Talladega Superspeedway was conceived by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and built on land donated by the city of Talladega, Alabama, at the site of the former Anniston Air Force Base. At the groundbreaking in May 1968, France Sr. stated his intention to host NASCAR, sports car, and motorcycle events at the new facility. In April 1969, as construction of the main track neared completion, France Sr. announced the addition of a 4-mile roval road course. The superspeedway opened in September 1969 as Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) and was renamed Talladega Superspeedway in January 1989.
The road course measures 4.000 miles (6.437 km) and is described as a roval, incorporating sections of the 2.660-mile oval — including its steeply banked turns at 33 degrees — alongside an infield road section. The combination of the longest oval on the NASCAR schedule with an infield road course produces a circuit of unusual length and character among hybrid oval-road layouts.
In the 1970s, the road course was used by the IMSA GT Championship, which first raced at Talladega Superspeedway in 1971. The series returned to the circuit five more times during the decade, including a six-hour endurance event in 1978. An IMSA race was scheduled for 1979 but the series withdrew from the event. The road course has seen little competitive use in subsequent decades relative to the main oval, which hosts two annual NASCAR Cup Series races including the Geico 500 and the YellaWood 500.
Talladega Superspeedway is owned by NASCAR. As of 2022, the grandstands seat 80,000, reduced from a peak of approximately 143,000 in 2003. The track complex covers around 3,000 acres, making it the largest on the NASCAR schedule. The infield covers around 270 acres and accommodates approximately 2,700 RV spots. The main oval is the longest on the NASCAR calendar, and in its early years set numerous closed-course land speed records. Buddy Baker became the first person to break 200 mph (322.591 km/h) on a closed course at the track in March 1970; A. J. Foyt set the overall closed-circuit speed record of 217.315 mph in August 1974, which was subsequently broken by Mark Donohue at 221.160 mph in 1975.
The Talladega road course represents a feature that was present at the superspeedway from its founding era and reflects Bill France Sr.'s original vision of the facility as a multi-discipline motorsport venue. The IMSA appearances during the 1970s provided some of the few instances of endurance sports car racing on a configuration that blended a full-length superspeedway oval with infield road sections. The circuit remains part of the Talladega Superspeedway complex and constitutes one of the longest roval-style layouts at any American venue.