NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |
---|---|
Venue | North Carolina Speedway |
Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, United States |
Corporate sponsor | Pop Secret |
First race | 1965 |
Last race | 2003 |
Distance | 399.681 miles (643.224 km) |
Laps | 393 |
Previous names | American 500 (1965–1981) Walter W. Hodgdon American 500 (1982–1984) Nationwise 500 (1985–1986) AC Delco 500 (1987–1994) AC Delco 400 (1995–1998) Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 (1999–2003) |
Most wins (driver) | Richard Petty Cale Yarborough (4) |
Most wins (team) | Junior Johnson & Associates (8) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Ford (12) |
Circuit information | |
Surface | Asphalt |
Length | 1.017 mi (1.637 km) |
Turns | 4 |
The Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place in November at the North Carolina Motor Speedway from 1965 to 2003. It was the first NASCAR Cup Series victory for three drivers including Mark Martin in 1989, Ward Burton in 1995, and Johnny Benson in 2002. It was the final race win for Bill Elliott in 2003.
This race, typically run as the penultimate race of the NASCAR season, was dropped from the schedule after the 2003 season. The Pop Secret sponsorship was moved over to the newly acquired Labor Day date at Auto Club Speedway, while the late season date was originally taken over by the Southern 500 at Darlington and later the fall race at Texas, which was moved to Spring in 2024 after the track dropped its original spring race in 2021.
Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | Report | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||||
1965 | October 31 | 41 | Curtis Turner | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 4:54:17 | 101.942 | Report | [1] |
1966 | October 30 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 4:47:30 | 104.348 | Report | [2] |
1967 | October 29 | 11 | Bobby Allison | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 5:04:49 | 98.42 | Report | [3] |
1968 | October 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 4:45:33 | 105.06 | Report | [4] |
1969 | October 26 | 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:28:12 | 111.938 | Report | [5] |
1970 | November 15 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | Wood Brothers Racing | Mercury | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:14:24 | 117.811 | Report | [6] |
1971 | October 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:24:43 | 113.405 | Report | [7] |
1972 | October 22 | 12 | Bobby Allison | Richard Howard | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:13:49 | 118.275 | Report | [8] |
1973 | October 21 | 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | Mercury | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:14:57 | 117.749 | Report | [9] |
1974 | October 20 | 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | Mercury | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:13:21 | 118.493 | Report | [10] |
1975 | October 19 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:09:54 | 120.129 | Report | [11] |
1976 | October 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:15:01 | 117.718 | Report | [12] |
1977 | October 23 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:24:18 | 113.584 | Report | [13] |
1978 | October 22 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Oldsmobile | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:15:58 | 117.288 | Report | [14] |
1979 | October 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:37:04 | 108.356 | Report | [15] |
1980 | October 19 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:22:59 | 114.159 | Report | [16] |
1981 | November 1 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:39:32 | 107.399 | Report | [17] |
1982 | October 31 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:20:47 | 115.122 | Report | [18] |
1983 | October 30 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Billy Hagan | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:11:36 | 119.324 | Report | [19] |
1984 | October 21 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:26:35 | 112.617 | Report | [20] |
1985 | October 20 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:13:40 | 118.344 | Report | [21] |
1986 | October 19 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:57:33 | 126.381 | Report | [22] |
1987 | October 25 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:13:52 | 118.258 | Report | [23] |
1988 | October 23 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:29:07 | 111.557 | Report | [24] |
1989 | October 22 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:23:10 | 114.079 | Report | [25] |
1990 | October 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:57:25 | 126.452 | Report | [26] |
1991 | October 20 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:55:51 | 127.292 | Report | [27] |
1992 | October 25 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:49:37 | 130.748 | Report | [28] |
1993 | October 24 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:23:16 | 114.036 | Report | [29] |
1994 | October 23 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:57:30 | 126.408 | Report | [30] |
1995 | October 22 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:28:56 | 114.778 | Report | [31] |
1996 | October 20 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:16:03 | 122.32 | Report | [32] |
1997 | October 27 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:17:00 | 121.73 | Report | [33] |
1998 | November 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:06:44 | 128.423 | Report | [34] |
1999 | October 24 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:02:55 | 131.103 | Report | [35] |
2000 | October 22 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:37:11 | 110.418 | Report | [36] |
2001 | November 4 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:05:59 | 128.941 | Report | [37] |
2002 | November 3 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:06:35 | 128.526 | Report | [38] |
2003 | November 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:34:44 | 111.677 | Report | [39] |
# Wins | Driver | Years Won |
---|---|---|
4 | Richard Petty | 1968, 1971, 1976, 1979 |
Cale Yarborough | 1970, 1975, 1978, 1980 | |
3 | Darrell Waltrip | 1981–1982, 1985 |
Bill Elliott | 1984, 1987, 2003 | |
2 | Bobby Allison | 1967, 1972 |
David Pearson | 1973–1974 | |
Rusty Wallace | 1988, 1993 |
# Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
---|---|---|
12 | Ford | 1965–1967, 1969, 1984, 1987, 1989–1991, 1996, 1999–2000 |
11 | Chevrolet | 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979–1980, 1983, 1985–1986, 1994, 1998, 2001 |
6 | Pontiac | 1988, 1992–1993, 1995, 1997, 2002 |
3 | Mercury | 1970, 1973–1974 |
2 | Plymouth | 1968, 1971 |
Buick | 1981–1982 | |
Dodge | 1976, 2003 |
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