NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega (spring race) explained

Race Title:Ag-Pro 300
Series Long:NASCAR Xfinity Series
Venue:Talladega Superspeedway
Location:Talladega, Alabama, United States
Sponsor:Ag-Pro[1]
Distance:300.58miles
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 Mi:2.66
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

At its inception, the event debuted as a 117-lap, 500.86adj=onNaNadj=on 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 300miles 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

Past winners

YearDateDriverTeamManufacturerRace distanceRace timeAverage speed
(mph)
Ref
LapsMiles (km)
1992July 254Ernie IrvanErnie IrvanChevrolet117311.22 (500.86)1:57:55158.359[8]
1993July 243Dale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet117311.22 (500.86)2:07:12146.801[9]
1994July 2352Ken SchraderKen SchraderChevrolet117311.22 (500.86)1:51:30167.473[10]
1995July 2223Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsFord117311.22 (500.86)2:31:56122.904[11]
1996July 2729Greg SacksDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet117311.22 (500.86)2:13:55139.438[12]
1997April 2660Mark MartinRoush RacingFord117311.22 (500.86)1:50:32168.937[13]
1998April 2587Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet113300.58 (483.736)2:32:35118.196[14]
1999April 2433Terry LabonteLabonte MotorsportsChevrolet113300.58 (483.736)1:59:36150.793[15]
2000April 1587Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet113300.58 (483.736)1:57:13153.859[16]
2001April 2120Mike McLaughlinJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac113300.58 (483.736)2:17:24131.258[17]
2002April 2057Jason Kellerppc RacingFord117311.22 (500.86)1:58:25157.691[18]
2003April 58Dale Earnhardt Jr.Chance 2 MotorsportsChevrolet117311.22 (500.86)2:11:43114.768[19]
2004April 248Martin Truex Jr.Chance 2 MotorsportsChevrolet117311.22 (500.86)2:16:31136.783[20]
2005April 308Martin Truex Jr.Chance 2 MotorsportsChevrolet120*319.2 (513.702)2:36:50122.117[21]
2006April 298Martin Truex Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet117311.22 (500.86)2:04:40149.785[22]
2007April 2877Bobby LabonteKevin Harvick Inc.Chevrolet120*319.2 (513.702)2:23:46133.216[23]
2008April 2620Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingToyota117311.22 (500.86)2:20:17133.111[24]
2009April 256David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord120*319.2 (513.702)2:08:32149.004[25]
2010April 25*22Brad KeselowskiPenske RacingDodge120*319.2 (513.702)2:01:30157.63[26]
2011April 1618Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota124*329.84 (530.826)2:36:18126.618[27]
2012May 518Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota122*324.52 (522.264)2:22:54136.258[28]
2013May 47Regan SmithJR MotorsportsChevrolet110*292.6 (470.894)2:11:44133.269[29]
2014May 311Elliott SadlerJoe Gibbs RacingToyota117311.22 (500.86)2:22:18131.224[30]
2015May 222Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord113300.58 (483.736)2:22:07126.901[31]
2016April 301Elliott SadlerJR MotorsportsChevrolet116*308.56 (496.579)2:19:45132.477[32]
2017May 698Aric AlmirolaBiagi-DenBeste RacingFord113300.58 (483.736)2:09:41139.068[33]
2018April 2823Spencer GallagherGMS RacingChevrolet115*305.9 (492.298)2:17:44133.258[34]
2019April 272Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet113300.58 (483.736)2:22:02126.976[35]
2020June 20*11Justin HaleyKaulig RacingChevrolet113300.58 (483.736)2:12:22136.249[36]
2021April 2410Jeb BurtonKaulig RacingChevrolet90*239.4 (385.276)1:43:13139.164[37]
2022April 239Noah GragsonJR MotorsportsChevrolet124*329.84 (530.825)2:40:52123.024[38]
2023April 2227Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet121*321.86 (517.982)3:00:33106.96[39]
2024April 202Jesse LoveRichard Childress RacingChevrolet124*329.84 (530.825)2:30:42131.323[40]

