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The Pep Boys Auto 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

Overview

From 1987 until 2001, the race was scheduled as the final race of the NASCAR season, and typically the event in which the champion was decided. Several times, however, the championship was decided prior to this race, or was decided when the points leader simply started the race, clinching enough points simply by finishing last or better.

The 1992 event marked the final race for Richard Petty, and coincidentally, the debut for Jeff Gordon. With six drivers eligible for the Winston Cup Championship, the race is widely regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR races of all time. Alan Kulwicki, who finished second in the race, edged out Bill Elliott, the race winner, by leading one more lap in the race. Kulwicki won the NASCAR Winston Cup title by a then-record margin of only 10 points.

In 2001, the race was scheduled as the season finale, however, it ended up being the second-to-last race. The New Hampshire 300 was postponed from September 16 to the Friday after Thanksgiving, due to 9/11. For 2002, the race was moved to late October in 2002, with the 2003 race being the first with night qualifying, a procedure now standard for both of the circuit's races.

The 1998 race was run mostly at night after a long rain delay; despite the inexperience with the lights, newly installed for an Indy Racing League race, NASCAR and the teams agreed to attempt finishing the race at night. It was shortend to 221 laps because it was after 11:00 PM and NASCAR wanted to "get the fans out at a decent hour". The 1999 Cracker Barrel 500 also ended at night.

In 2006, the race start time was changed from 12:40 PM to 2:55 PM in order to finish the race at night. Driver complaints erupted because of the track's troublesome situation where the sun can get into the driver's eyes in Turn 1, including leading to a crash during the time the sun sets in that area of the track between Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray, led to the abandonment of the 3 PM start after this race.

Beginning in 2009 the Pep Boys Auto 500 will be run Labor Day weekend as part of a realignment agreement with Auto Club Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where Talladega's fall race will move to the Atlanta race weekend and Fontana will get a race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, moving into the date where Talladega's race was. ^[1]

Past winners

Pep Boys Auto 500

2008 Carl Edwards
2007 Jimmie Johnson (329 laps because of GWC)

Bass Pro Shop MBNA 500

2006 Tony Stewart
2005 Carl Edwards
2004 Jimmie Johnson
2003 Jeff Gordon (race postponed due to rain, held on Monday)

NAPA 500

2002 Kurt Busch (251 laps because of rain)
- Moved from November to October, such that the race will no longer be the final race of the NASCAR season.
2001 Bobby Labonte
- Was scheduled to be the final race of the 2001 season, but Loudon was moved to the weekend after due to 9/11. That instead made this the second-to-last race of the season.
2000 Jerry Nadeau
- Moved from Sunday to Monday due to rain. Final career start for Darrell Waltrip. It would be the final time the event would be the last race of the NASCAR season.
1999 Bobby Labonte
1998 Jeff Gordon (221 laps because of rain; first night Cup race)
1997 Bobby Labonte (325 laps with new configuration)
1996 Bobby Labonte
- Labonte's older brother Terry clinched the 1996 Winston Cup Championship driving for Hendrick Motorsports. The two made a victory lap together and celebrated together in victory lane.
1995 Dale Earnhardt

Hooters 500

1994 Mark Martin
1993 Rusty Wallace
1992 Bill Elliott
- Widely considered one of the Greatest NASCAR races of all time. See 1992 Hooters 500

Hardee's 500

1991 Mark Martin

Atlanta Journal 500

1990 Morgan Shepherd
- One of Bill Elliott's crew members was killed when Ricky Rudd was coming into the pits for service and lost control of his car. This led to NASCAR mandating a speed limit on pit road for crew members safety.
1989 Dale Earnhardt
- In this race independent driver Grant Addcox was killed in a crash.
1988 Rusty Wallace
1987 Bill Elliott
- For the first time, this race was scheduled as the final race of the NASCAR season.
1986 Dale Earnhardt
1985 Bill Elliott
1984 Dale Earnhardt
1983 Neil Bonnett
1982 Bobby Allison
1981 Neil Bonnett
1980 Cale Yarborough

Dixie 500

Dixie 400

Dixie 300

1960 Fireball Roberts

Realignment

This race, Atlanta's second of the season, had been rumored to be either eliminated or moved several times in recent years. Most recently, track owner Bruton Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., was talking with International Speedway Corporation about a possible date switch with one of its tracks. On February 29, 2008, Smith proposed a move that involved the fall Atlanta race and the Pepsi 500, the Labor Day weekend race held at Auto Club Speedway. ^[2] Doing so gave the Fontana, California track a race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup as well as return the Labor Day weekend race to the southern U.S. for the first time since the second-to-last Southern 500 was run. It also makes the three races that precede the beginning of the Chase closer to each other geographically. Prior to the realignment, the teams raced in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol the week before Labor Day, then traveled cross country for the Pepsi 500, then came back across the country to run the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond the following Saturday.

Ultimately, NASCAR adjusted the schedule as announced on August 19, 2008 to allow the fall race at Atlanta and the Chase event to Fontana to be swapped, but also in the process moved the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to Atlanta's old date - usually the last weekend in October - and the aforementioned Pepsi 500 was placed in the old Talladega date, the first weekend in October beginning in 2009.

References

[1] ttp://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3543062

[2] NASCAR.COM - Smith proposes date swap between California, Atlanta - Feb 29, 2008

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 In 2001, the race was scheduled as the season finale, however, it ended up being the second-to-last race. The [[Sylvania 300|New Hampshire 300]] was postponed from September 16 to the Friday after Thanksgiving, due to [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11]]. For 2002, the race was moved to late October in 2002, with the 2003 race being the first with night qualifying, a procedure now standard for both of the circuit's races.
-The 1998 race was run mostly at night after a long rain delay; despite the inexperience with the lights, newly installed for an [[Indy Racing League]] race, NASCAR and the teams agreed to attempt finishing the race at night.  It was shortend to 221 laps because it was after 11:00 PM and NASCAR wanted to "get the fans out at a decent hour". The 1999 [[Cracker Barrel 500]] also ended at night.
+The 1998 race was run mostly at night after a long rain delay; despite the inexperience with the lights, newly installed for an [[Indy Racing League]] race, NASCAR and the teams agreed to attempt finishing the race at night.  It was shortend to 221 laps because it was after 11:00 PM and NASCAR wanted to "get the fans out at a decent hour". The 1999 [[Kobalt Tools 500|Cracker Barrel 500]] also ended at night.
 In 2006, the race start time was changed from 12:40 PM to 2:55 PM in order to finish the race at night.  Driver complaints erupted because of the track's troublesome situation where the sun can get into the driver's eyes in Turn 1, including leading to a crash during the time the sun sets in that area of the track between Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray, led to the abandonment of the 3 PM start after this race.