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| Venue | Talladega Superspeedway |
| Corporate sponsor | Aaron's Rents, Inc. |
| First race | 1992 |
| Distance | 311.2 miles (500.8 km) |
| Number of laps | 117 |
| Previous names | Fram Filter 500k (1992-1994)
Humminbird Fishfinder 500K(1995-1996) Birmingham Auto Dealers 500K (1997) Touchstone Energy 300 (1998-2000) Subway 300 (2001) Aaron's 312 at Talladega (2002) |
The Aaron's 312 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway. The race's sponsor, Aaron's, is a lease-to-own retailer. The twelve extra miles are tacked on to what would normally be a 300-mile (480 km) race for targeted advertising purposes.
At its inception, the event debuted as a 500-kilometer (312-mile) event, the longest race on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Automobile races in the United States measured in kilometers, especially those in NASCAR, are few. Through their history, ARCA races held at the track carried the more attractive "500" distance, even if it meant "500 kilometers" instead of miles (a custom also used at Riverside and Phoenix). The Nationwide Series race mimicked that precedent.
In 1998, fans complained about the use of kilometers, which was seen as a European custom. They argued that kilometers are rarely used in the United States, noting that the track measurement itself was still advertised in miles. Management changed the race to a 300-mile (480 km) event from 1998-2001. The change shortened the race distance by four laps.
In 2002, Aaron's assumed title sponsorship and returned the race to a 312-mile (502 km) event. The race distance is only coincidental to that of 1992-1997. The distance, advertised unequivocally in miles this time, was set to reflect the sponsor's slogan ("3 ways to buy, 12 reasons to shop at Aaron's").
Large wrecks involving 20 or more cars have occurred a number of times in the history of the event, most notably in 2002. 30 cars were involved in an accident on the backstretch on lap 14, with 19 knocked out of the race at that point. The remainder of the race, following a long red-flag period, had little resemblance to typical restrictor plate racing as only two cars were within short distance at the checkered flag and only three finished on the lead lap.
Past winners
Aaron's 312
- 2009 - David Ragan (race extended to 120 laps / 319.2 miles / 513.912 km due to a green-white-checker finish)
- 2008 - Tony Stewart
- 2007 - Bobby Labonte (race extended to 120 laps / 319.2 miles / 513.912 km due to a green-white-checker finish)
- 2006 - Martin Truex Jr.
- 2005 - Martin Truex Jr. (race extended to 120 laps / 319.2 miles / 513.912 km due to a green-white-checker finish)
- 2004 - Martin Truex Jr.
- 2003 - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- 2002 - Jason Keller (race distance returned to 117 laps / 311.2 miles / 501.064 km)
Subway 300
- 2001 - Mike McLaughlin
Touchstone Energy 300
- 2000 - Joe Nemechek
- 1999 - Terry Labonte
- 1998 - Joe Nemechek (race distance changed to 113 laps / 300.58 miles / 483.934 km due to fan complaints)
Birmingham 500K
- 1997 - Mark Martin
Humminbird Fishfinder 500K
- 1996 - Greg Sacks
- 1995 - Chad Little
Fram Filters 500k
- 1994 - Ken Schrader
- 1993 - Dale Earnhardt
- 1992 - Ernie Irvan
References
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