Talladega NASCAR

Bubba Wallace said he “couldn’t care less” if Donald Trump attends the Daytona 500 on Sunday, nearly five years after the president accused the NASCAR Cup Series’ only Black full-time driver of perpetrating “a hoax” when a crew member found a noose in the team garage stall.

The Associated Press is releasing a roll call report of some noteworthy figures who died in 2024. This includes people who passed away this year and had rippling, long-lasting effects in Alabama.

Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, died Saturday. He was 86. NASCAR released a statement from Allison’s family that said he died at home in Mooresville, North Carolina. A cause of death wasn’t given, but Allison had been in declining health for years.

Michael Jordan of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins made a show of solidarity as the NASCAR race in Alabama over the weekend. The two team owners have refused to sign NASCAR’s charter agreement and have sued the stock car series in federal court for alleged antitrust violations.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. snapped a 65-race losing streak by winning in overtime at Talladega Superspeedway after a late crash collected more than half the field, including eight of the 12 championship contenders. Stenhouse is not in the playoffs and his victory Sunday marked the second consecutive week a driver not competing for the Cup Series title has won.

It’s most fitting that NASCAR this weekend races at Talladega Superspeedway, site of one of the first major disputes between drivers and the top stock car series in the United States. It was at the Alabama track’s 1969 debut race when the NASCAR-despised Professional Driver Association led by Richard Petty deemed the track too dangerous and not ready for competition.

NASCAR is bringing its postseason to Talladega Superspeedway where all three series will continue their championship chases this weekend. The truck series starts things off Friday with the Xfinity Series taking place Saturday before the Cup Series races Sunday.

David Malukas was released by Arrow McLaren without running an IndyCar race for the team. His departure was due to injuries the 22-year-old suffered in an offseason mountain biking crash. Malukas could not compete Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, it was his fourth consecutive missed race and triggered a clause in his contract that allowed McLaren to terminate the deal.

Auto racers will be visiting Alabama later this month as part of the Children of Alabama’s Indy Grand Prix

Alabama has its share of annual events. There’s the Boll Weevil festival in Enterprise. The town of Opp holds its rattlesnake rodeo every year. And visitors to Gulf Shores can take in the National Shrimp Festival. If fungus is your thing, you can add the Alabama Mushroom Festival to your list. APR graduate student intern Cori Yonge takes us to the inaugural event where fans, both serious and novice, gathered recently to talk all things mushrooms.