NEWS RELEASE: Talladega Superspeedway Expands Free Overnight Parks

March 27, 2008

TALLADEGA — In an effort to help ease the cost of race fans wanting to attend the Aaron’s Dream Weekend next month, Talladega Superspeedway officials announced today that the track is expanding its free overnight parks.

The Aaron’s Dream weekend is scheduled for April 25-27 and will feature the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

“Talladega Superspeedway hosts some of the most loyal fans in NASCAR,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey. “And we realize that a lot of those fans are traveling long distances to be here and that some of the expense to visit us has grown since last year. We want our guests to know that we are working to help them cut the cost of attending our events by opening more land for them to stay on our property for free. Several years ago we bought approximately 500 acres for the sole purpose of using it for our overnight guests. Last spring we opened a small portion of it and we’re ready to open even more. The option to stay on track property for free will certainly help offset some expense.”

Staying in an overnight park can be as simple as setting up a tent, or as elaborate as getting a group together and sharing an RV. All free overnight parks open at 8 a.m. the Tuesday of race week (April 22) and must be cleared by 11 a.m. Monday following the race. Guests wanting to stay in the parks will be required to show their race tickets prior to entry and a valid ticket must be shown each time for admission.

Fantasy Report: Goody's Cool Orange 500

The track that has been part of NASCAR since its humble beginning: Martinsville Speedway.

This short track race sometimes gets overlooked because of its proximity in the season, and similarities, to Bristol. However, it is not overlooked by the drivers. This is a tough track for them, mentally and physically.

Our picks:

Brandon's picks: Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin✔, Kyle Busch✔, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman✔, Bobby Labonte, Scott Riggs✔ and Brian Vickers.

Erik's picks: Denny Hamlin✔, Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears✔, Jamie McMurray✔, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Scott Riggs✔.

I based this weeks picks solely on past races, 2008 season performance and a little bit of guesstimation.

Fantasy hint: You should put Newman on your roster at any track he has previously set the pole. He's a pole setting-machine and those qualifying points can really add up over the season.

Easter break relief for drivers, crews and fantasy pickers

It has been a stressful couple of weeks. I was hoping that I wouldn't get too involved with Fantasy this year. I hoped to just make decent educated guesses. Boy was I wrong. I think I'm almost as caught up in it as last year. Only difference is that I seem to get less upset when one of my drivers doesn't do so well. We'll see if I'm singing the same tune in a couple of months.

Next up is Martinsville. See you next week!

Fantasy Report: Food City 500

NASCAR heads into Bristol this week for the Food City 500. If you like short track racing then this is your week to watch. 36° banking make this one of the most exciting races on the Sprint Cup schedule.

Our picks:

Erik's picks: Kurt Busch✔, Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle✔, Ryan Newman✔, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Scott Riggs✔ and Brian Vickers.

Brandon's picks: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon✔, Greg Biffle✔, Kyle Busch✔, Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, Brian Vickers and Travis Kvapil✔.

• SAFE PICK: This week Kurt Busch is a solid pick for the Food City 500. Over the last five seasons Busch has five wins at Bristol. Be aware that a safe pick does not always make a good one. It can be easy for a driver to get lapped on this track and not recover. Be very selective of a driver who can normally stay out of wrecks.

• CONSISTENT: To be successful at fantasy it is imperative to select drivers that have consistent finishes on a certain track. This week that diver is Jeff Burton. He seems to always manage a solid finish at this demanding oval. Don’t rule out Ryan Newman either. He might be a good driver to have selected for qualifying points. He does hold the track qualifying record of 128.709 mph.

• POINT AND PICK: C drivers this year has not given fantasy players much to work with. There have only been several of these drivers that finish high enough to make a difference in the fantasy points standings. Brian Vickers has the best average finish so once again he will take the top spot as one of the C drivers for this week’s race.

