Aaron's 499

The Aaron's 499 race is one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car races and it is held at the Talladega Superspeedway, in Talladega, Alabama. The race consists of 188 laps and has a total distance of just over 500 miles.

The Aaron's 499, together with NASCAR races such as the AMP Energy 500, the Coke Zero 400 and the Daytona 500, are the only four races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series to be run with restrictor plates. The purpose of restrictor plates is to limit the top speed of the cars and increase safety for the drivers. http://www.allleftturns.com/nascar-races/aarons-499

Since its beginnings, the race has typically been held in late April or early May.

The 1997 event, which was won by Mark Martin, has the record for being the fastest NASCAR race to date, with an incredible average speed of 188.354 mph (303.126 km/h). Additionally, the 1997 Aaron's 399 the first race at Talladega without a single caution flag. <ref>http://www.allleftturns.com/nascar-races/aarons-499

From 1970, until the demise of the Grand Slam, the race was known as the second leg of that race. Prior to this date, it was also part of the Winston Million.http://www.allleftturns.com/nascar-races/aarons-499

The name of the race comes from a sponsorship agreement with the Aaron's chain of lease-to-own stores. Though the name advertises a "499" distance, designed to allude to the chain's advertised tendencies to offer rentals "For $99" per month, the race is still slightly over 500 miles in length. <ref>http://www.allleftturns.com/nascar-races/aarons-499

2002 April 21 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet

2003 April 6 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet

2004 April 25 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet

2005 May 1 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet

2006 May 1 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet

2007 April 29 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet

2008 April 27 Kyle Busch Toyota

2009 April 26 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet