Arroe Collins All Level Sports...

Grant Lynch Talladega Superspeedway 2016

EVENT SCHEDULE (CENTRAL TIME)
Friday, April 29:
•8:30 AM – 4:25 AM Practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the ARCA Series
•2:30 PM ARCA Series Presented by Menards Group Qualifying
•5:00 PM General Tire 200 – ARCA Series Presented by Menards
(76Laps, 202.16 Miles); Blake Jones defending champ
•7:30 PM “Big One On The Blvd” Driver Parade & Fan Competitions
Saturday, April 30:
•9:30 AM– 1:00 PM Qualifying for NXS & NSCS
•2:00 PM Sparks Energy 300 Race – NXS Event
(113 Laps, 300.58 Miles); Joey Logano defending champ
•7:30 PM Saturday Night Infield Concert – Big & Rich featuring Cowboy Troy
Sunday, May 1:
•12:00 PM GEICO 500 Race – NSCS Event
(188 Laps, 500.08 Miles); Dale Earnhardt Jr. defending champ

TALLADEGA INFORMATION
•Winner of the GEICO 500 is all but guaranteed a spot in NASCAR’s 10-race season-ending Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the defending champion of the GEICO 500.
•The victor of the Sparks Energy 300 is all but guaranteed a spot in the 7-race Chase grid for the NXS.
•NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track features 3- and 4-wide, 200-mph racing on the mammoth 2.66-mile, 33-degree banked venue. NASCAR’s most competitive track has an astounding record of 88 lead changes (twice) in a 188-lap race.
•Talladega is NASCAR’s party capital where fans of all ages can have a great time. The “Big One on the BLVD” is the ultimate party for both drivers and fans alike, and takes place on Friday night. The Infamous Saturday Night Infield Concert is back as well with Big & Rich featuring Cowboy Troy.
•Four large permanent Video Boards (5 total) line Talladega’s frontstretch for fan convenience.
SAVE AT TALLADEGA
•Talladega Superspeedway offers exclusive savings for members of the military to both the GEICO 500 and Sparks Energy 300 ($25 Lower-Level ticket for Sunday’s race or a 2-day Tri-oval Tower ticket for $85. A $30 pre-race pit pass is also offered (available by telephone only). UP to 60% savings
•An Array of Ticket Upgrades are available for TSS race Weekend including, The Sunday VIP Experience with Glenn Jarrett, the Unrestricted VIP Package, Pre-Race Pit Passes, Premium Box Seating, Fan Suites and much more. For more ticket upgrade information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
•FREE SATURDAY NIGHT INFIELD CONCERT – Big & Rich featuring Cowboy Troy - FOR ALL SUNDAY GEICO 500 TICKET HOLDERS, ALLOWING FREE ACCESS TO INFIELD AFTER TRACK ACTIVITIES HAVE CONCLUDED
•$25 College Ticket gives college students access to GEICO 500 race, “Big one On The Blvd” party and Saturday Night Infield Concert
•Kids 12 and under receive $50 off all regular adult ticket pricing throughout the lower grandstands and towers for the GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race
•Talladega Superspeedway continues to offer over 15,000 FREE campsites in three conveniently located parks (overnight)
•All day parking on Talladega Superspeedway property remains free

WHERE TO STAY:
•Through the website DEGARooms.com fans can find hotel rooms at great prices in and around the Birmingham area

WHAT TO TAKE HOME:
•Official Talladega Superspeedway Souvenir program, and track/driver merchandise from the new Fanatics NASCAR Trackside Superstore that will be located in the Fan Zone.

