AAA Texas 500
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| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Texas Motor Speedway |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | American Automobile Association (AAA Texas regional club) |
| First race | 2005 |
| Distance | 501 miles (806 km) |
| Laps | 334 |
| Previous names | Dickies 500 (2005–2009) |
| Most wins (driver) | Jimmie Johnson (5) |
| Most wins (team) | Hendrick Motorsports (5) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (7) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The AAA Texas 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The inaugural race took place on November 6, 2005. The race has always started in the late afternoon, gone through sunset and twilight, and ended under the lights at night, much like the Coca Cola 600 in May, but it is not considered a night event. The race is held on the first weekend in November each year; TMS has expressed interest in changing the date, which is also the opening weekend of deer hunting season in Texas.
The race was acquired as a result of the Ferko lawsuit, which forced NASCAR to relinquish the sport's fourth major, the Mountain Dew Southern 500 and in the process end its Grand Slam, as the Southern 500 was one of the four races that made it up. This race has been derisively referred to as the Francis Ferko 500, mostly by traditionalist fans upset by the demise of the Southern 500.
This race is featured in the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, but it was actually shot at the identically shaped Charlotte Motor Speedway with the wall painted to look like Texas.
Past winners
| Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||||
| 2005 | November 6 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:19:00 | 151.055 | Report |
| 2006 | November 5 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 339* | 508.5 (818.351) | 3:46:11 | 134.891 | Report |
| 2007 | November 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:49:05 | 131.219 | Report |
| 2008 | November 2 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:28:26 | 144.219 | Report |
| 2009 | November 8 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:24:18 | 147.137 | Report |
| 2010 | November 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:34:01 | 140.456 | Report |
| 2011 | November 6 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:16:51 | 152.705 | Report |
| 2012 | November 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 335* | 502.5 (808.695) | 3:41:30 | 136.117 | Report |
| 2013 | November 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:18:05 | 151.754 | Report |
| 2014 | November 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 341* | 511.5 (823.179) | 3:52:05 | 132.239 | Report |
| 2015 | November 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 501 (806.281) | 3:38:38 | 137.49 | Report |
| 2016 | November 6 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 293* | 439.5 (707.306) | 3:16:00 | 134.541 | Report |
- 2006, 2012, & 2014: Race extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish. 2014 took two attempts.
- 2016: Race shortened due to rain.
Multiple winners (drivers)
| # Wins | Driver | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 2005, 2008, 2016 |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | 2006, 2011 |
Multiple winners (teams)
| # Wins | Team | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| 3 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2006, 2010, 2016 |
| 2 | Roush Fenway Racing | 2005, 2008 |
Manufacturer wins
| # Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Chevrolet | 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| 2 | Ford | 2005, 2008 |
| Toyota | 2010, 2016 | |
| 1 | Dodge | 2009 |
Memorable races
- 2008: Carl Edwards' win makes him the first driver to sweep both races at Texas and the first 3-time winner at TMS.
- 2010: Denny Hamlin became the second driver to sweep both races at Texas when he won the Samsung Mobile 500 and the AAA Texas 500. Also, around mid-race, a shoving match occurred when Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon crashed in turn 2.
- 2012: The first 100 laps of the race went green, combine that with the last 234 laps of the April 2012 race that went green, means a total of 334 consecutive laps were run caution free, a full scheduled race at Texas. Jimmie Johnson won, for his 60th Sprint Cup win, and also Chevrolet's 700th win.
- 2013: Johnson's second consecutive fall win makes him Texas Motor Speedway's second 3-time winner, putting him in a tie with Carl Edwards.
- 2014: Johnson took his third straight win in the fall race, leading 191 of 341 laps. On a green-white checkered restart, Brad Keselowski tried to go three-wide and made contact with Jeff Gordon, cutting Gordon's left rear tire and causing him to spin in turn 4. Gordon lost a lap and finished 29th while Keselowski finished third. Tempers boiled over, escalating into a post-race brawl on pit road between Keselowski, Gordon, and their pit crews that was apparently instigated by Kevin Harvick.
Television broadcasters
2016: Originally scheduled to be broadcast on NBC, the race was moved to NBCSN due to rain delay.
External links
| Previous race: Goody's Fast Relief 500 |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 |
Next race: Can-Am 500 |