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The 2008 Pepsi 500 is the 25th race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season as the tournament draws closer to the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup where only 12 drivers will advance. It is one of two Sprint Cup Series races to be contested on the D-shaped oval track of the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, with the other being the Auto Club 500. This year's Pepsi 500 will be broadcast on TV through ESPN and on radio via Sirius Satellite Radio. The 500-mile (800 km) race, which will be contested by 44 cars, will mark the last time it will be competed on Labor Day Weekend as it will be moved to the spot currently occupied to Talladega Superspeedway in October as part of the NASCAR Realignment. By then, it will be part of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Pepsi 500 was first held in September of 2004 and was then called the Pop Secret 500. It was renamed to Sony HD 500 the following year, the same year where the race was won by Kyle Busch, making history in the process as the youngest NASCAR Nextel Cup winner ever. The race was renamed again in 2007 as the Sharp AQUOS 500 before being rechristened to its current name this year. Last year, Jimmie Johnson "took home the bacon," winning the race with his Chevrolet.
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