Annual auto race at Talladega, Alabama
This article is about the race formerly called the Aaron's 312 held in Talladega. For the race formerly called the Aaron's 312 held in Atlanta, see
Nalley Cars 250
.
Ag-Pro 300
|
|
|
Venue
| Talladega Superspeedway
|
---|
Location
| Talladega, Alabama
,
United States
|
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Corporate
sponsor
| Ag-Pro
[1]
|
---|
First race
| 1992
(
1992
)
|
---|
Distance
| 300.58 miles (483.74 km)
|
---|
Laps
| 113
Stages 1/2:
25 each
Final stage:
63
|
---|
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)
Aaron's 312
(2003?2014)
Winn-Dixie 300
(2015)
Sparks Energy 300
(2016?2018)
MoneyLion 300
(2019)
[2]
Unhinged 300
(2020)
[3]
|
---|
Most wins (driver)
| Martin Truex Jr.
(3)
|
---|
Most wins (team)
| Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Joe Gibbs Racing
(5)
|
---|
Most wins (manufacturer)
| Chevrolet
(21)
|
---|
|
Surface
| Asphalt
|
---|
Length
| 2.66 mi (4.28 km)
|
---|
Turns
| 4
|
---|
The
Ag-Pro 300
is a
NASCAR Xfinity Series
race held at
Talladega Superspeedway
, a 300-mile race. It is held annually before the
NASCAR Cup Series
race, the
GEICO 500
.
From its inception in 1992 through 1996, the race was held in the summer, as a support race to the
Alabama 500
. When that race moved to the fall, this race moved to the spring as a support race to the corresponding Cup race.
Large wrecks involving 20 or more cars
have occurred a number of times in the history of the event, most notably in
2002
, when 31 cars were involved in an accident on the backstretch on lap 14, with 19 of them knocked out 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.
Unique race distance
[
edit
]
At its inception, the event debuted as a 117-lap, 500.86-kilometer (311.22 mi) event, the longest race on the Busch 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 and marketable "500" distance, even if it meant "500 kilometers" instead of miles (a custom also used at
Riverside
and
Phoenix
). The Busch 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 to 2001. The change shortened the race distance by just four laps.
In
2002
,
Aaron's
assumed title sponsorship and returned the race to a 312-mile (?500 kilometer) 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"). In 2015, the race returned to 300 miles.
Notable races
[
edit
]
- 1993:
The race lead changed 24 times at the stripe and several other times elsewhere as
Dale Earnhardt
battled
Ernie Irvan
and others. In the final laps
Michael Waltrip
squeezed ahead of Earnhardt but fell to second; Irvan led a three-car draft from several seconds back to challenge for the win, but on the final lap was hit by
Tracy Leslie
and flew twenty feet off the ground before landing on all four wheels; Earnhardt chopped off Leslie in Turn Three and
Randy LaJoie
stormed three wide to finish second.
- 1994:
The lead changed 30 times and was interrupted by only two cautions, none for any kind of accident, as
Ken Schrader
and
Terry Labonte
rocketed to the 1?2 finish with two laps to go.
- 1995:
Ward Burton
and
Randy LaJoie
both went for wild rides in separate accidents. LaJoie's crash came when he was driving in relief of
Tommy Houston
; with eight laps to go
Jeff Fuller
spun out of fourth and LaJoie slid sideways then got launched into a tumble; behind them
Robbie Reiser
hit the wall, plowed through another car's nose and his throttle stuck open, sending him into a savage crash into the pit wall.
- 1996:
In the final laps, amid a 20-car battle behind leader
Greg Sacks
,
Todd Bodine
was tagged, flew into the air, landed on his wheels, and pounded the inside wall. Sacks held on for the win, his first in NASCAR since 1985.
