Atlanta Journal 500
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| Venue | Atlanta Motor Speedway |
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| Location | Hampton, Georgia, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Folds of Honor and QuikTrip |
| First race | 1960 |
| Distance | 500.5 miles (805.476 km) |
| Laps | 325 (Stage 1: 85 Stage 2: 85 Stage 3: 155) |
| Previous names |
Dixie 300 (1960) Dixie 400 (1961–1966) Dixie 500 (1967–1979) Atlanta Journal 500 (1980–1990) Hardee's 500 (1991) Hooters 500 (1992–1994) NAPA 500 (1995–2002) Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (2003–2006) Pep Boys Auto 500 (2007–2009) Emory Healthcare 500 (2010) AdvoCare 500 (2011–2013) Oral-B USA 500 (2014) |
| Most wins (driver) |
Richard Petty Dale Earnhardt Bobby Labonte Jimmie Johnson (4) |
| Most wins (team) | Hendrick Motorsports (9) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (23) |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.54 mi (2.48 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The race is sponsored by QuikTrip, along with the nonprofit organization Folds of Honor, and is run in March as the second race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
This race was originally Atlanta's second race of the season and was run as a late season event for much of its history. From 1987 until 2001, the race was scheduled in November as the final race of the NASCAR season. From 2002 until 2008, the race was moved to October in favor of awarding the final race weekend to Homestead-Miami Speedway and became part of what is now the NASCAR Chase for the Championship in 2004. In 2009, Atlanta swapped fall race dates with Auto Club Speedway and the race was moved to Labor Day weekend. From 2011 onward, this has been Atlanta's only race date as its spring race was moved to Kentucky Speedway and run later in the year.
In the most recent round of schedule changing, NASCAR elected to move the Labor Day weekend race back to Darlington Raceway, which hosted the Southern 500 on that weekend from 1950 until 2003, and moved Atlanta's lone date back to the early season.
From 1987 until 2001, the race was scheduled as the final race of the NASCAR season, and thus was typically the event in which the champion was decided. Several times, however, the championship had already been clinched prior to this race, rendering the race anti-climactic. In some cases, the championship would be decided the moment the points leader took the green flag to start the race - effectively clinching enough championship points by finishing last or better.
The 1992 race 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.
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