Talladega Superspeedway will once again present the winner of Sunday’s YellaWood 500 with the colorful, horseshoe-shaped winner’s wreath, along with the unique Vulcan Trophy in Ruoff Victory Lane.
The red, white and blue floral wreath was one of the first-ever traditions of the 2.66-mile historic track. It was presented to the victor of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega on September 14, 1969, Richard Brickhouse. The following year, Pete Hamilton, who swept both Talladega races in 1970, sported the wreath. For some unknown reason, however, that tradition was short-lived and faded out after ’70. The wreath was brought back to life in the fall of 2019 and will be presented to every Cup Series winner at ’Dega moving forward.
Introduced in the fall of 2016, the Vulcan Trophy stands more than 38 inches tall and weighs over 130 pounds. The trophy is a hand-made, miniature version of the colossal Vulcan statue – a 56-foot tall structure fastened to a 124-foot platform that stands tall over the city of Birmingham, Alabama – just 45 minutes west of the race track. It is the largest cast-iron statue in the world and is the main attraction at Birmingham’s Vulcan Park Museum (www.visitvulcan.com).
Vulcan, which pays homage to the god of fire in Ancient Roman myth, has overlooked Alabama’s largest city from atop Red Mountain since the 1930s. The myth tells the story of Vulcan, who made weapons and armor for all the gods, using his hammer in his forge (shop where metal is heated and hammered into useful items).
The winners of Saturday’s doubleheader – the Chevy Silverado 250 and Sparks 300 – will receive the unique Hammer & Anvil Trophy. Both the Vulcan Trophy and the Hammer & Anvil trophy are handcrafted by local artists from Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, pouring hot iron into a created cast, then chiseled to perfection.
Great tickets are still available for the Sunday’s (Oct. 3) YellaWood 500 (1:00 p.m.), the second race in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 Playoffs, and for Saturday’s (Oct. 2) Chevy Silverado 250 (Noon CDT) for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the Sparks 300 (3:30 p.m. CDT) for the NASCAR Xfinity Series – both crucial Playoffs events.
Admission to the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert, headlined by platinum-selling Dustin Lunch, is FREE to all infield guests, who purchases a ticket to the YellaWood 500. To see all admission options, including the Talladega Garage Experience, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.
Fans are encouraged to keep up with all the happenings at the biggest, baddest race track on the planet by following Talladega Superspeedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
TSS PR
