GEICO 500 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
GEICO 500

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Talladega Superspeedway
Location	Talladega, Alabama, United States
Corporate sponsor	GEICO
First race	1970 (1970)
Distance	500.08 miles (804.80 km)
Laps	188 Stages 1/2: 60 each Final stage: 68
Previous names	Alabama 500 (1970) Winston 500 (1971–1993, 1997) Winston Select 500 (1994–1996) DieHard 500 (1998–2000) Talladega 500 (2001) Aaron's 499 (2002–2014)
Most wins (driver)	Jeff Gordon Brad Keselowski (4)
Most wins (team)	Hendrick Motorsports (8)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chevrolet (22)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt
Length	2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Turns	4

The GEICO 500 is an exciting NASCAR Cup Series stock car race. It takes place at the famous Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. This race usually happens in April or May each year.

The 1997 event was the fastest NASCAR race ever at Talladega. Cars averaged an amazing 188.354 miles per hour! It was also the first time a race at Talladega Superspeedway finished without any caution periods.

For many years, this race was considered one of NASCAR's "Grand Slam" events. Even today, it's seen as one of the five "Crown Jewel" races. These are the most important and exciting races in the NASCAR season. Tyler Reddick is the most recent winner, taking the victory in 2024.

Exciting Races Through the Years

Early Wins and Big Crashes

• 1971: This was the first Talladega race with Winston as a sponsor. Donnie Allison won a very close race against Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker.
• 1972: David Pearson won his first Talladega race. He avoided a crash right before the final lap.
• 1973: A huge crash involved many cars. This left David Pearson to win almost easily.
• 1974: Pearson won his third straight Talladega race. An accident on pit road caused an injury to a team member. The lead changed a record 53 times!
• 1975: This race had many accidents. Buddy Baker won for the first time since 1973. Five-time F1 Champion Juan Manuel Fangio was the honorary starter.
• 1976: Buddy Baker made history. He became the first driver to win a 500-mile race in less than three hours.
• 1977: This race had 63 lead changes! Darrell Waltrip won in a thrilling four-car battle on the last lap.
• 1978: Rain delayed the race until Mother's Day Sunday. Cale Yarborough used a drafting move to pass Buddy Baker for the win.
• 1980: Buddy Baker passed a young Dale Earnhardt on the last lap. This was Baker's final win at Talladega.
• 1981: Bobby Allison held off strong challenges to win. The lead changed six times in the last six laps.
• 1982: Benny Parsons was the first to qualify at over 200 MPH in NASCAR history. The lead changed 51 times. Darrell Waltrip won on the final lap.
• 1984: This race set a motorsports record with 75 lead changes. Cale Yarborough won on the very last lap.
• 1985: Bill Elliott came from almost two laps behind. He raced through the field to win from Kyle Petty.

