Jell-O Pools, car wash

LINCOLN, Alabama – The chaos at Talladega Superspeedway is virtually guaranteed, but this is not exclusive to the Sunday Cup race of the series on NASCAR's longest runway.

As twilight settles on the campers at the bottom of the 2.66-mile trail, the party begins – or continues, depending on Friday's schedule of racing fans – on a long stretch of pavement called The Big One on the Boulevard. Every year, at both races of the Talladega Cup Series, fans look to watch the madness go away, drink by hand, while the smoke from a campfire fills the air and that they are waiting for the pilots on a parade float.

But those who actually participate in wild and absurd games seem to drink faster. How else can you prepare to embarrass yourself in front of hundreds of people?

"We participated in the games last year and we wanted to come back and start again," said 26-year-old Katie Hill. With a Miller Lite in her hand and a blue tutu around her waist, she and her childhood friend, Elizabeth Moulton, were looking forward to participating in the main event of the night, the Dirty Girl Deluxe hurdle.

Moulton won one of the games last year – $ 250 in a game that they described as "a stake in a pudding", which essentially consists of a fight in the pudding for a " gold poo ".

But this year, four women with different color tutus – Moulton was fuchsia – would burst through a series of noodles, dive into a bowl of soapy water, go out and see who could clean a window covered with sauce. the fastest mustard and chocolate.

The catch? Competitors are not allowed to use their hands.

"This year is a little riskier," said Hill. "It's basically a wet t-shirt contest, but it's so much fun. We are enthusiastic people and ready to follow the thread. "

Hill ended up winning this time, winning a gigantic $ 300 check.

Drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones and Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. – who owned a horn and microphone, as well as Rick Allen of NBC and Daryl of FOX Sports Motte – watched the matches of his private party, encouraged the candidates and threw pearl necklaces into the crowd.

It all started with the Miso Hangry Eating contest, where four very hungry and intoxicated men competed in a three-lap race where the last person to finish in each round was eliminated. They started with a pot of boiled eggs in the first round, then headed for beef dumplings and finished with a giant bowl of ramen noodles covered with chili paste.

Bobby Williams, a 28-year-old from Milton, Florida, said he prepared the meal by eating nothing all day, while Danny Roark, 48, of Indiana, did not do more than drink. for preparing.

"I'm fat and hungry," said Roark, the first competitor eliminated after finishing the vinegar eggs.

Williams' strategy worked well as he advanced to the final round with the ramen. He survived his opponent – who threw up the stage in front of the pilot's float – and Wallace shouted on the stage next to him, moving away with $ 100 for his efforts.

Then there was the Slipp-'N-Slide Slipp-'- Hung-Human Hungry Hippos, described by participant Mark Gilbert, 38, from Knotts Island, North Carolina, as "chairs musical but with slippery balls "with 100 dollars at stake.

This is a fairly accurate description, given that a giant tarpaulin was covered with dish soap and canola oil while eight competitors were trying to place one of the seven balls in a bucket with only one person eliminated in each round. The twist was in addition to the already slippery tarpaulin, two huge inflatable elephants sprinkled water from their trunk to the surface.

And then there was the Tug-O-War rubber tire. Four men and four women were separated into their own categories and two participants at a time competed for a tire in a pool filled with Jell-O. The winners of the first round fought in the final and each winner won $ 250.

"Good times!" Said Wallace, a newcomer to the NASCAR series in the # 43 Chevrolet.

The native of Alabama said the microphone he owned last year during the crazy festivities was an impromptu gesture, but this year the track asked him to officially MC. He angered the drunk crowd while arguing and mocking the competitors.

At one point, a Jell-O-covered woman chased Wallace around the other obstacles, seeming to want a hug. But he did not look scared.

"A favorite game? I do not know, they are all good, "said Wallace. "But the arm wrestling was probably my favorite. The Jell-O is great. But the car wash was a close second. "