Talladega names pre-race officials:
Two prominent individuals making a positive impact in the state of Alabama will serve in honorary capacities during Talladega Superspeedway’s Aaron’s Dream Weekend. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley will be the Grand Marshal for this Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race and will give the most famous command in all of motorsports - “Drivers, Start Your Engines.” Auburn University Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn will serve as the race’s “Honorary Pace Car Driver,” leading the field of NASCAR’s best drivers during the pre-race pace laps. Since he was elected in 2010 as the 53rd Governor of the State of Alabama, Governor Bentley, who will give the drivers’ command from the start/finish line, has been committed to creating jobs for the people of Alabama. In January of 2001, the unemployment rate was 9.3% but had dropped to 6.3% in July of 2013. Malzahn will be driving Talladega Superspeedway’s official Ford Fusion pace car for the Aaron’s 499 around the 33-degree banked turns of the track’s 2.66-mile layout. He received national acclaim for overseeing one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history last year. Inheriting a team that didn’t win a game in the Southeastern Conference in 2012, Malzahn led the Tigers to the SEC title and a trip to the BCS Championship Game.(TSS)(4-28-2014)
Randy Houser to Perform Saturday Night Infield Concert at Talladega:
A big question from fans leading up to Talladega Superspeedway’s Aaron’s Dream Weekend (May 2-4) is, “Who is performing the Saturday Night Infield Concert?” NASCAR’s Most Competitive track is happy to announce today that it is none other than country music star Randy Houser. In what has become a Talladega Superspeedway tradition with top music acts, the Saturday Night Concert on May 3 will feature Houser, whose powerhouse voice fits perfectly with Talladega Superspeedway, the biggest and baddest race track on the planet. Houser’s songs like “Runnin’ Out of Moonlight” and “Goodnight Kiss” will have the intersection of Eastaboga and Talladega Boulevard rocking the party well into the night on Saturday, May 3. The best part about the concert is that admission is FREE with the purchase of a Sunday race ticket (to the Aaron’s 499). Saturday’s activities kick off at 10 am with the ARCA Racing Series International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200, followed by “Knockout” group qualifying for the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and the start of the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series event. The day will end in the evening, but the party will just be getting started with Houser on stage. Tickets for the May races are available at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling 877-Go2-DEGA.(TSS)(4-29-2014)