First Data 500

The **First Data 500** is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, the other one being the STP 500 in March, The race has been run in every NASCAR Cup Series, starting with the inaugural 1949 season, making it the oldest NASCAR race still run today. It is the seventh race of ten in the NASCAR Cup Series Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and the first race in the 'Round of 8' of the current Chase format. Starting 2015, NBC has the rights for the final 20 races of the season (17 of 20), including this race.

Prior to lights being installed, the race started at 1:30 pm. Eastern start time, the earliest start time among the playoff races on the current schedule (as the three playoff races after Martinsville start at 3:00 pm EST, five of the first six start at 2:00 pm EDT, and Charlotte starts at 2:00 pm EDT) in an attempt to finish the race before darkness. After a series of incidents involving both the October Late Model race and the NASCAR premiership races in October or November in recent years, most notably both fall 2015 races that ended in near-darkness, the track added lights for the 2017 season. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fall race now finishes at night, and the Late Model race is held at night. The Tums sponsorship returned sponsorship to GlaxoSmithKline for 2008, as their Goody's Powder brand sponsored the race from 1983–1995 and recently returned as sponsor for the spring race. As per Martinsville tradition, the winner of this race receives a custom-built grandfather clock.

## Past winners

### Notes

* **1954 & 1958:** Race shortened due to darkness.
* **1973 & 1976:** Race shortened due to rain.
* **2001:** Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
* **2004:** Victory lane celebration was cancelled after a plane crash that took the lives of key personnel in the Hendrick Motorsports stable.
* **2007–2009, 2015 and 2017:** Race extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish.
* **2015:** First ten laps run behind the safety car because of rain; red flag following a Lap 455 incident resulted race finishing at 5:22 pm, seconds before official sunset, and impending darkness. Track added lights for 2017 because of darkness issues in 2015.

### Track length notes

* **1949–1968:** 0.5 mile course
* **1969, 1984–present:** 0.526 mile course
* **1970–1983:** 0.525 mile course

### Manufacturer wins

 14
 6
 4
 3
 2
 1

## Television broadcasters

* The 2001 race, originally scheduled on NBC, was rained out and run on Monday. (NBC aired a Busch Series race live from Memphis Motorsports Park on Sunday that had been rained out the day before, which was to be on TNT.)

## References

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## Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

### Current races

	+ Daytona
	+ Atlanta
	+ Las Vegas
	+ Phoenix
	+ California
	+ Martinsville
	+ Texas
	+ Bristol
	+ Richmond
	+ Talladega
	+ Dover
	+ Kansas
	+ Charlotte
	+ Pocono
	+ Michigan
	+ Sonoma
	+ Chicagoland
	+ Daytona
	+ Kentucky
	+ New Hampshire
	+ Pocono
	+ Watkins Glen
	+ Michigan
	+ Bristol
	+ Darlington
	+ Indianapolis
	+ *Playoffs:* Las Vegas
	+ Richmond
	+ Charlotte
	+ Dover
	+ Talladega
	+ Kansas
	+ **Martinsville**
	+ Texas
	+ Phoenix
	+ Homestead

### Exhibition races

	+ Advance Auto Parts Clash
	+ Can-Am Duels
	+ Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race