 |
|
| Venue | Auto Club Speedway |
| Corporate sponsor | Automobile Club of Southern California |
| First race | 1997 |
| Distance | 500 miles (804.7 km) |
| Number of laps | 250 |
| Previous names | California 500 Presented by NAPA (1997-1999) |
The Auto Club 500 is a 500 miles (804.7 km) long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. This is one of two races held at the Auto Club Speedway, the other being the Pepsi 500. Prior to 2005, the race was held in late April or early May. When the NASCAR Realignment of that year was made, the race was moved to February.
Contents |
History
After nearly a decade, NASCAR came back to Southern California on June 22, 1997 with the inaugural California 500. The race featured 21 lead changes among a dozen different drivers. Jeff Gordon passed Mark Martin with 11 laps remaining and sped to victory. Terry Labonte took second, giving Hendrick Motorsports another 1-2 finish.
Gordon has won this race three times and Matt Kenseth has three wins, making them the only drivers to win it more than once. Roush Fenway Racing has won each of the last five Auto Club 500 races.
Past winners
| Year | Date | Driver | Car Make | Winner's Prize (USD) |
Distance (miles) |
Average Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California 500 Presented by NAPA | ||||||
| 1997 | June 22 |  Jeff Gordon |
Chevrolet | $144,600 | 500 | 155.012 |
| 1998 | May 3 |  Mark Martin |
Ford | $141,375 | 500 | 140.22 |
| 1999 | May 2 | Jeff Gordon |
Chevrolet | $155,890 | 500 | 150.276 |
| NAPA Auto Parts 500 | ||||||
| 2000 | April 30 |  Jeremy Mayfield |
Ford | $125,925 | 500 | 149.378 |
| 2001 | April 29 |  Rusty Wallace |
Ford | $195,090 | 500 | 143.118 |
| 2002 | April 28 | Jimmie Johnson |
Chevrolet | $176,750 | 500 | 150.088 |
| Auto Club 500 | ||||||
| 2003 | April 27 |  Kurt Busch |
Ford | $213,150 | 500 | 140.111 |
| 2004 | May 2 | Jeff Gordon |
Chevrolet | $318,628 | 500 | 137.268 |
| 2005 | February 27 |  Greg Biffle |
Ford | $288,650 | 500 | 139.697 |
| 2006 | February 26 |  Matt Kenseth |
Ford | $324,911 | 502 | 147.852 |
| 2007 | February 25 | Matt Kenseth |
Ford | $342,316 | 500 | 138.451 |
| 2008 | February 24/25 | Carl Edwards |
Ford | $340,500 | 500 | 132.704 |
| 2009 | February 22 | Matt Kenseth |
Ford | $346,615 | 500 | 135.839 |
- 2006: Race extended to 251 laps / 502 miles due to a Green-white-checker finish.
- 2008: Race started on Sunday but was finished on Monday due to rain.
Manufacturer wins
| Rank | Manufacturer | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 9 |
| 2 | Chevrolet | 4 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
External links
 |
This NASCAR-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