Tickets at

Duration:: 14m
Broadcast on:: 18 Apr 2016
Audio Format:: other

All right, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird-shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the Partition. Partition? It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites, too. I just got it for 50 off. So, how about a Closmapolitan? Or a mistletoe margarita? I'm thirsty. Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength, and... Wow. It's beginning to feel more seasonal in here already. If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Barthesian, because Barthesian crafts every cocktail perfectly, in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got it for $50 off. 'Tis the season to be... jolly-er. Add some holiday flavor to every celebration, with a sleek, sophisticated home cocktail maker, Barthesian. Pick up your phone and shake it to get $50 off any cocktail maker. Yes, you heard me. Shake your phone and get $50 off. Don't delay. Listen up, folks. Time could be running out to lock in a historic yield at public.com. As of September 23rd, 2024, you can lock in a 6% or higher yield with a bond account. But here's the thing. The Federal Reserve just announced a big rate cut. And the plan is, for more rate cuts this year, and in 2025 as well. That's good news if you're looking to buy a home, but it might not be so good for the interest you earn on your cash. So, if you want to lock in a 6% or higher yield with a diversified portfolio of high yield and investment grade bonds, you might want to act fast. The good news? It only takes a couple of minutes to sign up at public.com. And once you lock in your yield, you can earn regular interest payments, even as rates decline. Lock in a 6% or higher yield with a bond account at public.com. But hurry. Your yield is not locked in until you invest. Prought to you by public investing member FinRhett SIPC, yield to worst is not guaranteed, not an investment recommendation. All investing involves risk. Visit public.com/disclosures for more info. Hey, it's Arrow at iHeartRadio. The closer we get to the summer, that means one thing. We got to take a pit stop at Talladega. Forward deep behind Stuart and Kenza. This is where racing becomes not only a celebration, but an earned honor being crowned king of the track. The general tire 200 is Friday, April 29th, sparks 300 Saturday, April 30th, and on Sunday, May 1st, the Geico 500. We are unplugged and totally uncut, with the chairman of the Talladega Super Speedway, NASCAR's most competitive track, Grant Lynch. Good morning, this is Grant Lynch. Well, Grant Lynch, welcome back to iHeartRadio. Sir, how are you doing today, sir? I'm fine. How are you? Doing very well, man. You're getting all fired up for a big old week in a fun at the end of the month. Here we are on the 29th through May 1st. We're getting ready. I've always thought Talladega was that one place that kicked off summer, but yet people say no, it's not until May. Now I'm thinking it's the end of April. Historically, I got here in '93, and most of the time we've been around the end of April in the first of May throughout that timeframe in the spring. It's always been about a celebration of life and you just happen to throw in a race at it, haven't you? Yeah, we actually have three races. We have the General Power 200. Archiseries presented by Menards on Friday. The Sparks Energy 300 Xfinity Series race on Saturday and then the big one, the Geico 500 on Sunday. That was Junior's race last year. You feeling the same thing? Listen, I've always told people, if you run Talladega Super Speedway and there's an earn hard in the race and you're not for them, you're not a very good promoter. And this race is one of those that will put those drivers at the end of the year for those for the ten weeks of racing one. I mean, that's how serious this race is. Yeah, and one thing about Talladega is historically, anybody can win Talladega. You know, most of the weeks when you go to a track, there's only 10 or 15 guys that are going to really be in the running, but if you're on the lead lap at the end of Talladega, you can win as David Reagan did a few years ago when he ran to the front with his teammate pushing him. And won the race, and that doesn't happen a lot of places. Is there a secret to Talladega? Because when you're going four wide up there, I mean, that's total focus. Well, I think so. Part of it's just having the mental clarity to sit in those packs after lap after lap and still be sharp at the end. I don't think Talladega is any driver's favorite race track, but what the drivers don't like and the action that they have to go through here makes it a great spectator, a fan-based track for sure. Well, you're absolutely right about that because I know when they are going four wide, I just want to break out in a traffic report right away going, "Oh, we got four wide over here." You know, it just makes it so much fun to watch. Well, it does, and then you throw in the exciting social atmosphere that we have not, you know, we got the most competitive racing on the planet, and then you've got all of these campgrounds. We have 1,400 acres we use, and we have unlimited free camping, and you have the big one on the boulevard, which is a big party up the Talladega boulevard in our infield at Clint Boyer came up with a few years ago, and that's a great interaction between the drivers and the infield fans and anybody that's got a two-day ticket. And then Saturday night, we've got big and rich, featuring cowboy Troy playing Saturday night. All you need to see them on Saturday night is your Sunday race ticket that gets you into that concert. So jam-pack weekend on the track and off the track as well. All the other tracks have got to be coming there to study what you guys do, because you're all about customer service. Well, we try to be. There's so many different ticket packages. I encourage people to go to our website, TalladegaSoupersPway.com, and then after you kind of peruse that and see all the things we offer, then call our ticket number 877-GO-2-DIGA-D-E-G-A. But we try to be a little bit fit to everybody. We actually have an alcohol-free campground. We're kind of known for our wild side, but we try to take care of everybody here. Plus, you've got those video boards now. Not one, but you've got four of them. Yeah, we kind of -- a little bit different model than some of the mile and a halfs have done. We thought we'd just bring big boards right in front of the fans and scatter them up our front stretch all in. That's where all of our seating is. And it kind of -- I tell everybody, it's almost like having a giant man cave, but you're at the racetrack, because your TV's right there in front of you. Now, how has that changed the infield? Because you know there are those guys that spend all year trying to get the big platform going and stuff like that. Has that changed it at all? Our top selling stuff right now are RV spots in our infield. We sold out of them almost eight weeks ago for the infield, so it's the most popular place. And I think a lot of that has to do with both the concert and the big one on the boulevard being in our infield. And it just makes it a real popular destination for our fans. But plus on the infield, there's such a family atmosphere, because when I get on the infield, it's all about sharing recipes and playing games and just having a great