Safety Changes and Big Moments

• 1987: On lap 22, Bobby Allison's car went airborne into the safety fence. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. This crash led to new rules. Cars at Daytona and Talladega had to use restrictor plates to slow them down. This race was also the first win for Bobby Allison's son, Davey.
• 1988: This was Phil Parsons' only Cup series victory. It was overshadowed by an incident involving A. J. Foyt and Alan Kulwicki.
• 1990: Dale Earnhardt won his first Talladega race since 1984.
• 1991: Rain delayed the race until Monday. A huge 20-car crash happened halfway through. Kyle Petty was injured in the crash. Harry Gant won with a controversial push from his teammate.
• 1993: The last lap was a wild scramble. Ernie Irvan passed Dale Earnhardt to win. Rusty Wallace had a big crash, flipping several times across the finish line.
• 1994: Dale Earnhardt won this race. He dedicated his win to Ayrton Senna, a famous Formula One driver who sadly passed away earlier that day. There were two big crashes in this race.
• 1996: Sterling Marlin came from the back of the pack three times to win. The race saw two cars go airborne. Bill Elliott was injured, and Ricky Craven tumbled up the banking.
• 1997: Mark Martin won the fastest NASCAR race ever. He averaged 188.354 miles per hour!
• 2000: Jeff Gordon earned his 50th career win. He started from 36th place, the farthest back any winner had started at Talladega.
• 2001: Bobby Hamilton won this race. It was his last victory before he passed away in 2007. This was the second Talladega race with no caution flags.
• 2002: Dale Earnhardt Jr. led for 133 laps and won his second straight Talladega race. His teammate finished second. A 24-car crash happened on lap 164.
• 2003: On lap 4, the biggest crash in NASCAR Cup Series history happened. Ryan Newman blew a tire, causing a pile-up that involved 27 cars. Despite damage, Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallied to win his fourth straight Talladega race.
• 2004: Jeff Gordon won this race. Fans threw trash onto the track to protest the finish. This led to a new rule called the "green-white-checkered" finish. This rule helps races end under green flag conditions.
• 2008: Kyle Busch won at Talladega. This was his most recent win here until 2023.
• 2009: A final battle between Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards ended in a scary crash. Edwards' car flipped into the catch fence. Eight fans had minor injuries. Edwards walked away unharmed and jogged across the finish line. Keselowski won in only his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start.
• 2010: This race was called "the Greatest Talladega Race Ever." It set a record with 88 lead changes. A record 29 different drivers led at some point. Jamie McMurray won in a photo finish by just 0.012 seconds.
• 2011: This race also had a record number of lead changes. It tied for the closest NASCAR Cup Series finish ever, at 0.002 seconds. Jimmie Johnson won in a thrilling finish.
• 2012: NASCAR made changes to the cars to reduce "tandem drafting." The lead changed only 34 times. Brad Keselowski won by two car lengths, a rare finish for Talladega.
• 2013: Front Row Motorsports drivers David Ragan and David Gilliland finished 1-2. A long rain delay pushed the race into darkness. There were two big crashes, including one where Kurt Busch flipped over. This race is sometimes called "The 7 hours of Talladega."
• 2014: Denny Hamlin won his first race of the season. The race ended under a yellow flag. Brad Keselowski had a tough race with multiple incidents.
• 2015: This was the first Talladega spring race under the "GEICO 500" name. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first race of the season.
• 2016: This race had eight crashes, including four "Big Ones." Only seven cars finished without damage. Brad Keselowski won as another crash happened at the finish line.
• 2017: Another "Big One" crash happened late in the race. A. J. Allmendinger's car flipped onto its roof. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won his first NASCAR Cup Series race.
• 2019: This was the first Talladega race since 1987 without restrictor plates. NASCAR used a different part to control engine power. Chase Elliott won after a final lap crash.
• 2020: Ryan Blaney won in a very close "photo finish." The race was delayed by rain. There was a serious incident involving a rope found in Bubba Wallace's garage stall. An FBI investigation found it was not a hate crime.
• 2021: Joey Logano's car went airborne and flipped over on the last lap of Stage 1. Despite being in the crash, Brad Keselowski continued and won the race.
• 2023: Kyle Busch got his first Talladega win in 15 years. This happened when Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney caused a "Big One" crash on the final lap.

Past Winners

• 1974: Race was shorter due to the energy crisis.
• 1987: Race was shorter because of darkness. This was caused by a long red flag to fix the safety fence after a crash.
• 1991 & 2006: Race moved from Sunday to Monday because of rain.
• 1997: Race was delayed by two weeks due to rain. It became the first Talladega race with no caution flags.
• 2001: This was the first restrictor-plate race after Dale Earnhardt's passing. It was the second caution-free race in Talladega history.
• 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2020, 2021, & 2023: Race was extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish. The 2010 race needed three attempts. The 2013 race had only one attempt due to darkness after a long rain delay.
• 2010: This race set a record for most lead changes in regulation (87) and overall (88).
• 2011: This race also set a record for most lead changes in regulation (88). It tied for the closest finish in Sprint Cup Series history (0.002 seconds).
• 2020: Race was moved from April to June because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then delayed another day due to rain.

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Teams with Multiple Wins

Car Manufacturers with Wins