NASCAR fans pack into Talladega Superspeedway ahead of Sunday's Jack Links 500 race

LINCOLN, Ala. – NASCAR's high-stakes Jack Links 500 contention is scheduled for Sunday day astatine Talladega Superspeedway successful Lincoln, Alabama, wherever 41 drivers volition instrumentality connected the league's largest way successful beforehand of an estimated 100,000 contention fans.

The legendary way attracts visitors from "all 50 states and aggregate countries," according to way officials.

"It's similar a abrogation for them. There's radical that conscionable spot each different doubly a twelvemonth here, and they conscionable up present astatine Talladega Superspeedway," Patrick Barfield, Senior Director of Venue Experience and Guest Services astatine Talladega Superspeedway, said. "They each person their small parties and groups, and it's a large site."

Josh Harris, Regional President astatine Talladega Superspeedway, credits the charm of the way to its unpredictable battalion racing astatine utmost speeds exceeding 200 mph. The track, astatine 2.66 miles, is the longest successful the NASCAR Cup Series, and drivers indispensable implicit 188 laps to decorativeness the 500-mile race.

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Track officials expect astir 100,000 fans to be the Jack Links 500 astatine Talladega Superspeedway successful Lincoln, Alabama. (FOX News)

"Everything's conscionable a small spot bigger present astatine Talladega, and that's however we similar it," Harris said.

The Jack Links 500 is the tenth contention successful the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series, and drivers are already warring for their spot successful the playoff standings. 

"Drivers are positioning themselves. They privation to beryllium successful that apical 16 travel Daytona successful August and beryllium capable to leap themselves into the chase," Harris said.

Talladega is ever challenging for drivers, according to Harris, some physically and mentally. As the NASCAR Cup Series continues into Spring and Summer, helium said the wrong of a contention car tin transcend 100 degrees connected an 85-degree day. 

Many fans, however, are taking vantage of the lukewarm weather. Thousands of fans started camping extracurricular the way and successful the infield implicit the past week.

Riley Eubanks traveled from Indianapolis, Indiana, with his relative and friend. The 3 of them are spending their archetypal Talladega contention unneurotic successful a tiny structure wrong crook one, surviving connected "plenty of nutrient and water" and a changeless crippled of poker.

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Some contention fans started camping retired successful the infield of Talladega Superspeedway successful the week starring up to the Jack Links 500.  (FOX News)

"We spent hundreds, if not thousands connected nutrient and plentifulness of water," Eubanks said. "We're capable to supply nutrient to others if they privation to travel by, but we person got plentifulness to devour present for a fewer days."

Many fans said they were excited to spot the track's infamous 33-degree banking successful its 4 turns, the steepest successful banal car racing. The turns are engineered to let drivers to support 200 miles per hr without losing traction. 

Talladaga Superspeedway is location to the steepest banking successful banal car racing with a 33 grade banking successful its 4 turns.  (FOX News)

"The coolest happening is getting implicit present and checking retired however precocious up that partition truly is. Seeing it for the archetypal time. Just clang aft clang implicit years. After years of watching, I got to spot it," Caleb Eubanks said. 

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Drivers volition statesman qualifying Saturday greeting to unafraid their starting presumption for Sunday's race.