family time. That's right. A few years ago, a guy from the New York Times came down. He said, "I want to come down and camp in your infield." And I'll buy a tent at Walmart and sleep him back, give him to somebody when I leave. And I don't want to bring any food or beverage. Well, I'll be okay. And I said, "You'll go home, gain him weight." And he wrote an article when he got home and said exactly that. He said, "He'd never been anywhere where you could just walk up and say, "Hey, I'm from New York, and I'm down here, and I didn't bring any food and beverage." And he said, "I never wanted for a beer, and I never wanted for something to eat the whole weekend." It's such a, you know, everything about Talladega, especially that infield. It is about, you know, I can't wait to go back next year. It's an annual family tradition. It is, and then, of course, on our October race, we know we're back really close to Halloween, and so we call it Halladega. And everybody says, "Well, they dress up in October." I said, "Heck, they dress up in May." You know, they're just ready to go. One of the things I've always been so proud about when it comes to Talladega is that you guys really respect our military, and you give them a break. We do, and we started something a few years ago called the, with the military, where they get to, it's called the Freedom Trophy. And they get to come to Talladega, and we pick a base or a unit, and they get to come to Talladega and actually present the Freedom Trophy to the winner of the race, and it means so much to those folks to be able to come to Talladega and see the people, you know, that are going to receive the Freedom Trophy and be the ones that are actually presented to them, so that's a special thing for them as well. Good. I definitely want to put our conversation up on our iHeartRadio channel, which is called Purple Heart Homes Radio, and I just want the military to know how much you guys really, really appreciate their dedication. Well, it's us, too. But if you look at all of the NASCAR tracks, that's pretty consistent across all of our racetracks across the country, and everybody reaches out to the military almost on a weekly basis, and they're a big part of working with us, and we have 130 National Army National Guardsmen that will be here, and they basically tell us, "Hey, we'll help you do anything you need to do this weekend." And they do a lot of their marches, and in them here, you know, crossing our finish line and everything, so we work with them on a yearly basis anyway. See, that says a lot about you guys at Talladega, because that means the Newport community first. We do. I mean, we're kind of out here in the middle of nowhere, so our community extends out pretty far. Over the last 23 years I've been here, our average distance ticket sold is right at 293 miles. That means half of our customers come from further than that. So we're a big reach throughout the whole southeastern United States, but all the way up to the Midwest as well. Have you ever been out there so far in the country to figure out how far that NASCAR Hum is on that track when you got all those cars going? Well, I'd deer hunt around here sometime when they're running. It's pretty loud when they're deaf in there, that's for sure. Yeah, but when you hear it though, oh my goodness. I mean, there's like an excitement that goes through your body. It's like, it's racing season. You know, the difference, I tell people, you know, it's so big that when the cars come back by, that's because they're in a big pack all the time together. And when they go down through one and two and go down the back stretch, you can actually talk like we are right now because they're so far away. You can hardly hear them. But when they come back by, it gets pretty loud. Do you like that sound though where they go, when they're just flying by? Yes, I do. No doubt about it. So how has racing changed? How much has it changed, let's say, in the past one year or five years? Well, I think it's changed a lot because society has changed. You know, and we didn't have all of the social media five years ago that we have now. And I'm sure there'll be some new stuff coming out in any year now. And we'll be looking at that, you know, again. But it's changed dramatically. And life has speeded up a lot. But I'll tell you one thing that hasn't changed. When they get here and get ready to do what they can do on this race track, it cannot be duplicated at any other race track in the world. And that's why we hold all the competition records for the three closest finishes in NASCAR, all three series. The most lead changes, 88 lead changes, and 188 laps. And 29 different drivers actually got to the front of that race and let it lap, which all those things are records that we hold of competition records for NASCAR. Do you ever just sit in those board meetings going, "Wow!" Did you guys feel that? Well, it's just a special place. It always has been. I know the drivers, you know, it can't be any drivers' favorite race track because of the closeness of the competition, lap after lap after lap, and the mental clarity that they have to have at the end. But I'll tell you what, it sends, you know, I've been to every race track and it sends chills down your back when they do what they can do there. I love it. So it's a General Tire 200 on the 29th. We get the Sparks 300 on Saturday, April 30th, and the Geico 500 on Sunday, May 1st. You excited? I'm excited, folks. Just go to TalladegaSupeSpeedway.com or call us at 8777. Go to number two on your phone, dig at the EGA and come see us. Alright, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird-shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the partition. Partition? It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites, too. I just got it for 50 off. So, how about a Cosmopolitan? Or a mistletoe margarita? I'm thirsty. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength, and... Wow. It's beginning to feel more seasonal in here already. If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Bartetian, because Bartetian crafts every cocktail perfectly, in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got it for $50 off. 'Tis the season to be jolly-er. Add some holiday flavor to every celebration, with a sleek, sophisticated home cocktail maker, Bartetian. Pick up your phone and shake it to get $50 off any cocktail maker. Yes, you heard me. Shake your phone and get $50 off. Don't delay. Heads up, folks. Interest rates are falling. But as of September 23, 2024, you can still lock in a 6% or higher yield with Abond account at public.com. That's a pretty big deal. Because when rates drop, so can the interest you earn on your cash. Abond account allows you to lock in a 6% or higher yield with a diversified portfolio of high yield and investment grade corporate bonds. So while other people are watching their return shrink, you can sit back with regular interest payments. But you might want to act fast, because your yield is not locked in until you invest. The good news? It only takes a couple of minutes to sign up at public.com. Lock in a 6% or higher yield with Abond account, only at public.com. Brought to you by public investing member FinRhett SIPC. Yield to worst is not guaranteed. Not an investment recommendation. All investing involves risk. Visit public.com/disclosures for more info. [MUSIC PLAYING]