The fans have spoken. The four outlandish competitions that will make up the popular The Big One on the Blvd at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday, April 22, part of GEICO 500 weekend, have been announced.
In an online ’Pick ‘Em Fan Vote’ over the last two weeks, fans were able to vote for their favorite four original ‘fan competitions’ out of six options – all of which that were proven to be fun and successful in The Big One on the Blvdhistory. The chosen quartet of challenges that will award cash prizes to the winners, and will be overseen by NASCAR drivers and motorsports personalities, are BBQ Sauce Wrestling, Oh Sit, Rubber Pull and Slopfest. Jell-O Crawl and Talladega Knights didn’t make the cut.
After a two-year hiatus, the can’t-miss event at NASCAR’s Party Capital, is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CDT start. The Big One on the Blvd will showcase a host of NASCAR’s biggest stars atop a Mardi-Gras style float, parading down Talladega Blvd in the track’s legendary infield before the fan competitions begin. Below is a description of each of the competitions.
- BBQ Sauce Wrestling: Grab the opponent’s flag in the sauce ring, and replace it in your designated bucket!
- Oh Sit: Musical Chairs, minus the chairs, and replaced with balls!
- Rubber Pull: In a pit of Jell-O, but with a tug-of-war tire!
- Slopfest: Three “tasty” delicacies, with each round “tastier” than the one before!
Some of the biggest names in NASCAR are expected to partake in this spring’s festivities. Noted personalities who have participated past The Big One on the Blvd events include: current NASCAR drivers: Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney, Ty Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, Chase Briscoe, Daniel Suarez, Corey Lajoie, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric, Noah Gragson and Jeffrey Earnhardt; (from media) Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip, Kim Coon, Dave Moody and Jeff Striegle; and (team executive) Jeff Gordon.
All Renewal Guest ticketholders, infield camping guests, and fans who purchased an infield wristband can join in on the festivities and must bring their ticket/wristband for access. For information on The Big One on the Blvd, click here, or for all weekend admission opportunities, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.
Before The Big One on the Blvd begins Friday, practice (3:00 p.m. CDT) will be held for the ARCA Menards Series cars as they prepare for the Saturday’s General Tire 200. The practice will be followed by qualifying at 4:30 p.m. CDT for the NASCAR Xfinity Series that will determine the starting lineup for the Ag-Pro 300. Saturday’s (April 23) action on the 33-degree banking will feature a racing doubleheader with the General Tire 200 (12:00 p.m. CDT) and Ag-Pro 300 (3:00 p.m. CDT). Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series event is slated for a 2 p.m. CDT start.
Saturday night the traditional Infield Concert will take place at the intersection of Eastaboga and Talladega Blvds, featuring country music artist and Alabama native Riley Green. Admission to the Saturday Night Infield Concert is FREE to all infield guests and anyone who purchases a grandstand ticket to the GEICO 500.
NASCAR’s new ‘Next Gen’ car will see its first action on Talladega’s 2.66-mile mammoth layout in the GEICO 500. Debuting in the season-opening DAYTONA 500, the Next Gen car is a collaboration of the brightest engineering minds in racing and the automotive industry. It is designed to give the drivers greater control and will put an emphasis back on race strategies, team personnel and vehicle setups while returning the ‘stock car’ look to NASCAR. So far this season, the race cars that look more like street version vehicles, have put on incredible racing and received rave reviews from fans.
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
