RACE DAY BABY.
We’re back at Talladega Superspeedway today for good old fashioned NASCAR Cup Series racing.
Ross Chastain is the defending champ at the Geico 500, looking for back to back wins at the iconic track, and while nobody asked, I’m putting my money on my man Ryan Blaney today.
He’s the co-favorite with Penske teammate Joey Logano, but he’s due… take it to the bank.
So while we wait for the green flag, let’s take a look back a classic country music meets NASCAR moment, starring none other than Eric Church himself.
A few years back, while performing in Greensboro, North Carolina, Eric Church decided honor a local legend gone too soon during one of his biggest hits, “Talladega.”
The one and only, Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Written by Eric Church and Luke Laird, the song was released as the 4th single from Eric’s 2014 The Outsiders album. The track would go on to be his 4th career number one, a multi-platinum hit, and one of the most recognizable songs in his entire catalog.
And while the track is named for the famed race track, Eric says it’s about much more than that:
“What you see on TV there has nothing to do really with racing. It’s about that experience, whatever that is… the experience with the person next to you and knowing that that’s probably a finite time in your life. It’s not gonna last forever.
I can’t tell you who won the race, but I could tell you all the experiences we had in a two or three-day period.
We were laughing and living, drinking and wishing and thinking as that checked flag was waving, sure would like to stay in Talladega.”
Raise hell, praise Dale.
Dale Jr. appreciated the respect, also recognizing the Dale Sr. would’ve loved it.
And of course, the original:
And how about that Talladega Superspeedway flag?
@TalladegaSuperS #EFC pic.twitter.com/29ORFfO73d
— Phillip Newman (@tridaddyphil) October 4, 2020