Talladega Superspeedway's fans have been in the loop for a long time when it comes to knowing the best place to witness the most exciting and competitive racing on the NASCAR circuit, but new statistical data provided by the sanctioning body backs it up with astounding numbers. Most of the new loop data now provided by NASCAR gives detailed information on driver performance, however a couple of the new measurements shed more light on the nature of racing at the various tracks on the circuit. Not surprisingly, Talladega Superspeedway emerges at the top of these charts for all three of NASCAR's top national series. Charts follow.

Talladega Superspeedway hosted four NASCAR-sanctioned races this season, the April 29 Aaron's 312 NASCAR Busch Series race, the May 1 Aaron's 499 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race, the Oct. 7 inaugural John Deere 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and the Oct. 8 UAW-Ford 500, race four in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. All four of the races top the NASCAR loop data charts for total passes under green flag conditions and speed in traffic under green flag conditions (highest rate of speed recorded when another vehicle is within one car length).

In NASCAR's top three series, no races at any other track have come close to the spectacular number of passes recorded under green at Talladega Superspeedway. In NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition, the UAW-Ford 500 produced 15,951 and the Aaron's 499 produced 9,131. Third on the list is the Daytona 500, which produced 8,727, followed by 6,630 in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona and 3,292 in the Sony HD 500 at California. Most drivers expected a lot of passing in the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega because it was the first race contested on the brand new racing surface constructed over the summer, however almost everyone was amazed when the numbers returned a 75 percent increase over the track's spring race.

"During the UAW-Ford 500 event weekend, I gave a quick recap of our paving project to the media, and to put the size of the project in perspective I explained that the amount of asphalt we used was more than what was used to pave Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond combined," said Talladega Superspeedway President Grant Lynch. "Now, it also appears that our paving project has given us racing that produces more total passes in just one race than in all the NEXTEL Cup Series races this season combined at those same three tracks. It is just incredible."

The Aaron's 312 holds the top spot for total passes under green in the NASCAR Busch Series with 6,660, followed by the Hershey's Kissables 300 at Daytona, which produced 3,417. Third on that list is Michigan's Carfax 250, which produced 2,319. In NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition, Talladega Superspeedway's inaugural John Deere 250 exceeded expectations of excitement with a whopping 5,455 total passes under green conditions - - more than twice the number produced during the race holding the second spot, the GM Flex Fuel 250 at Daytona.

Talladega Superspeedway also topped the Speed In Traffic charts for all three series throughout the season. This statistic is the highest speed recorded by any car on the track when another car is within one car length under green conditions. The race with the highest speeds in traffic recorded in the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series was the Oct. 8 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, during which Matt Kenseth reached the highest speed in traffic of 194.740 mph. The race with the second highest speeds in traffic was the May 1 Aaron's 499 at Talladega, during which Kasey Kahne's speed of 192.541 mph tops the chart. Furthermore, all but two of the 43 drivers competing in the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega surpassed the highest traffic speed set in the spring here by Kahne. Elsewhere on the circuit this year, the highest speed posted in traffic was 188.409 mph in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

In NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition, the results are similar. Each driver's highest speeds in traffic ranged from 188.385 mph (John Andretti) to 186.715 mph in the Aaron's 312 at Talladega. The event with the second highest speeds in traffic was the Hershey's Kissables 300 at Daytona, during which Jamie McMurray set the bar at 184.170 mph. The John Deere 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega featured a range of highest speeds in traffic from 191.958 mph (Erin Crocker) to 191.051 mph. The race with the second highest range was the GMY Flex Fuel 250 at Daytona, at the high end of which was Mark Martin's speed of 186.154 mph.