Pep Boys Auto 500

Pep Boys Auto 500

Venue	Atlanta Motor Speedway
Corporate sponsor	Pep Boys
First race	1960
Distance	500.5 miles (805.5 km)
Number of laps	325
Previous names	Dixie 300 (1960) Dixie 400 (1961-1966) Dixie 500 (1967-1979) Atlanta Journal 500 (1980-1990) Hardee's 500 (1991) Hooters 500 (1992-1994) NAPA 500 (1995-2002) Bass Pro Shop MBNA 500 (2003-2006)

The Pep Boys Auto 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. This most recent name change for the fall Atlanta race reflects a rescheduling of this particular race, the second in its history. Prior to its most recent rescheduling the fall Atlanta race was always run during the final stages of the NASCAR season, in either October or November, and was one of the ten races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup from its inauguration in 2004 until 2008.

With the realignment NASCAR returns its Labor Day weekend Cup race to the southern United States for the first time since the 2003 Southern 500.

Overview

From 1987 until 2001, the race was scheduled as the final race of the NASCAR season, and typically the event in which the champion was decided. Several times, however, the championship was decided prior to this race, or was decided when the points leader simply started the race, clinching enough points simply by finishing last or better.

The 1992 event marked the final race for Richard Petty, and coincidentally, the debut for Jeff Gordon. With six drivers eligible for the Winston Cup Championship, the race is widely regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR races of all time. Alan Kulwicki, who finished second in the race, edged out Bill Elliott, the race winner, by leading one more lap in the race. Kulwicki won the NASCAR Winston Cup title by a then-record margin of only 10 points.

In 2001, the race was scheduled as the season finale, however, it ended up being the second-to-last race. The New Hampshire 300 was postponed from September 16 to the Friday after Thanksgiving, due to 9/11. Beginning in 2002 the race was moved to mid-October as NASCAR elected to hold its final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway instead of Atlanta. The 2003 race started a tradition of night qualifying at Atlanta, which has carried over to the spring race as well.

The 1998 race was run mostly at night after a long rain delay; despite the inexperience with the lights, newly installed for an Indy Racing League race, NASCAR and the teams agreed to attempt finishing the race at night. It was shortened to 221 laps because it was after 11:00 PM and NASCAR wanted to "get the fans out at a decent hour". The 1999 Cracker Barrel 500 also ended at night.

In 2006, the race start time was changed from 12:40 PM to 2:55 PM in order to finish the race at night. Driver complaints erupted because of the track's troublesome situation where the sun can get into the driver's eyes in Turn 1, including leading to a crash during the time the sun sets in that area of the track between Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray, led to the abandonment of the 3 PM start after this race.

Beginning in 2009 the race will be run Labor Day weekend as part of a realignment agreement with Auto Club Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where Talladega's fall race will move to the Atlanta race weekend and Fontana will get a race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, moving into the date where Talladega's race was. ^[1] As was the the case with the recent Labor Day weekend races run at Fontana the Pep Boys Auto 500 will be run at night, marking the first regularly scheduled Sprint Cup race at Atlanta to start at night.

Past winners

Year	Date	Driver	Car Make	Winner's Prize (USD)	Distance (miles)	Average Speed (mph)
Dixie 300
1960	July 31	Fireball Roberts	'60 Pontiac	$10,130	300	112.652
Dixie 400
1961	September 17	David Pearson	'61 Pontiac	$	400.5
1962	October 28	Rex White	'62 Chevrolet	$	400.5
1963	June 30	Junior Johnson	'63 Chevrolet	$	400.5
1964	June 7	Ned Jarrett	'64 Ford	$	400.5
1965	June 13	Marvin Panch	'65 Ford	$	400.5
1966	August 7	Richard Petty	'66 Plymouth	$	400.5
Dixie 500
1967	August 6	Dick Hutcherson	'67 Ford	$	501
1968	August 4	LeeRoy Yarbrough	'68 Ford	$	501
1969	August 10	LeeRoy Yarbrough	'69 Ford	$	501
1970	August 2	Richard Petty	'70 Plymouth	$	499.216
1971	August 1	Richard Petty	'71 Plymouth	$	499.216
1972	July 23	Bobby Allison	'72 Chevrolet	$	499.216
1973	July 22	David Pearson	'71 Mercury	$	499.216
1974	July 28	Richard Petty	'74 Dodge	$	499.216
1975	November 9	Buddy Baker	'75 Ford	$	499.216
1976	November 7	Dave Marcis	Dodge	$	499.216
1977	November 6	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	$	407.896
1978	November 5	Donnie Allison	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1979	November 4	Neil Bonnett	Mercury	$	499.216
Atlanta Journal 500
1980	November 2	Cale Yarborough	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1981	November 8	Neil Bonnett	Ford	$	499.216
1982	November 7	Bobby Allison	Buick	$	499.216
1983	November 6	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1984	November 11	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1985	November 3	Bill Elliott	Ford	$	499.216
1986	November 2	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1987	November 22	Bill Elliott	Ford	$	499.216
1988	November 20	Rusty Wallace	Pontiac	$	499.216
1989	November 19	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1990	November 18	Morgan Shepherd	Ford	$	499.216
Hardee's 500
1991	November 17	Mark Martin	Ford	$	499.216
Hooters 500
1992	November 15	Bill Elliott	Ford	$	499.216
1993	November 14	Rusty Wallace	Pontiac	$	499.216
1994	November 13	Mark Martin	Pontiac	$	499.216
NAPA 500
1995	November 12	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1996	November 10	Bobby Labonte	Chevrolet	$	499.216
1997	November 16	Bobby Labonte	Pontiac	$	500.5
1998	November 8	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$	340.34
1999	November 21	Bobby Labonte	Pontiac	$	500.5
2000	November 20	Jerry Nadeau	Chevrolet	$	500.5
2001	November 18	Bobby Labonte	Pontiac	$	500.5
2002	October 27	Kurt Busch	Ford	$	381.92
Bass Pro Shop MBNA 500
2003	October 28	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$	500.5
2004	October 31	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	$	500.5
2005	October 30	Carl Edwards	Ford	$	500.5
2006	October 29	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	$	500.5
Pep Boys Auto 500
2007	October 28	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	$	506.66
2008	October 26	Carl Edwards	Ford	$	500.5
2009	September 6	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	$	500.5

