YellaWood 500 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
YellaWood 500

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Talladega Superspeedway
Location	Talladega, Alabama, United States
Corporate sponsor	YellaWood
First race	1969 (1969)
Distance	500.08 miles (804.801 km)
Laps	188 Stages 1/2: 60 each Final stage: 68
Previous names	Talladega 500 (1969–1987) Talladega DieHard 500 (1988–1989) DieHard 500 (1990–1997) Winston 500 (1998–2000) EA Sports 500 (2001–2004) UAW-Ford 500 (2005–2007) AMP Energy 500 (2008–2009) AMP Energy Juice 500 (2010) Good Sam Club 500 (2011) Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 (2012) Camping World RV Sales 500 (2013) GEICO 500 (2014) CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega (2015) Hellmann's 500 (2016) Alabama 500 (2017) 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2018–2019)
Most wins (driver)	Dale Earnhardt (7)
Most wins (team)	Richard Childress Racing (8)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chevrolet (22)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt
Length	2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Turns	4

The YellaWood 500 is an exciting NASCAR Cup Series stock car race. It takes place at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. This race is a big part of the NASCAR playoffs, where drivers compete for the championship.

Talladega is one of only four NASCAR Cup Series tracks that use "restrictor plates." These plates limit how much air and fuel go into the engine. This makes the cars go a bit slower, but it also keeps them very close together. This creates thrilling, tight racing where many cars can win.

For many years, this race happened in the hot summer months. But in 1997, it moved to early October. This was because of the very hot weather and sudden thunderstorms in Alabama. In 2009, it moved again to November 1st as part of a schedule change.

The YellaWood 500 is known for being one of the most competitive races in NASCAR history. It often has many "lead changes," which means the car in first place changes a lot. In some races, the lead has changed over 60 times! In 2010, it even reached 87 lead changes. A famous moment happened in 2000 when Dale Earnhardt won his final career race here. He came from way back in 18th place to win in the last few laps.

Past Race Winners

This table shows all the drivers who have won the YellaWood 500 over the years. It includes details like the year, the winning driver, their team, and the car manufacturer.

• 1977: Darrell Waltrip helped Donnie Allison finish the race. Allison still got credit for the win and points.
• 1996: The race started late due to rain. It was then shortened because it got too dark after a long stop for a big crash.
• 2005, 2008–2009, 2011–2012, 2014–2016, 2018, 2020, & 2024: These races went longer than planned because of "NASCAR overtime" rules. This means they added extra laps to finish under green flag conditions.
• 2019: The race began on Sunday but stopped after 57 laps due to rain. It was finished on Monday.
• 2021: This race was also moved to Monday and made shorter because of rain.

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Some drivers have been so good at this race that they've won it more than once! Here are the top drivers with multiple victories:

Teams with Multiple Wins

These racing teams have shown great skill at the YellaWood 500, winning many times:

Car Brands with Wins

Different car manufacturers have also had their share of victories at Talladega:

Exciting Race Moments

The YellaWood 500 is famous for its unexpected winners and thrilling finishes. Many drivers have gotten their first career win at this race.

