Ag-Pro 300 (spring race)

Last updated
Ag-Pro 300
Ag-Pro 300 logo.webp
Talladega Superspeedway.svg
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Venue Talladega Superspeedway
Location Talladega, Alabama, United States
Corporate sponsor Ag-Pro [1]
First race1992 (1992)
Distance300.58 miles (483.74 km)
Laps113
Stages 1/2: 25 each
Final stage: 63
Previous namesFram 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 (20)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Turns4

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.

Contents

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, 500.86-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

Past winners

YearDateNo.DriverTeamManufacturerRace distanceRace timeAverage speed
(mph)
Ref
LapsMiles (km)
1992 July 254 Ernie Irvan Ernie Irvan Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)1:57:55158.359 [8]
1993 July 243 Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)2:07:12146.801 [9]
1994 July 2352 Ken Schrader Ken Schrader Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)1:51:30167.473 [10]
1995 July 2223 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Ford 117311.22 (500.86)2:31:56122.904 [11]
1996 July 2729 Greg Sacks Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)2:13:55139.438 [12]
1997 April 2660 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 117311.22 (500.86)1:50:32168.937 [13]
1998 April 2587 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 113300.58 (483.736)2:32:35118.196 [14]
1999 April 2433 Terry Labonte Labonte Motorsports Chevrolet 113300.58 (483.736)1:59:36150.793 [15]
2000 April 1587 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 113300.58 (483.736)1:57:13153.859 [16]
2001 April 2120 Mike McLaughlin Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 113300.58 (483.736)2:17:24131.258 [17]
2002 April 2057 Jason Keller ppc Racing Ford 117311.22 (500.86)1:58:25157.691 [18]
2003 April 58 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)2:11:43114.768 [19]
2004 April 248 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)2:16:31136.783 [20]
2005 April 308 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 120*319.2 (513.702)2:36:50122.117 [21]
2006 April 298 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 117311.22 (500.86)2:04:40149.785 [22]
2007 April 2877 Bobby Labonte Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 120*319.2 (513.702)2:23:46133.216 [23]
2008 April 2620 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 117311.22 (500.86)2:20:17133.111 [24]
2009 April 256 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 120*319.2 (513.702)2:08:32149.004 [25]
2010 April 25*22 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 120*319.2 (513.702)2:01:30157.63 [26]
2011 April 1618 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 124*329.84 (530.826)2:36:18126.618 [27]
2012 May 518 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 122*324.52 (522.264)2:22:54136.258 [28]
2013 May 47 Regan Smith JR Motorsports Chevrolet 110*292.6 (470.894)2:11:44133.269 [29]
2014 May 311 Elliott Sadler Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 117311.22 (500.86)2:22:18131.224 [30]
2015 May 222 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 113300.58 (483.736)2:22:07126.901 [31]
2016 April 301 Elliott Sadler* JR Motorsports Chevrolet 116*308.56 (496.579)2:19:45132.477 [32]
2017 May 698 Aric Almirola Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford 113300.58 (483.736)2:09:41139.068 [33]
2018 April 2823 Spencer Gallagher GMS Racing Chevrolet 115*305.9 (492.298)2:17:44133.258 [34]
2019 April 272 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 113300.58 (483.736)2:22:02126.976 [35]
2020 June 20*11 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 113300.58 (483.736)2:12:22136.249 [36]
2021 April 2410 Jeb Burton Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 90*239.4 (385.276)1:43:13139.164 [37]
2022 April 239 Noah Gragson JR Motorsports Chevrolet 124*329.84 (530.825)2:40:52123.024 [38]
2023 April 2227 Jeb Burton Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 121*321.86 (517.982)3:00:33106.96 [39]

Multiple winners (drivers)

# WinsDriverYears won
3 Martin Truex Jr. 2004-2006
2 Joe Nemechek 1998, 2000
Joey Logano 2012, 2015
Elliott Sadler 2014, 2016
Jeb Burton 2021, 2023

Multiple winners (teams)

# WinsTeamYears 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

Manufacturer wins

# WinsMakeYears won
20 Flag of the United States.svg Chevrolet 1992–1994, 1996, 1998–2000, 2003–2007, 2013, 2016, 2018–2023
6 Flag of the United States.svg Ford 1995, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2017
4 Flag of Japan.svg Toyota 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
1 Flag of the United States.svg Pontiac 2001
Flag of the United States.svg Dodge 2010

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References

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