Touchstone Energy 300
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| Venue | Talladega Superspeedway |
|---|---|
| Location | Talladega, Alabama, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Sparks Energy |
| First race | 1992 |
| Distance | 300.08 miles (482.93 km) |
| Laps | 113 (Stage 1: 25 Stage 2: 25 Stage 3: 83) |
| Previous names |
Fram 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) |
| Most wins (driver) | Martin Truex Jr. (3) |
| Most wins (team) |
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Joe Gibbs Racing (5) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (14) |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.66 mi (4.28 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Sparks Energy 300 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway, a 300 mile race, It is held annually before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, the GEICO 500.
From its inception in 1992 through 1996, the race was held in the summer, as a support race to the Talladega DieHard 500. When the DieHard 500 moved to the fall, this race moved to the spring, as a support race to the spring Cup event.
Large wrecks involving 20 or more cars have occurred a number of times in the history of the event, most notably in 2002. 30 cars were involved in an accident on the backstretch on lap 14, with 19 knocked out of the race 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.
At its inception, the event debuted as a 500-kilometer (310 mi) event, the longest race on the NASCAR 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 1998-2001. The change shortened the race distance by just four laps.
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