with offices in Mexico City. Owing to NASCARs Southern roots, all but a handful of NASCAR teams are based in North Carolina. NASCAR is second to the National Football League among professional sports franchises in terms of television viewers, internationally, its races are broadcast on television in over 150 countries. In 2004, NASCARs Director of Security stated that the company holds 17 of the Top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world, fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other motor sport, although this sponsorship has declined since the early-2000s. By the time the Bonneville Salt Flats became the location for pursuit of land speed records. Drivers raced on a 4. 1-mile course, consisting of a 1. 5–2. 0-mile stretch of beach as one straightaway, the two straights were connected by two tight, deeply rutted and sand covered turns at each end. Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition, bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity, the cars continued to improve, and by the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, most races in those days were of modified cars. Street vehicles were lightened and reinforced, mechanic William France Sr. moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Washington, D. C. in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He was familiar with the history of the area from the speed record attempts. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing fifth and he took over running the course in 1938. He promoted a few races before World War II, France had the notion that people would enjoy watching stock cars race
4.
Plymouth Belvedere
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The Plymouth Belvedere was an American automobile model that was produced by Plymouth from 1954 to 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. The Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top trim and became a model line with sedans, station wagons. It was also used in a movie called Christine it was a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere, introduced on March 31, the 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook Belvedere is a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouths first such design and was introduced in response to the 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air, and the Ford Victoria. The Cranbook Belvedere the name for the hardtop version of the Cranbrook. Powering the Belvedere is the Chrysler flathead 217.8 cu in engine with a 7.00,1 compression ratio producing 97 hp. For 1952, Plymouth kept the Cranbrook Belvedere largely unchanged, two-tone color schemes were sable bronze over suede, black over mint green, and gray over blue. Overdrive was made available as optional equipment in the 1952 Plymouth, in overdrive, the engine made three revolutions for each rear wheel revolution against four without overdrive. The engine was a carry over from 1951. Production for 1951 and 1952 totalled 51,266 units, the Belvedere remained a part of the Cranbrook series through the 1953 model year, which saw all Plymouth models completely restyled. Major style changes include a shorter 114 in wheelbase, a windshield, flush rear fenders. In April 1953, Plymouths received the Hy-Drive semi-automatic transmission, the engine was carried over from 1952 with the only enhancement being a slight increase in the compression ratio to 7.10,1, which yielded a rating of 100 hp. A total of 35,1851953 Belvederes were sold, the Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top-line offering for 1954. Now, a model instead of just a two-door hardtop, it was also available as a convertible, two-door station wagon. The two-door hardtop version was now called the Sport Coupe,1954 Belevederes featured full-length rocker sill moldings. Minor styling updates adorned the carry-over body design, for the first time, small chrome tailfins appeared on the rear fenders. In March 1954, Plymouth finally offered an automatic transmission
5.
Stock car racing
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Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly and most prominently in the United States and Canada, with Australia and New Zealand also having forms of stock car auto racing. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately 0.25 to 2.66 miles, the worlds largest governing body for stock car racing is the American NASCAR, and its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top level series of professional stock car racing. Top level races typically range between 200 to 600 miles in length, top level stock cars reach speeds in excess of 200 mph at speedway tracks and on superspeedway tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Contemporary NASCAR-spec top level cars produce maximum power outputs of 860-900 hp from their naturally aspirated V8 engines, for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, power output of the competing cars ranged from 750–800 hp. A stock car, in the sense of the term, is an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term stock car came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing and this term is used to differentiate such a car from a race car, a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes. The actual degree to which the cars conform to standard model specs has changed over the years, are architecturally identical on all vehicles. For example, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series now requires fuel injection, the closest European equivalent to stock car racing is probably touring car racing. In the UK and New Zealand there is a formula called stock cars. In Australia there was a formula that was similar to NASCAR called AUSCAR. The Racecar-Euro Series began in 2009 and was sanctioned by NASCAR as a series in 2012. True stock car racing, which consists of only street vehicles that can be bought by public, is sometimes now called street stock, pure stock, hobby stock, showroom stock. In 1972, SCCA started its first showroom stock racing series, some modern showroom stock racing allows safety modifications done on showroom stock cars. Super stock classes are similar to street stock, but allow for modifications to the engine. Power output is usually in the range of 500–550 horsepower, Tire width is usually limited to 8 in. Some entry level classes are called street stock, and are similar to what is called banger racing in England. Late models are usually the highest class of cars in local racing. Rules for construction of a model car vary from region to region
6.
