If you have never attended a NASCAR event at Talladega Superspeedway then you are missing a unique slice of life. The race itself is usually a very well talked about event both before and after the checkered flag flies. Of course, the sporting world takes note of the race itself. Namely, who won, who competed, and in the case of Talladega, who was involved in the "big one".

This past weekend Talladega Superspeedway hosted a couple of big races. There was the GEICO 500 in the cup series that event was won by Ross Chastain. The Xfinity Series race was won by Noah Gragson but the bigger story was the second-place finisher, Jeffery Earnhardt.

Dale Earnhardt #3
(Jamie Squire /Allsport)
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Yes, he is the grandson of racing legend Dale Earnhardt. Yes, he drove a black #3 Chevrolet. And yes, Larry McReynolds, Dale Earnhardt's longtime crew chief, sat in as crew chief for Jeffery. So, for longtime NASCAR fans, it was kind of special. But then again fans who come to Talladega are always in for a special time, especially if they find themselves in the infield.

The infield at Talladega is a lot like Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Mardi Gras on steroids. The place is filled with campers and drunks and families and drunks and furniture and drunks and you get the idea, people drink and where there are drunks there is debris.

NascarAllOut via YouTube
NascarAllOut via YouTube
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Some of it makes absolutely no sense. As in, "why would you even bring that to a NASCAR race"? Here are some of the pictures as shared by the Twitter account @TALLADEGA.

Just take a look at this collection of "stuff" that fans did not see fit to bring back with them after the race.

Those pictures suggest a living room or patio setup. Now, we're going to need a bed and some office furniture too.

And the sun was hot on Sunday, so I am sure a refreshing dip in the pool was necessary for race fans too. I mean after they did the grilling of course.

See what I mean? They don't bring couches and office furniture and inflatable swimming pools to Mardi Gras but at Talladega they do. And that's what makes going to a NASCAR race in north-central Alabama more of a cultural event than a sporting event.

And if you find yourself feeling the need for speed, you might want to lift your right foot and repeat after me, "not in these towns".

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