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Pepsi Max 400
Pepsi Max 400 logo 2010.gif
Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Speedway.svg
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Venue Auto Club Speedway
Location Fontana, California, United States
Corporate sponsor Pepsi Max
First race 2004
Last race 2010
Distance 400 miles (640 km)
Laps 200
Previous names Pop Secret 500 (2004)
Sony HD 500 (2005–2006)
Sharp AQUOS 500 (2007)
Pepsi 500 (2008–2009)
Pepsi Max 400 (2010)
Most wins (driver) Jimmie Johnson (3)
Most wins (team) Hendrick Motorsports (4)
Most wins (manufacturer) Chevrolet (5)
Circuit information
Surface Asphalt
Length 2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Turns 4

The Pepsi Max 400 was a special NASCAR stock car race. It was part of the Sprint Cup Series, which is NASCAR's top racing league. This race happened every year at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

It was one of two Sprint Cup Series races held at the Auto Club Speedway each year. The other race was called the Auto Club 500. In its last two years (2009 and 2010), the Pepsi Max 400 took place in October. It was also part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which was like the playoffs for the NASCAR championship.

History of the Race

The Pepsi Max 400 race started in 2004. It was added to the NASCAR schedule as part of a big change that year. You might have even seen parts of this race in the movie Herbie: Fully Loaded!

From 2004 to 2008, the race was held on Labor Day weekend. This was a traditional time for a famous race called the Southern 500 in Darlington. In 2005, something exciting happened: Kyle Busch won the race. He became the youngest driver ever to win a NASCAR Cup Series race at that time.

In 2009, NASCAR changed its schedule again. The Auto Club Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway swapped their race dates. This meant the California race moved from Labor Day weekend to October. This was the first time California had a late-season NASCAR race since 1987.

Pepsi became the main sponsor of the race in August 2008, changing its name to the Pepsi 500. Pepsi had been a sponsor of the speedway since 1997.

On January 13, 2010, NASCAR announced that the race would be shorter. It would be 100 miles less than before. Later, NASCAR also said that the 2010 race would be the very last one. This was mainly because not enough fans were coming to watch. The Auto Club Speedway went back to having only one Sprint Cup race each year. The race date that was used for the Pepsi Max 400 moved to Kansas Speedway in 2011.

Past Winners

Here is a list of the drivers who won the Pepsi Max 400 race:

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Sponsor Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Report Ref
Laps Miles (km)
2004 September 5 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's 250 500 (804.672) 3:53:47 128.324 Report
2005 September 4 5 Kyle Busch| Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's 254| style="text-align:center;"|508 (817.546) 3:43:32 136.356 Report
2006 September 3 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 250 500 (804.672) 3:27:40 144.462 Report
2007 September 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation 250 500 (804.672) 3:48:08 131.502 Report
2008 August 31 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation 250 500 (804.672) 3:36:03 138.857 Report
2009 October 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation 250 500 (804.672) 3:28:28 143.908 Report
2010| October 10 14 Tony Stewart| Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Office Depot/Old Spice 200 400 (643.737) 3:01:53 131.953 Report
  • 2005: The race went a few extra laps because of a "green–white–checker finish". This rule makes sure a race ends under green flag conditions, not caution. As mentioned, Kyle Busch became the youngest Cup Series winner in over three years.
  • 2010: This was the first time the race was only 400 miles long (200 laps). Tony Stewart won this race. It was his first win ever at the Auto Club Speedway, even though he had raced there 19 times!

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Wins Driver Years Won
3 Jimmie Johnson 2007, 2008, 2009

Teams with Multiple Wins

Wins Team Years Won
4 Hendrick Motorsports 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009

Manufacturer Wins

Wins Manufacturer Years Won
5 Chevrolet 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
1 Ford 2004
Dodge 2006
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