- 1999:
Terry Labonte
and
Joe Nemechek
got into a last-lap drag race and crossed the finish line nose to nose. It took nearly three minutes of examining the photo-finish video before NASCAR declared that Labonte had edged Nemecheck by inches at the stripe. It was Labonte's final Busch series win.
- 2001:
Mike McLaughlin
scores a surprising victory in the unsponsored #20
Joe Gibbs Racing
Pontiac
. McLaughlin won the race controversially, however, as he swerved his car below the yellow line to block other cars. The move drew the ire of veteran
Jimmy Spencer
, and NASCAR subsequently declared the double yellow line at Daytona and Talladega an out-of-bounds area.
- 2002:
In the largest Big One in the Modern Era of NASCAR,
Johnny Sauter
flipped halfway down the backstretch and sparked a thirty one-car melee on lap 14 including
Greg Biffle
,
Shane Hmiel
,
Randy LaJoie
,
Joe Nemechek
,
Mike McLaughlin
,
Jay Sauter
,
Scott Riggs
, and others.
Jason Keller
,
Stacy Compton
, and
Kenny Wallace
and a few drivers behind the wreck did not get damage.
Michael Waltrip
had a save close to colliding. On lap 46, Stacy Compton's decal ripped off his hood and got stuck at the base of the windshield, leaving a blank hood. With 8 laps to go, Kenny Wallace blew an engine and finished 9th, leaving three cars on the lead lap and two in contention to win. Jason Keller won the race, Stacy Compton came in second, and supposed
start and park
Tim Fedewa
(driving a second car for
Biagi Brothers Racing
, whose main driver
Mike Wallace
was involved in the big one) came in third, half a lap down.
- 2004:
NASCAR mandated the roof blade aerodynamic package for the Busch Series cars, the return of this package since it was run in Winston Cup in 2001.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
cars finished 1-2 as
Martin Truex Jr.
led the last 23 laps. A seven-car crash erupted in Turn One with two to go, ending the racing under yellow. The lead changed 21 times.
- 2005:
Rain forced the race to start later than schedules, at 4:30 p.m., and the first pileup occurred on lap 17 when
Mike Wallace
and
Casey Mears
got together in front of the entire pack heading towards turn 1 and leaving the track blocked for everyone behind them. The wreck involved
Kyle Busch
, points leader entering the day
Carl Edwards
,
Michael Waltrip
,
Kenny Wallace
,
J. J. Yeley
,
Shane Hmiel
, eventual winner
Martin Truex Jr.
, and others. A second rain delay occurred on lap 64, leaving the hopes of getting in the entire race in jeopardy. On lap 83, the 2nd pileup occurred when the 87 of
Joe Nemechek
came across the 20 of
Denny Hamlin
and Mears, sending Mears on to his roof, collecting several cars. The second-place point man
Clint Bowyer
was caught in three separate incidents, but still finished 19th. By race end, only 23 of the 43 cars finished the race, with 16 on the lead lap. The race ended at 8:20 P.M., with the track in near-darkness. It was the first race in NASCAR's second-tier series to have aired on broadcast network television in prime-time, as the final 20 minutes of the
Fox NASCAR
broadcast entered prime-time television.
- 2007:
The lead changed hands 36 times, a record that stood until 2011.
Casey Mears
led 22 laps until
Tony Stewart
grabbed the lead with two to go, but then
Bobby Labonte
drafted past for the win on the final lap.
- 2009:
The lead changed 33 times among 15 drivers.
Matt Kenseth
flipped over during the race. In a near-photo finish
David Ragan
rocketed from fourth in the final mile as leaders
Ryan Newman
and
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
got together and Ragan squeezed to the win on the high side.
