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Byline: Ed Hinton
ORLANDO, Fla. _ Dale Earnhardt enjoys winning the 1999 Diehard 500 at Talladega, Ala. He got his last victory there four years ago this month. It was the 76th of his career. Long before the world's biggest oval track was built _ even before white settlers came, naming the place Dry Valley after failing to find water for their oxen _ "the Indians used to have pony races over there, ever' Sunday," the old-timer said.
He shifted his weight on a park bench in downtown Talladega, Ala., and went on: "One Sunday evenin', a big Talladega chief got knocked off his horse and got killed. That's what started this whole thing."
He meant the notion of the Talladega Jinx.
He spoke so long ago I can't remember his name, only that he told a whopper. Why would the Talladegas, long before they were exposed to European customs, observe any such day as "Sunday," let alone designate it for sports events?
But the old guy seemed to believe it. That's how deeply rooted the Jinx was in the local psyche.
I have two reasons for bringing this up. First, as Talladega Superspeedway celebrates its 35th anniversary leading into Sunday's EA Sports 500, there has been no mention of the Jinx, which loomed ...
Source: HighBeam Research, Fact or fiction: the Talladega Jinx.(The Orlando Sentinel)