Multiple winners (drivers)

  1. Wins
DriverYears won
3Martin Truex Jr.2004-2006
2Joe Nemechek1998, 2000
Joey Logano2012, 2015
Elliott Sadler2014, 2016
Jeb Burton2021, 2023

Multiple winners (teams)

  1. Wins
TeamYears won
5Dale Earnhardt, Inc./Chance 21993, 2003-2006
Joe Gibbs Racing2001, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
3JR Motorsports2013, 2016, 2022
2Roush Fenway Racing1997, 2009
NEMCO Motorsports1998, 2000
Team Penske2010, 2015
Kaulig Racing2020, 2021
Richard Childress Racing2019, 2024

Manufacturer wins

  1. Wins
MakeYears won
21 Chevrolet1992–1994, 1996, 1998–2000, 2003–2007, 2013, 2016, 2018–2024
6 Ford1995, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2017
4 Toyota2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
1 Pontiac2001
Dodge2010

Notes and References

  1. Ag-Pro Expands Partnership with Talladega Superspeedway with Ag-Pro 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, set for Saturday, April 24. Talladega Superspeedway. March 11, 2021. March 11, 2021.
  2. Web site: Page. Scott. MoneyLion to sponsor Talladega XFINITY race. ESPN. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 22, 2019. January 22, 2019.
  3. Solstice Studios' Thriller Unhinged Joins TSS as Entitlement Partner for June 20 Xfinity Series Race. Talladega Superspeedway. June 11, 2020. June 11, 2020.
  4. Ag-Pro Joins Talladega's NASCAR Playoffs Weekend as Entitlement Partner for New NASCAR Xfinity Series Race. Talladega Superspeedway. September 3, 2020. September 3, 2020.
  5. News: Albrecht. Peter. Talladega fall weekend adds Xfinity race. WKRG-TV. August 6, 2020. September 3, 2020.
  6. Web site: NASCAR: Blaine Perkins hospitalized after car flips six times in wild Xfinity Series wreck at Talladega. April 23, 2023.
  7. Web site: Jeb Burton scores second career Xfinity win at Talladega . . April 22, 2023 . April 23, 2023.
  8. Web site: 1992 Fram Filter 500K. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  9. Web site: 1993 Fram Filter 500K. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  10. Web site: 1994 Fram Filter 500K. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  11. Web site: 1995 Humminbird Fishfinder 500K. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  12. Web site: 1996 Humminbird Fishfinder 500K. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  13. Web site: 1997 Birmingham Auto Dealers Easycare 500K. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  14. Web site: 1998 Touchstone Energy 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  15. Web site: 1999 Touchstone Energy 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  16. Web site: 2000 Touchstone Energy 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  17. Web site: 2001 NASCAR Subway 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  18. Web site: 2002 Aaron's 312 at Talladega. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  19. Web site: 2003 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  20. Web site: 2004 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  21. Web site: 2005 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  22. Web site: 2006 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  23. Web site: 2007 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  24. Web site: 2008 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  25. Web site: 2009 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  26. Web site: 2010 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  27. Web site: 2011 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  28. Web site: 2012 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  29. Web site: 2013 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  30. Web site: 2014 Aaron's 312. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  31. Web site: 2015 Winn-Dixie 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  32. Web site: 2016 Sparks Energy 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  33. Web site: 2017 Sparks Energy 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  34. Web site: 2018 Sparks Energy 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  35. Web site: 2019 Money Lion 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  36. Web site: 2020 Unhinged 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  37. Web site: 2021 Ag-Pro 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  38. Web site: 2022 Ag-Pro 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  39. Web site: 2023 Ag-Pro 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 12, 2023.
  40. Web site: 2024 Ag-Pro 300. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. April 20, 2024.