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The AMP Energy 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The AMP Energy 500 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the Aaron's 499, the Coke Zero 400, and the Daytona 500. Through 1996, the race was normally held in early August or late July. In 1997, it was moved, after overwhelming fans' requests, to early October due to the uncomfortably hot summer temperatures, and sometimes unpredictable summertime thunderstorms in the Alabama area. In 2009, the race moved again, this time to November 1 as part of a realignment agreement with Atlanta and Fontana (where Fontana will earn a race in the Chase and Atlanta will gain the Labor Day weekend race).
In 1998, the name of the race was swapped with that of the spring race. The fall race became known as the Winston 500 for three years in order to promote the Winston No Bull 5 program.
During the driver introductions in 2005, Ricky Bobby and other characters were introduced in order to shoot scenes for the movie Talladega Nights.
The race has been perhaps the most consistently competitive in NASCAR history. It has broken 40 official lead changes in 1971, '73, 1975-8, 1983-4, 1989, 2000, and 2003-9; in ten of these races the barrier of 50 lead changes was broken.
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