- 2010:
Due to a rain delay, this race was double-headed with the
Sprint Cup race
earlier in the day. Due to that race extended twelve laps due to three green-white-checker finish attempts (another first), there was only a half-hour break for drivers doing the doubleheader. Many drivers hence ended up doing over 840 miles of racing (combining the overall distances that the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races went). In a wild finish,
Brad Keselowski
stormed from the middle line of a three-abreast battle for the win, overtaking Sprint Cup race winner
Kevin Harvick
, while behind him, the Sprint Cup race's second-place finisher
Jamie McMurray
got spun out and
Dennis Setzer
flew into the
catch fence
in turn 4, in the spot where a nine car crash happened in the Sprint Cup race on lap 189.
Carl Edwards
also suffered from a crash in the early part of the event. Combined, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races saw 121 lead changes (88 in the Sprint Cup, 33 in the Nationwide race).
- 2011:
Points leader
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
hit the wall and caused a red flag, then on Lap 88
Michael Waltrip
got turned into the backstretch wall by
Jamie McMurray
, who was attempting to draft pole sitter
Elliott Sadler
. The wreck ended up taking out sixteen cars and bringing out another red flag.
Kyle Busch
and
Joey Logano
finished 1-2 while
Mike Wallace
got blasted by Sadler and flipped on his roof once, crossing the finish line in 17th. The race also broke the record of the most lead changes in Nationwide Series history with 56.
- 2013:
NASCAR's new Air Titan track-drying system was able to dry the entire track in three hours despite heavy persistent rain. The first half saw over 20 lead changes and only two yellow flags. After a ten-car crash erupted with 25 scheduled laps to go, NASCAR decided to cut 10 laps off the distance to 107 due to incoming darkness. The race restarted on Lap 101 and seven laps to go but another yellow with two to go flew. Despite protests from drivers about pending darkness NASCAR set up one lone attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish. The race restarted with 108 laps completed, and Regan Smith rocketed from outside the top six into a three-abreast pass on
Joey Logano
and
Kasey Kahne
; a huge wreck in the tri-oval erupted coming to get the checkered flag and it took NASCAR a few minutes to decide the winner due to the caution, thinking
Kasey Kahne
won in a three-wide finish at the line. The tape showed Smith ahead at the moment of caution, and was declared the winner, coming just 7 laps short of the scheduled 117 lap distance. The lead changed 47 times among 16 drivers.
- 2014:
For 2014 NASCAR announced it would ban any form of push-drafting in the corners of restrictor plate races. The lead changed 27 times as
Elliott Sadler
, in a
Joe Gibbs Racing
Toyota, led 40 laps;
Chris Buescher
edged ahead of him at the white flag but Sadler drafted to the win on the final lap, his first in the Nationwide Series since 2012 and first with JGR. Daytona winner,
Regan Smith
, led 20 laps en route to a close third.
- 2020:
A second race in October called the Ag-Pro 300 was added to the schedule in support of the
YellaWood 500
.
[4]
It marked the first time that the Xfinity Series raced at Talladega in the fall.
[5]
Justin Haley
got his 3rd straight restrictor-plate track win, joining
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
in that regard.
- 2023:
The race featured two flips. The first one was from
Blaine Perkins
. Perkins got hooked by a spinning
Dexter Stacey
and his car turned right and got hit by
Jade Buford
. Buford lifted Perkins' car up in the air and flipped over and tumbled violently down the backstretch six times before coming to a rest on its wheels. During the wreck,
Kaz Grala
hit one of Perkins' wheels as he went to avoid the wreck. Perkins walked out of his car under his own power but was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
[6]
The second flip was from
Daniel Hemric
. Hemric was leading in the closing laps of the race when he went down to block
Sheldon Creed
but misjudged it and got turned by Creed triggering
the big one
. Hemric's car got ramped up by
Riley Herbst
and his car rode along the turn 3 and 4 wall while also taking out the turn four camera in the process before his car flipped and came to a rest onto its roof. Hemric climbed out uninjured.
Jeb Burton
would win his second career Xfinity Series race and his second at this track while also scoring the first win for owner
Jordan Anderson
.