• 1977: Race shortened to 268 laps / 407.896 miles due to rain/darkness.
• 1984: Driver Terry Schoonover was killed in the race after crashing into the barrier in turn two.
• 1987: For the first time, this race was scheduled as the final race of the NASCAR season.
• 1989: In this race, independent driver Grant Addcox was killed in a crash.
• 1990: One of Bill Elliott's crew members was killed when Ricky Rudd was coming into the pits for service and lost control of his car. This led to NASCAR mandating a speed limit on pit road for crew members safety.
• 1992: Widely considered one of the Greatest NASCAR races of all time. See 1992 Hooters 500
• 1993: Race winner Wallace, and Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt circled the track in a Polish Victory Lap, carrying #7 and #28 flag to honor Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison who were both killed in aviation accidents during the season. Both Kulwicki and Allison were key fixtures exactly one year earlier at the classic 1992 race.
• 1995: Dale Earnhardt drove his #3 to victory at the race time of 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 3 seconds.
• 1996: Labonte's older brother Terry clinched the 1996 Winston Cup Championship driving for Hendrick Motorsports. The two made a victory lap together and celebrated together in victory lane.
• 1997: 325 laps / 500.5 miles with new configuration.
• 1998: Race shortened to 221 laps / 340.34 due to rain. First night Cup race.
• 2000: Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain. Final career start for Darrell Waltrip. It would be the final time the event would be the last race of the NASCAR season.
• 2001: Was scheduled to be the final race of the 2001 season, but Loudon was moved to the weekend after due to 9/11. That instead made this the second-to-last race of the season.
• 2002: Race shortened to 248 laps / 381.92 miles due to rain. Moved from November to October, such that the race will no longer be the final race of the NASCAR season.
• 2003: Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
• 2007: Race extended to 329 laps / 506.66 miles due to a Green-white-checker finish.
• 2009: Race moved from October to Laber Day weekend and marking the first regularly scheduled Sprint Cup race at Atlanta to start at night.

Realignment

This race, Atlanta's second of the season, had been rumored to be either eliminated or moved several times in recent years. Most recently, track owner Bruton Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., was talking with International Speedway Corporation about a possible date switch with one of its tracks. On February 29, 2008, Smith proposed a move that involved the fall Atlanta race and the Pepsi 500, the Labor Day weekend race held at Auto Club Speedway. ^[2] Doing so gave the Fontana, California track a race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup as well as return the Labor Day weekend race to the southern U.S. for the first time since the second-to-last Southern 500 was run. It also makes the three races that precede the beginning of the Chase closer to each other geographically. Prior to the realignment, the teams raced in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol the week before Labor Day, then traveled cross country for the Pepsi 500, then came back across the country to run the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond the following Saturday.

Ultimately, NASCAR adjusted the schedule as announced on August 19, 2008 to allow the fall race at Atlanta and the Chase event to Fontana to be swapped, but also in the process moved the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to Atlanta's old date - usually the last weekend in October - and the aforementioned Pepsi 500 was placed in the old Talladega date, the first weekend in October beginning in 2009.

References

1. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3543062
2. ^ NASCAR.COM - Smith proposes date swap between California, Atlanta - Feb 29, 2008