Quaker State 400 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Quaker State 400 available at Walmart

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Atlanta Motor Speedway
Corporate sponsor	Quaker State, Walmart
First race	July 30, 1960
Distance	400.4 mi (644.244 km)
Laps	260 Stage 1: 60 Final 2 stages: 100 each
Previous names	Atlanta 500 (1960–1980) Coca-Cola 500 (1981–1985) Motorcraft 500 (1986) Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 (1987–1993) Purolator 500 (1994–1996) Primestar 500 (1997–1998) Cracker Barrel 500 (1999) Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 (2000–2001) MBNA America 500 (2002) Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (2003) Golden Corral 500 (2004–2006) Kobalt Tools 500 (2007–2010)

The Quaker State 400 available at Walmart is a big stock car race in the NASCAR Cup Series. It happens every year at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. From 1960 to 2010, it was held in March. Since 2021, it has been a July race. This race is one of two NASCAR Cup Series events held at the Atlanta track each season. The other race is the Ambetter Health 400.

The race used to be about 500.5 miles (805.5 km) long on a 1.54-mile oval track. In 2010, Atlanta Motor Speedway decided to stop holding this spring race. They wanted to focus on their Labor Day weekend race instead. After this, a new race called the Quaker State 400 started at Kentucky Speedway in 2011.

However, on September 30, 2020, it was announced that the race would move back to Atlanta. It was held on July 11, 2021. This new race is shorter, at 260 laps (400.4 miles (644.4 km)). This was the first time since 1966 that the race was this length at the track. The 2023 race was held at night. The 2024 race was the first playoff race of the season. The 2025 race marked the start of the NASCAR in-season tournament.

Exciting Race Moments

• 1960: The very first race at Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) was won by Bobby Johns. He drove a 1960 Pontiac.
• 1961: Bob Burdick won his only career Grand National race. He led 44 laps to victory.
• 1964: Fred Lorenzen won by two laps. Many cars had tire problems and crashed during this race.
• 1966: Jim Hurtubise won his only career Grand National race. He led the last 58 laps.
• 1971: A. J. Foyt beat Richard Petty to win his fifth career race.
• 1972: Bobby Allison won for Chevrolet. He held off strong challenges from A. J. Foyt and Bobby Isaac.
• 1974: Cale Yarborough took the lead when David Pearson pitted. The race was shortened to 450 miles (720 km) because of an energy crisis.
• 1975: After winning the Dixie 500 four times, Richard Petty finally won his first Atlanta 500. He just barely beat Buddy Baker.
• 1976: David Pearson lost a lap early but managed to get it back and win.
• 1977: Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Cale Yarborough finished 1-2-3. They led every single lap of the race.
• 1979: Buddy Baker got new tires during a late yellow flag and won a close sprint to the finish.
• 1980: Dale Earnhardt took the lead with 30 laps left to win.
• 1981: Cale Yarborough won his first race for car owner M.C. Anderson. There was a big protest by Bobby Allison about a rule change.
• 1982: Rain stopped the race after Dale Earnhardt dropped out. Darrell Waltrip won, just ahead of Richard Petty.
• 1983: Cale Yarborough won using a backup car. He had crashed his main car a week before. He also won on his birthday for the second time.
• 1984: Benny Parsons earned his final career win.
• 1986: Morgan Shepherd won his first race in five years. It was the first of his three wins at Atlanta.
• 1987: Ricky Rudd won his first race on a track longer than a mile. Dale Earnhardt dropped out late in the race.
• 1989: Darrell Waltrip came back from almost a lap down to win. A rule was later made to close pit road when a yellow flag comes out. This was to prevent scoring mistakes. Also, Richard Petty's car caught fire during a pit stop.
• 1992: Bill Elliott won in a surprising way. A caution flag trapped all other cars a lap behind him during pit stops.
• 1993: A huge snowstorm, the Superstorm '93, caused the race to be moved. Morgan Shepherd won the rescheduled race.
• 1995: Jeff Gordon won his second race of 1995. This helped him on his way to his first championship title.
• 1996: Dale Earnhardt got his 70th career NASCAR Cup Series win. This was his 8th win at Atlanta, making him the driver with the most wins there.
• 1997: Dale Jarrett was dominant in this race. Steve Grissom crashed into a concrete wall and flipped over.
• 1998: Bobby Labonte won a race that was delayed to Monday because of rain. Many drivers were injured that weekend.
• 2000: Dale Earnhardt won a thrilling race, beating Bobby Labonte by just inches. This was Earnhardt's 75th career win and his 9th and final win at Atlanta. His record of 9 wins still stands.
• 2001: Kevin Harvick won his first race for RCR. He edged Jeff Gordon by inches. Harvick used the same car and team that Earnhardt had won with the year before.
• 2002: Tony Stewart won his first 500-mile race.
• 2005: Carl Edwards passed Jimmie Johnson on the very last lap to win his first career race. He won both races that weekend at Atlanta.
• 2006: Bill Lester became the first African-American driver to race in a Cup Series event since 1986. Kasey Kahne won this race, which was his first of six wins that year.
• 2007: This was the last race for the fourth-generation NASCAR car. The newer "Car of Tomorrow" debuted the next week.
• 2008: Kyle Busch won, giving Toyota their first win in the Cup Series. It was also Busch's first win for Joe Gibbs Racing.
• 2009: Kurt Busch controlled the race. A pit crew mistake by another team helped him stay ahead.
• 2010: A scary crash involving Brad Keselowski was a big story. He was spun out and almost hit the fence. This was the last spring race at Atlanta until 2015.
• 2021: In the last Cup Series race at Atlanta before the track was changed, Kurt Busch held off his younger brother Kyle Busch to win. This was Kurt's last win with Chip Ganassi Racing.
• 2022: Chase Elliott finally won his first Cup Series race at Atlanta, which is his home track. There was a close moment when Corey LaJoie tried to pass Elliott and slid into the wall.
• 2023: William Byron won the race, which was shortened due to rain.
• 2024: Joey Logano won this race, which went into overtime.
• 2025: Chase Elliott won his second Quaker State 400.

Past Winners List

• 1962, 1982, & 2023: Race was made shorter because of rain.
• 1974: Race was made shorter due to an energy crisis.
• 1983: Yarborough won on his birthday for the second time!
• 1991: Race started on Sunday but finished on Monday due to rain.
• 1993: Race was moved back a week because of a big snowstorm.
• 1997: This was the last race on Atlanta's original track design.
• 1998 & 2006: Race was moved from Sunday to Monday because of rain.
• 2009, 2010 & 2024: Race was extended due to a green–white–checker finish. The 2010 race needed two extra attempts to finish.

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Teams with Multiple Wins

Car Manufacturers with Wins