Aaron's 312 (Talladega)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aaron's 312
Venue Talladega Superspeedway
Corporate sponsor Aaron's Rents, Inc.
First race 1992
Distance 311.22 miles
Number of laps 117
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)
This article is about the race called the Aaron's 312 held in Talladega. For the race formerly called the Aaron's 312 held in Atlanta, see Nicorette 300.

The Aaron's 312 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway. The race's sponsor, Aaron's, is a lease-to-own retailer. The twelve extra miles are tacked on to what would normally be a 300-mile race for targeted advertising purposes.

At its inception, the event debuted as a 500-kilometer (312-mile) event, the longest race on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Automobile races in the United States measured in kilometers, especially those in NASCAR, are rare. As was the case at Talladega Superspeedway throughout its history, the ARCA races held at the track (one was removed for this race) carried were advertised with the more lucrative and more attractive "500" distance, even if it meant "500 kilometers" instead of miles (a custom at Riverside International Raceway, and currently 500km is a distance used at Phoenix International Raceway). In 1998, fans complained about the use of kilometers, which was seen as a European custom. They argued that kilometers are rarely even used in the United States, noting that the track measurement itself is still advertised in miles. Management changed the race to a 300-mile event from 1998-2001. The change shortened the race distance by four laps.

In 2002, Aaron's assumed title sponsorship and returned the race to a 312-mile event. The race distance is only coincidentally the same as in 1997 since the distance in miles was set to reflect the sponsor's slogan ("3 ways to buy, 12 reasons to shop at Aaron's").

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.

[edit] Past winners

Aaron's 312

Subway 300

Touchstone Energy 300

Birmingham 500K

Humminbird Fishfinder 500K

Fram Filters 500k

v • d • e
Races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series
Current Season
Previous
Languages