[7]
Past winners
[
edit
]
- 2005, 2007, 2009?2013, 2016, 2018, 2022?2024:
Races extended due to
NASCAR overtime
finishes.
- 2010:
Race postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to rain.
- 2013:
Race postponed same day due to rain; shortened to 107 laps due to darkness; extended to lap 110 due to NASCAR overtime.
- 2020:
Race postponed from April 25 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
.
- 2021:
Race shortened due to rain.
Multiple winners (drivers)
[
edit
]
Multiple winners (teams)
[
edit
]
# Wins
|
Team
|
Years won
|
5
|
Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
/
Chance 2
|
1993, 2003-2006
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
2001, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
|
3
|
JR Motorsports
|
2013, 2016, 2022
|
2
|
Roush Fenway Racing
|
1997, 2009
|
NEMCO Motorsports
|
1998, 2000
|
Team Penske
|
2010, 2015
|
Kaulig Racing
|
2020, 2021
|
Richard Childress Racing
|
2019, 2024
|
Manufacturer wins
[
edit
]
# Wins
|
Make
|
Years won
|
21
|
Chevrolet
|
1992?1994, 1996, 1998?2000, 2003?2007, 2013, 2016, 2018?2024
|
6
|
Ford
|
1995, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2017
|
4
|
Toyota
|
2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
|
1
|
Pontiac
|
2001
|
Dodge
|
2010
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Ag-Pro Expands Partnership with Talladega Superspeedway with Ag-Pro 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, set for Saturday, April 24"
.
Talladega Superspeedway
(Press release). March 11, 2021
. Retrieved
March 11,
2021
.
- ^
Page, Scott (January 22, 2019).
"MoneyLion to sponsor Talladega XFINITY race"
.
Jayski's Silly Season Site
.
ESPN
. Retrieved
January 22,
2019
.
- ^
"Solstice Studios' Thriller Unhinged Joins TSS as Entitlement Partner for June 20 Xfinity Series Race"
.
Talladega Superspeedway
(Press release). June 11, 2020
. Retrieved
June 11,
2020
.
- ^
"Ag-Pro Joins Talladega's NASCAR Playoffs Weekend as Entitlement Partner for New NASCAR Xfinity Series Race"
.
Talladega Superspeedway
(Press release). September 3, 2020
. Retrieved
September 3,
2020
.
- ^
Albrecht, Peter (August 6, 2020).
"Talladega fall weekend adds Xfinity race"
.
WKRG-TV
. Retrieved
September 3,
2020
.
- ^
"NASCAR: Blaine Perkins hospitalized after car flips six times in wild Xfinity Series wreck at Talladega"
. Retrieved
April 23,
2023
.
- ^
"Jeb Burton scores second career Xfinity win at Talladega"
.
NASCAR
. April 22, 2023
. Retrieved
April 23,
2023
.
- ^
"1992 Fram Filter 500K"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1993 Fram Filter 500K"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1994 Fram Filter 500K"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1995 Humminbird Fishfinder 500K"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1996 Humminbird Fishfinder 500K"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1997 Birmingham Auto Dealers Easycare 500K"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1998 Touchstone Energy 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"1999 Touchstone Energy 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2000 Touchstone Energy 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2001 NASCAR Subway 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2002 Aaron's 312 at Talladega"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2003 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2004 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2005 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2006 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2007 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2008 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2009 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2010 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2011 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2012 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2013 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2014 Aaron's 312"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2015 Winn-Dixie 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2016 Sparks Energy 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2017 Sparks Energy 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2018 Sparks Energy 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2019 Money Lion 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2020 Unhinged 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2021 Ag-Pro 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2022 Ag-Pro 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2023 Ag-Pro 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
November 12,
2023
.
- ^
"2024 Ag-Pro 300"
.
Racing-Reference
. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC
. Retrieved
April 20,
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Current (
2024
)
|
|
---|
Former
| |
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Note
: The Xfinity Series has multiple events at the same racing venue.
|