Thomas Annunziata will never forget his first trip to Talladega Superspeedway in 2024.

Joined by his father Tommy, the then 19-year-old Annunziata got to walk the 2.66-mile track that was made famous by legends like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison and Jeff Gordon.

What was supposed to be a father-son bonding experience turned out a bit different than either of them expected.

“At the time, being at NASCAR races or events, it was like a pinch-myself moment. My father used to watch this stuff as a kid,” Annunziata explained. “We did a track walk, and it was way, way steeper than we thought it was going to be.”

Talladega Superspeedway features 33-degree banking in its turns, the steepest track on the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Cup Series schedules. The Annunziatas knew this but didn’t realize just how steep it actually was until they were standing at the top of Turn 4.

“It was terrifying. I don’t think people really understand how banked Talladega is,” Annunziata said. “We walked to the very top. Our shoes were falling off, like ripping off the soles. My father was terrified and wouldn’t let go of the wall in Turn 4. You couldn’t even get down without crawling or rolling.”

Tommy did eventually get down from the top of Turn 4 at Talladega, albeit not without a bit of effort.

“He had to take his shoes off, I think,” Annunziata said. “We were like wearing Adidas or whatever, nice sneakers. There was just so much lateral weight that it was just ripping off the soles.”

Looking back, Annunziata says that story helped give him a deeper appreciation for Talladega and how different the legendary track is compared to other venues on the NASCAR and ARCA circuits.

With that appreciation in mind, Annunziata is returning to Talladega this Saturday to compete in the ARCA Menards Series Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1) in the No. 70 Toyota for Nitro Motorsports.

Saturday’s race will be his second start at the track in ARCA competition following a 12th-place finish there in 2024. He’s hoping to end Saturday in Victory Lane and give his dad a new Talladega memory.

“It would definitely mean a lot right now,” Annunziata said. “Dale Earnhardt specifically was his favorite driver, and Dale Earnhardt won there more than anyone else. Now I’m racing there.

“I know two years ago he was choked up about the fact that I was even driving on it, let alone possibly having the opportunity to win.”