Xfinity Series
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The NASCAR Xfinity Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCARs minor league circuit, and is considered a ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level circuit. Xfinity Series races are held in the same venue as, and a day prior to. The series emerged from NASCARs Sportsman division, which had formed in 1950 as NASCARs short track race division. The sportsman cars were not current model cars and could be modified more and it became the Late Model Sportsman Series in 1968, and soon featured races on larger tracks such as Daytona International Speedway. Drivers used obsolete Grand National cars on larger tracks but by the inception of the format in 1982. Short track cars with relatively small 300 cubic inch V-8 motors were used, drivers used smaller current year models featuring V6 motors. The modern-day Xfinity Series was formed in 1982, when Anheuser-Busch sponsored a newly reformed late-model sportsman series with its Budweiser brand, the series switched sponsorship to Busch in 1984. It was renamed in 1986 to the Busch Grand National Series, Grand National was dropped from the series title in 2003 as part of NASCARs brand identity. Anheuser-Busch dropped the sponsorship in 2007, Nationwide Insurance took over the sponsorship for the 2008 season, the Nationwide sponsorship was a seven-year contract, and did not include the banking and mortgage departments of Nationwide. The sponsorship reportedly carried a $10 million commitment for 2008, with 6% annual escalations thereafter, on September 3,2014, it was announced that Comcast would become the new title sponsor of the series via its cable television and internet brand Xfinity, renaming it the Xfinity Series. In 2016, NASCAR implemented a seven-race Chase system similar to the one used in the NASCAR Cup Series, on March 6,2005, the series held its first race outside the United States, the Telcel-Motorola 200. The race was held in Mexico City, Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and it was won by Martin Truex Jr. On August 4,2007, the series held its second race outside of the United States, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec and it was won by Kevin Harvick, while Quebec native Patrick Carpentier finished second. In July 2008, NASCAR announced that the Nationwide Series would not return to Mexico City in 2009, in 2016, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series adopted a playoff format similar to the NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship. Unlike the NASCAR Cup Series, whose Chase consists of four rounds, after each of the first two rounds, the four Chase grid drivers with the fewest season points are eliminated from the grid and Chase contention. The best-placed driver overall from the four Dash 4 Cash races advances to the Chase, until 2000, the Busch Grand National Series was carried on a number of both cable and broadcast networks that had deals with the series tracks. Most standalone races were aired on TNN, while races that were companion races with Winston Cup dates aired on the airing the Cup race
7.
Camping World Truck Series
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The series is one of three national divisions of NASCAR, ranking as the third tier behind the second-tier Xfinity Series and the top level Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Camping World has served as the sponsor since 2009, it replaced Craftsman. The idea for the Truck Series dates back to 1991, a group of SCORE off-road racers had concerns about desert racings future, and decided to create a pavement truck racing series. They visited NASCAR Western Operations Vice President Ken Clapp to promote the idea, who consulted Bill France Jr. with it, afterwards, Clapp told the four to build a truck before NASCAR considered it. The truck proved to be popular among fans, and NASCAR arranged a meeting in a Burbank, California hotel on April 11,1994, four demonstration races were held during the season at Mesa Marin Raceway had six trucks, Portland Speedway, Saugus Speedway and Tucson Raceway Park. Tucson held four events that winter, which were televised during the Winter Heat Series coverage. Tools line Craftsman served as the sponsor of the series on a deal. In addition, the series $580,000 purse is larger than the Busch Grand National Series fund, while a new series, it garnered immediate support from many prominent Winston Cup Series team owners and drivers. Prominent Cup owners Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, and Jack Roush owned truck teams, at the end of the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule, Craftsman stopped sponsoring the series. Subsequently, Camping World signed a contract with NASCAR, rebranding the series as the Camping World Truck Series. Teams like Richard Childress Racing, a Cup team with 31 Truck wins, shut down their Truck operations, in RCRs case, thats just how the system works. To cut costs, NASCAR required teams to use sealed engines and this requirement was abandoned for the 2010 season. Starting with the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented a new rule that allows drivers to compete for the championship in only one of the three national touring series in a given season. As the years went on, a number of younger drivers debuted in the series, current NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch each started in the series. And previous champions Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday, Ted Musgrave, even though novice drivers play a minimal role in this minor league series, there is no controversy like the disputes over Buschwhackers in the Nationwide Series. A Truck Series field currently consists of 32 trucks, NASCAR uses a knockout qualifying system across the three series. The sessions are three long, In round one, all drivers have 20 minutes to set a time. In the second round, the drivers have 10 minutes to run, and the top 12 advance to the round, the final round
8.
