NASCAR playoffs roll into Talladega with cloud of lawsuit hanging over sport
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
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — It's most fitting that NASCAR this weekend races at Talladega Superspeedway, sight 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.
The PDA wanted to postpone the race, NASCAR founder Bill France said no and things quickly turned contentious. So 36 of NASCAR's regulars boycotted the event, but France made sure the show went on without them.
And now here we are, 55 years later, back at Talladega with the France family again under challenge. This time from only two teams — the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports — who this week filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over its charter system.
