NOTEBOOK: Thomas Annunziata wants to give his dad a new Talladega memory

Thomas Annunziata will never forget his first trip to Talladega Superspeedway in 2024.

Joined by his father Tommy, the then 19-year-old Annunziata got to walk the 2.66-mile track that was made famous by legends like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison and Jeff Gordon.

What was supposed to be a father-son bonding experience turned out a bit different than either of them expected.

“At the time, being at NASCAR races or events, it was like a pinch-myself moment. My father used to watch this stuff as a kid,” Annunziata explained. “We did a track walk, and it was way, way steeper than we thought it was going to be.”

Talladega Superspeedway features 33-degree banking in its turns, the steepest track on the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Cup Series schedules. The Annunziatas knew this but didn’t realize just how steep it actually was until they were standing at the top of Turn 4.

Thomas Annunziata (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

“It was terrifying. I don’t think people really understand how banked Talladega is,” Annunziata said. “We walked to the very top. Our shoes were falling off, like ripping off the soles. My father was terrified and wouldn’t let go of the wall in Turn 4. You couldn’t even get down without crawling or rolling.”

Tommy did eventually get down from the top of Turn 4 at Talladega, albeit not without a bit of effort.

“He had to take his shoes off, I think,” Annunziata said. “We were like wearing Adidas or whatever, nice sneakers. There was just so much lateral weight that it was just ripping off the soles.”

Looking back, Annunziata says that story helped give him a deeper appreciation for Talladega and how different the legendary track is compared to other venues on the NASCAR and ARCA circuits.

With that appreciation in mind, Annunziata is returning to Talladega this Saturday to compete in the ARCA Menards Series Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1) in the No. 70 Toyota for Nitro Motorsports.

Saturday’s race will be his second start at the track in ARCA competition following a 12th-place finish there in 2024. He’s hoping to end Saturday in Victory Lane and give his dad a new Talladega memory.

“It would definitely mean a lot right now,” Annunziata said. “Dale Earnhardt specifically was his favorite driver, and Dale Earnhardt won there more than anyone else. Now I’m racing there.

“I know two years ago he was choked up about the fact that I was even driving on it, let alone possibly having the opportunity to win.”

Vargas off to strong start with Maples Motorsports

Ryan Vargas has never been afraid of a little work.

He has spent years hustling to get whatever funding he could to support his racing programs, which have included events in the United States, Canada and Europe.

This year that hustle brought him to Maples Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series, where he is the anchor driver of the No. 91 entry for the team in addition to serving as the team’s operations manager.

So far, the new partnership has paid off. Vargas secured an eighth-place finish in the opener at Daytona International Speedway, which he followed with finishes of 17th at Phoenix Raceway and 11th at Kansas Speedway.

Vargas enters Saturday’s event at Talladega Superspeedway third in the driver standings, and another strong performance could push him even closer to the top of the standings.

Full field means unique qualifying situation at Talladega

With 41 entries entered for 40 available starting positions in Saturday’s Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 at Talladega Superspeedway, one unlucky driver won’t get to take the green flag.

How that driver will be determined is unique to Talladega, because there is no qualifying session scheduled for this weekend.

The first 36 starting positions in Saturday’s event will be set via the 2026 ARCA Menards Series owner standings, leaving four open positions available to the five drivers who aren’t locked into the field.

Those five drivers – Alli Owens, Sean Corr, Ryan Huff, Nick White and Ron Vandermeir Jr. – will get the chance to earn their starting positions via the group practice session scheduled for Friday.

Owens, Corr, Huff, White and Vandermeir will be the final drivers to take to the track during the group session. The four fastest drivers during their time on track will start in positions 37 through 40, with the slowest driver in the group failing to qualify for Saturday’s race.