Charlotte Motor Speedway
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Charlotte Motor Speedway, formerly Lowes Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina 13 miles from Charlotte. The complex features a 1.5 mile quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, the NASCAR All-Star Race, and the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. with Marcus G. Smith as track president, the 2,000 acres complex also features a state-of-the-art quarter mile drag racing strip, ZMAX Dragway. It is the only all-concrete, four-lane drag strip in the United States, alongside the drag strip is a state-of-the-art clay oval that hosts dirt racing including the World of Outlaws finals among other popular racing events. Charlotte Motor Speedway was designed and built by Bruton Smith and partner and driver Curtis Turner in 1959, the first World 600 NASCAR race was held at the 1.5 miles speedway on June 19,1960. On December 8,1961, the speedway filed bankruptcy notice, at that point a committee of major stockholders in the speedway was assembled, headed by A. C. Goines and furniture store owner Richard Howard. Goines, Howard, and Robinson worked to secure loans and other monies to keep the speedway afloat. By 1964 Howard become the general manager, and on June 1,1967, the speedways mortgage was paid in full. Smith departed from the speedway in 1962 to pursue business interests, primarily in banking and auto dealerships from his new home of Rockford. He became quite successful and began buying out shares of stock in the speedway, by 1974 Smith was more heavily involved in the speedway, to where Richard Howard by 1975 stated, I havent been running the speedway. In 1975 Smith had become the majority stockholder, regaining control of its day-to-day operations, Humpy Wheeler as general manager in October 1975, and on January 29,1976, Richard Howard resigned as president and GM of the speedway. Together Smith and Wheeler began to implement plans for improvement and expansion of the speedway, in the following years, new grandstands and luxury suites were added along with modernized concessions and restrooms to increase the comfort for race fans. Smith Tower, a 135,000 square feet, seven-story facility was built, the tower houses the speedway corporate officers, ticket office, gift shop, leased offices and The Speedway Club, and exclusive dining and entertainment facility. In 1992, Smith and Wheeler directed the installation of a $1.7 million,1, the track became the first modern superspeedway to host night racing, and was the largest lighted speedway until 1998 when lights were installed around the 2.5 miles Daytona International Speedway. In 1994, Smith and Wheeler added a new $1 million,20,000 square feet garage area to the speedways infield, in 1995, 26-year-old Russell Phillips was killed in one of the most gruesome crashes in auto racing history. From 1997 to 1999 the track hosted the Indycar Series, on lap 61 of the 1999 race, a crash led to a car losing a tire, which was then propelled into the grandstands by another car. Three spectators were killed and eight others were injured in the incident, the race was canceled shortly after, and the series has not returned to the track since
9.
Pat McCrory
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Patrick Lloyd McCrory is an American businessman and politician who served as the 74th Governor of North Carolina, from 2013 to 2017. McCrory was the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina in the 2008 general election and was defeated 50% to 46% by then-Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, after the 2008 election loss, McCrory returned to the private sector. On January 31,2012, he launched his campaign for governor. This prevented transgender people who do not alter their birth certificates from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity, separately, McCrory has filed suit against the federal government, asking a court to find the law constitutional. In 2016, McCrory lost a competitive re-election campaign against state attorney general Roy Cooper, on election night, the race was too close to call, McCrory trailed Cooper by about 5000 votes and tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots had not yet been counted. The McCrory campaign filed election protests alleging that voter fraud helped Cooper in 50 counties, on December 5, McCrory conceded the race to Cooper, becoming the first sitting governor of North Carolina to lose a bid for reelection since Charles Manly in 1850. McCrory was born in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Audrey Mona and his family moved to North Carolina when he was a child. He was raised Presbyterian and his family attended First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro and he graduated in 1974 from Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, North Carolina. He attended Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he received degrees in Political Science, McCrory was active in the Student Government Association and was part of a conservative backlash to the growing hippie culture at Catawba in the mid-1970s. In 2001, McCrory gave the keynote address at his alma mater. The college then awarded him a doctorate of legal letters. He currently serves as a member of Catawba Colleges Board of Trustees, in January 2008, after 28 years with Duke Energy, he retired from the company to run full-time for governor. In January 2009, McCrory was named a partner with Charlotte-based McCrory & Company, in January 2010, he was named a Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for Charlotte-based law firm Moore & Van Allen PLLC. He is a 2014 Young Leader Alumni member of the American Swiss Foundation, McCrory began his political career in Charlotte in 1989 when he was elected an At-Large City Councilman. He was re-elected in 1991 and 1993, and served as Mayor Pro Tem from 1993–1995, in 1995, he was elected mayor of the city of Charlotte, succeeding Richard Vinroot, who ran unsuccessfully for the 1996 Republican gubernatorial nomination. At the age of 39, McCrory was the citys youngest mayor, McCrory gained a reputation as a very popular, affable mayor. In the 2007 mayoral election, he defeated seven-term Democratic state Rep. Beverly Earle,61 to 39 percent, McCrory announced in late 2008, shortly after his gubernatorial campaign, that he would not seek an eighth term. McCrory is the city of Charlottes longest-serving mayor, McCrory helped develop Charlottes 25-year transportation and land-use plan
10.
