| Venue | Auto Club Speedway |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Pepsi Max |
| First race | 2004 |
| Last race | 2010 |
| Distance | 400 miles (643.737 km) |
| Laps | 200 |
| Previous names |
Pop Secret 500 (2004) Sony HD 500 (2005–2006) Sharp AQUOS 500 (2007) Pepsi 500 (2008–2009) Pepsi Max 400 (2010) |
The Pepsi Max 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It was the second of two Sprint Cup Series races held at the Auto Club Speedway (the other being the Auto Club 500) and in 2009 and 2010 it was run in October as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.[1]
The event was first held in 2004, added as part of the NASCAR Realignment, and many race fans have not embraced its introduction. From its inception until 2008 the race was run on Labor Day weekend, which was previously the traditional date of the Southern 500 at Darlington, and in the Inland Empire in 1970s, the former California 500 United States Auto Club Marlboro Championship Trail race. The 2005 race was famous for Kyle Busch becoming the youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner ever(then known as the NEXTEL Cup Series).
As part of the most recent round of realignment in NASCAR Auto Club Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway agreed to switch dates, with the Atlanta race moving from its traditional fall date to Labor Day weekend and becoming known as the Labor Day Classic 500. The realignment returns the Labor Day weekend race to the southern United States and gives California its first late season race since the final running of the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway in 1987. The AMP Energy 500 at Talladega will move into the race date vacated by Atlanta, with the Pepsi 500 moving into Talladega's former October date.
The Pepsi 500 name was used in August 2008, with Pepsi taking title sponsorship from Sharp. This announcement was made via the speedway's website, Pepsi has been the official soft drink sponsor of the speedway since 1997, before Auto Club Speedway became part of International Speedway Corporation, owner of several circuits on the NASCAR schedule. This was done despite ISC signing a contract with Coca-Cola to replace Pepsi as the official soft drink sponsor of its racetracks in 2008 (the contract is slowly being phased in).
Parts of the film Herbie: Fully Loaded were filmed during the 2004 race.
NASCAR announced on January 13, 2010 that this race would be shortened 100 miles.[2] NASCAR then announced that, due largely to poor attendance, the 2010 running of this race will be its last as Auto Club Speedway returns to a single date on the Sprint Cup schedule.[3]
Contents |
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||
| 2004 | September 5 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 250 | 500 (804.672) | 3:53:47 | 128.324 |
| 2005 | September 4 | Kyle Busch* | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 254* | 508 (817.546) | 3:43:32 | 136.356 |
| 2006 | September 3 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 250 | 500 (804.672) | 3:27:40 | 144.462 |
| 2007 | September 2 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 500 (804.672) | 3:48:08 | 131.502 |
| 2008 | August 31 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 500 (804.672) | 3:36:03 | 138.857 |
| 2009 | October 11 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 500 (804.672) | 3:28:28 | 143.908 |
| 2010* | October 10 | Tony Stewart* | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 400 (643.737) | 3:01:53 | 131.953 |
| Rank | Manufacturer | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2 | Ford | 1 |
| 2 | Dodge | 1 |
|
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