The 2015 NASCAR Calendar from ESPN's Ryan McGee

This is one that will get you thinking. Ryan McGee has an article on ESPN.com that outlines what he thinks the 2015 Cup schedule could look like. Some of it seems a bit far fetched (Japan? Montreal?) but some makes sense (All Stars in Nashville). Here is the bare-bones list, but check out his article for reasons and more info.

Feb. 15, Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 22, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 1, Phoenix International Raceway
March 8, Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
March 15, Twin Ring Motegi, Japan
March 22 -- Off.
March 29, Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 5, Martinsville Speedway
April 12, Bristol Motor Speedway
April 19, Montreal
April 26, Texas Motor Speedway
May 3, Talladega Superspeedway
May 9, Richmond International Raceway
May 16, NASCAR All-Star Race XXXII, Nashville Superspeedway
May 24, World 600, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte, N.C.
May 21 -- Off.
June 7, Michigan International Speedway
June 14, Chicagoland Speedway
June 20, Springfield, Ill. (Dirt track)
June 28, Kentucky Speedway
July 4, Daytona
July 12, Seattle
July 19, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
July 26, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.
Aug. 2, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 9, New Hampshire
Aug. 16, Michigan
Aug. 22, Richmond
Aug. 29, Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 6, Southern 500, Darlington Raceway
Sept. 13, Dover International Speedway
Sept. 20, Kansas Speedway
Sept. 27, Mexico City
Oct. 4, Texas
Oct. 11 -- Off.
Oct. 18, Talladega
Oct. 24, Lowe's Motor Speedway
Nov. 1, Phoenix
Nov. 8, Homestead-Miami Speedway
Nov. 15, Las Vegas
Nov. 20, Cup Awards Banquet, Las Vegas

Fantasy Report: Kobalt Tools 500

NASCAR returns to Atlanta Sunday for the Kobalt Tools 500. All signs point to Jimmie Johnson but after last week anything is possible.

Brandon's picks: Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards✔, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle✔, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, Brian Vickers✔ and Michael Waltrip.

Erik's picks: Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick✔, Kasey Kahne✔, Martin Truex Jr.✔, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers✔ and Travis Kvapil.

Drivers to watch:

• Safe pick: This week I'm going to say that Johnson and Edwards are safe picks. Johnson has proven himself to be a serious threat at Atlanta by winning both races last year despite a nominal year so far. I also think Edwards could do well even without his crew chief. He's coming off 2 straight wins and with motivation from his penalty he will be out to reclaim the points lead. It will be interesting to see how well Edwards does without his crew chief but he should finish well regardless.

• Middle of the road: Biffle and Earnhardt could be forces to reckon with this weekend. Both have had success at the mile-and-a-half track in the past. I just have a good feeling about them and sometimes that's all you have to go on.

• Dark horse to win: Reed Sorenson and Juan Pablo Montoya both have a chance this weekend to take the checkered flag. The Chip Ganassi Dodge teams have both had good runs in Atlanta and Dodge has come out as one of the top auto makers of 2008.

Talladega Superspeedway Announces All-You-Can-Eat Package

I've heard of a few MLB teams (Braves and Dodgers) offering all you can eat seats and it had intrigued me. I'm not sure what the concession prices are like at 'Dega, but you probably wouldn't have to eat a lot to make up for the extra ticket price. I would have liked to have seen a few more options for food though.

Luckily for Jeff Gordon, this is not "All You Can Drink."

Press release:

TALLADEGA — Talladega Superspeedway officials announced today that they are offering an all-you-can-eat package for the Allison Grandstand. The $80 package includes a reserved seat in the Allison Grandstand for the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with all-you-can-eat vouchers for both days!

“We are always looking for opportunities to enhance our guests’ experience,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey. “The all-you-can-eat package is a great value for families and race fans on a budget. For only $80 a fan can watch NASCAR’s two premier series race at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track with meals included. That’s a great deal.“

The all-you-can-eat voucher is valid from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Each trip to the concession stand allows a voucher holder to receive a maximum of 2 sandwiches (2 hotdogs or 2 hamburgers or 1 of each), 2 bags of chips and 2 soft drinks.