AMP Energy 500

All you want to know about AMP Energy 500

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AMP Energy 500
AMP Energy 500
Venue Talladega Superspeedway
Corporate sponsor AMP Energy Drink
PepsiCo
First race 1969
Distance 500.08 miles (804.8 km)
Number of laps 188
Previous names Talladega 500 (1969-1987)

Talladega DieHard 500 (1988-1989)

DieHard 500 (1990-1997)

Winston 500 (1998-2000)

EA Sports 500 (2001-2004)

UAW-Ford 500 (2005-2007)

The AMP Energy 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.[1] The AMP Energy 500 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the Aaron's 499, the Coke Zero 400, and the Daytona 500. Through 1996, the race was normally held in early August or late July. In 1997, it was moved, after overwhelming fans' requests, to early October due to the uncomfortably hot summer temperatures, and sometimes unpredictable summertime thunderstorms in the Alabama area. In 2009 the race will move again, this time to early November as part of a realignment agreement with Atlanta and Fontana (where Fontana will earn a race in the Chase and Atlanta will gain the Labor Day weekend race).

In 1998, the name of the race was swapped with that of the spring race. The fall race became known as the Winston 500 for three years in order to promote the Winston No Bull 5 program.

During the driver introductions in 2005, Ricky Bobby and other characters were introduced in order to shoot scenes for the movie Talladega Nights.

Past winners

AMP Energy 500

UAW-Ford 500

EA Sports 500

Winston 500

DieHard 500

  • 1997 - Terry Labonte
  • 1996 - Jeff Gordon (343.14 miles / 129 laps due to darkness - late start caused by rain + in-race red flags)
  • 1995 - Sterling Marlin
  • 1994 - Jimmy Spencer
  • 1993 - Dale Earnhardt
  • 1992 - Ernie Irvan
  • 1991 - Dale Earnhardt
  • 1990 - Dale Earnhardt

Talladega DieHard 500

Talladega 500

Notable Races

  • The 1969 race was marred by a driver's strike by the Professional Drivers Association over track safety issues, even though officials proved the track was safe for racing.
  • The 1986 race won by Bobby Hillin Jr. saw 26 different leaders, a motorsports record tied several times since but yet to be broken.
  • Brian Vickers' win in 2006 was met by a storm of debris from enraged fans when he, while running third, hooked teammate and second place driver Jimmie Johnson into race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap, sending both spinning.
  • Michael Waltrip's last win came in this race in 2003, a race where Elliott Sadler's car became airborne and tumbled from the backstretch to turn three with seven to go.
  • Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s win in 2004 was a dramatic one, as on the last lap of the race, the current defending champion of the UAW-Ford 500, Jeff Gordon, brushed the wall exiting turn two, collecting then-rookie Kasey Kahne and championship contender Greg Biffle. No caution was thrown for the wreck, and the leaders continued to race to the finish line. At the finish, Elliott Sadler, who took a terrible tumble during the race the year before, flipped at the start-finish line after making contact with Ward Burton. The race had several wrecks, the biggest one being a hard crash that took out championship contender Jeremy Mayfield. Brendan Gaughan triggered a scary crash that sent Bobby Labonte and Sterling Marlin head-on into the outside wall. The race was also famous for Earnhardt Jr. swearing in Victory Lane during the post-race television interview, and being docked 25 championship points as a result.
  • The 2000 race was famous for being Dale Earnhardt's last win. Earnhardt managed to come from deep in the field and gain seventeen positions in the final four laps to score the victory.
  • The 2001 race was Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s first Talladega win. He passed Tony Stewart on the last lap to take the win. The last lap was famous for Stewart's teammate Bobby Labonte flipping over after being tagged by Bobby Hamilton. Labonte's spinning car clipped Johnny Benson, sending Benson head-on into the outside wall, causing a wreck involving many cars.
  • Much like the EA Sports 500 the year before, the 2005 UAW-Ford 500 was a wild race. Two cars flipped over in separate accidents. 2003 EA Sports 500 winner Michael Waltrip was hit by Mark Martin after being involved in a wreck that began when Jimmie Johnson spun Elliott Sadler. Not long after, Ryan Newman spun Casey Mears, which started a chain reaction resulting in Scott Riggs flipping several times before being hit by Jeff Burton. The race was incident-filled, and Dale Jarrett took his last win in the race. Scenes from this race were used in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and actors from the movie were introduced in driver introduction.
  • The last UAW-Ford 500 was won by Jeff Gordon in dramatic style. Gordon pulled off a comeback much like Dale Earnhardt had in 2000, working his way from the back in the closing laps, and passed teammate Jimmie Johnson with a push from Dave Blaney on the final lap.
  • The newly named AMP Energy 500 in 2008, featured a record 28 leaders and featured two accidents that took a number of contenders out of the running. Regan Smith passed Tony Stewart underneath the yellow line at the finish. The pass was illegal by NASCAR rules which prohibit passing under the yellow line. The victory was awarded to Stewart.

References

  1. ^ AMP Energy to sponsor Sprint Cup Series Race
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