Belk
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Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina with 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk. com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, Belk was founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The store was first called New York Racket and then Belk Brothers, after Belk made his brother, physician Dr. John Belk, Belk bought in volume to pass savings on and sold at fixed prices, then a relatively unusual practice. The business grew steadily, relying on sales and advertising to grow the business. Beginning in 1921 with the Leggett Bros. stores of South Boston, Virginia and this complex story is chronicled in a book published by Belk – Belk, Inc. The Company and the Family That Built It – about the evolution of the company and this structure allowed Belk to expand quickly and permitted local variation, but resulted in a diluted brand identity since most stores were co-branded. For example, the heirs of John G. Parks, majority owners of the Parks-Belk chain, sold their interests to Proffitts, a competitor. The Belks quickly sold their stake as well, although Belk would later purchase the stores back as part of its acquisition of the entire Proffitts chain. This move accelerated the trend of consolidating the stores ownership under the Belks. Slowly, Belk eliminated the dual brands, completing the process with a chain-wide Belk rebranding in the fall of 2010, on July 5,2005, Belk completed the purchase of 47 Proffitts and McRaes department stores from Saks Incorporated, primarily in Tennessee and Mississippi. Belk converted the 39 Proffitts and McRaes stores to the Belk nameplate on March 8,2006, just over a year later, Belk purchased 38 Parisian department stores from Saks on October 2,2006. Four Parisian stores in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, plus a store under construction at the time in Michigan, were sold by Belk to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Integrating the larger, more upscale Parisian stores proved a challenge for Belk, during the fourth quarter of 2005, Belk completed the sale of its private-label credit card division, Belk National Bank, to GE MoneyBank. Consumers were issued new Belk credit cards replacing the old ones issued by BNB, All new Belk cards are now issued by GE Money Bank. On October 3,2010, the News & Observer reported that Belk planned to update its logo, on October 12 at SouthPark Mall, Belk introduced the new logo, its first since 1967. The chain embarked on a $70 million marketing campaign that replaced the old slogan All for You. with a new slogan, sixty stores got new signs in the first phase, with the remainder getting new signs throughout 2011. Advertisements for Belk & Co. jewelry continue to use a variation of the old logo, on April 3,2015, news reports revealed that Belk was exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company. On August 24,2015, Belk announced that it had entered into a merger agreement to be acquired by New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners
11.
Talladega Superspeedway
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Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, the track currently hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles like the Daytona International Speedway, at its peak, Talladega had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators, although its current capacity is 80,000 spectators. During the 1960s, William Bill France, Sr. wanted to build a faster and longer than Daytona International Speedway. After failed attempts to reason with local government in Orange County, North Carolina with the Occoneechee Speedway, he attempted to find a new spot for a race track and make his idea a reality. After failing to secure a location near the research triangle around Raleigh and he would end up breaking ground on an old airfield on May 23,1968. The track was named the Alabama International Motor Speedway, the name would remain for twenty years until 1989 when the facilitys name was changed to Talladega Superspeedway. The track opened on September 13,1969 at a cost of $4 million, after the first race, Talladega hosted two Cup Series races a year, one of which would become part of the 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship. Since its opening year, Talladega has hosted many races and has been repaved four times, Talladega also has had many first-time winners, such as Larry Schild, Sr. Richard Brickhouse, Brian Vickers, and Brad Keselowski. A 4-mile infield road course was in operation from the founding until 1983. In the 1970s, six IMSA GT Championship races were held at the speedway, in May 2006, Talladega started to re-surface the track and the apron. Construction started on May 1 and lasted until September 18, the first race on the resurfaced race track was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on October 7. In December 2013, the ISC announced removal of the 18, 000-seat Allison Grandstand on the backstretch, the 4, 000-ft backstraightway was renamed the Alabama Gang Superstretch in time for the 2014 Aarons 499 held in the spring. Speeds in excess of 200 mph are commonplace at Talladega, Talladega has the record for the fastest recorded time by a NASCAR vehicle on a closed oval course, with the record of 216.309 mph set by Rusty Wallace on June 9,2004. Buddy Baker was the first driver to run at a speed over 200 mph, Bill France himself invited Chrysler to come on down to run a 200 lap for publicity for the April race. The car was fully Nascar inspected and certified, Nascar sanctioned the event and Bill Gazaway was there with the official timing equipment. Bakers 200mph lap was set while driving the No.88 Chrysler Engineering Charger Daytona and it is currently undergoing restoration in Detroit, after being found in the late 1990s in Iowa