• 1969: This first race had a driver strike over safety concerns. But officials showed the track was safe, and the race went on.
• 1973: Dick Brooks won his only career race here. He started 24th and beat strong favorites. Sadly, a young driver named Larry Smith passed away in a crash during this race.
• 1974: Before the race, crew members found cars had been tampered with. NASCAR had to pause the race several times to check cars. Richard Petty won on the last lap in a very close finish.
• 1975: This race saw a terrible crash where former Daytona 500 winner Tiny Lund was fatally injured. Later, Dick Brooks had a scary tumble but was okay.
• 1981: The finish was unforgettable! Ron Bouchard, running third on the last lap, zoomed past both Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip to win his first and only career race.
• 1983: Bobby Allison helped Dale Earnhardt win by pushing him past Darrell Waltrip on the final lap. This caused some debate among the teams.
• 1984: This race is often called one of NASCAR's greatest. The lead changed 68 times among 16 drivers! Dale Earnhardt won in a super close finish.
• 1986: This race had a record 26 different leaders and 49 lead changes. Many top drivers crashed out. Bobby Hillin Jr. won, and a big crash happened on the last lap.
• 1993: Dale Earnhardt won by just 0.005 seconds, one of the closest finishes ever. The race had two very scary crashes. One sent Jimmy Horton's car over the outside wall. Another saw Neil Bonnett's car fly into the catch fence. These crashes led to important safety changes, like adding roof flaps to cars and stronger fences around tracks.
• 1996: A huge crash happened on lap 117. Sterling Marlin and Dale Earnhardt crashed hard, and Earnhardt's car flipped over. Ten cars were destroyed. Earnhardt was hurt but bravely waved to the crowd.
• 2000: This was Dale Earnhardt's 76th and final win. He was in 17th place with only four laps left. He found a way to the front and won on the last lap, while his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was leading, got shuffled back.
• 2001: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first of four straight Talladega races. A big crash happened near the end, involving many cars, including Bobby Labonte whose car flipped. Earnhardt Jr. won a special $1 million bonus. He was later penalized for a car rule violation.
• 2002: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his third straight Talladega race. This race was unique because it had no caution flags during the main race. There was an unusual crash during the warm-up laps between Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin.
• 2003: Michael Waltrip won his last career race here, finishing first with his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in second. A crash near the end saw Elliott Sadler's car go airborne.
• 2004: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won again, his fifth win at Talladega. On the last lap, Elliott Sadler's car flipped over at the finish line. NASCAR penalized Earnhardt Jr. for using inappropriate language in a post-race interview.
• 2005: This race was very wild, with two cars flipping over in separate accidents. Scenes from this race were even used in the movie ... and the Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
• 2006: The track had just been repaved, leading to 63 lead changes. Brian Vickers won in a very close finish under caution, causing fans to throw things onto the track. Vickers dedicated his win to the Hendrick family members who had passed away in a plane crash.
• 2008: This race had a record 64 lead changes among 28 different leaders. Tony Stewart was awarded the win after Regan Smith was penalized for passing below a special yellow line on the track. This decision caused a lot of discussion.
• 2009: The race ended in a thrilling "green-white-checkered" finish. A big crash happened on the last lap, with Mark Martin's car flipping over. Jamie McMurray won his third career race.
• 2010: On Halloween, Clint Bowyer was declared the winner after a crash on the final lap. The lead changed a huge 87 times, making it one of the most competitive races ever.
• 2011: Clint Bowyer won again, passing his teammate Jeff Burton on the final lap. This was the 100th win for his team, Richard Childress Racing.
• 2012: Matt Kenseth won his first Talladega race. On the final lap, a massive crash collected 23 cars, including most of the championship contenders. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was involved and later missed two races due to a concussion.
• 2013: This race was surprisingly calm with only two caution flags for most of the race. Jamie McMurray won, ending a long winless streak.
• 2014: The race went into overtime. A "Big One" crash on the backstretch involved 11 cars. Brad Keselowski won, calling Talladega a "wild card" race.
• 2015: This race had a very controversial finish. After a crash, NASCAR tried to restart the race multiple times. Eventually, Joey Logano was declared the winner, and angry fans threw beer cans at him. This led to NASCAR changing its overtime rules for future races.
• 2019: The race was stopped by rain and finished the next day. There were three "Big One" crashes during the race. On the last lap, Ryan Blaney won by just 0.006 seconds, one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history!
• 2020: This was the most competitive race of the year with 58 lead changes. Denny Hamlin won after a chaotic finish with multiple overtime attempts. There was more controversy over cars racing below the yellow line. This race also had a record 13 caution flags and lasted over four hours.
• 2021: The race was moved to Monday due to rain. After several crashes and more rain, the race was called early. Bubba Wallace was leading and earned his first career win. This made him the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race since 1963.