Contrary to public belief, the only game in town these days is not football as the state of Alabama revs up for this weekend’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway! A ridiculous crowd of 200,000 is expected to take in the race live and the local merchants are taking advantage of NASCAR popularity to gouge these crazed racing fans.
I thought the whole idea with having one of those humongous “Recreational Vehicles” was to save a whack of money by not having to pay for an expensive hotel room. With gas hovering around the $2.20 for a gallon mark, these guys will fork out $325-$570 just to park their apartment on wheels for three days. Don’t even bother making the last-minute call to the newly-opened 101 room Hampton Inn & Suites in Oxford, Alabama or the nearby 62-room Comfort Inn. They’re booked on race weekend for the next five years! America’s Best Value Inn of Anniston raises its price for a double room from $42 to $125 this weekend and a normally $60-$85 room at the Comfort will cost you $225.
Now if it’s package deals you are into, why not stay in nearby Atlanta, where for $800 you can grab yourself a room, seats in the tower section and transportation to and from the Speedway, so that you can wash down a couple of dozen Budweiser’s.
