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2000 Winston 500

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2000 Winston 500
Race details
Race 30 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2000 Winston 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
The 2000 Winston 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
Date October 15, 2000
Official name 32nd Annual Winston 500
Location Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Scheduled Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Average speed 165.681 miles per hour (266.638 km/h)
Attendance 140,000
Pole position
Driver Andy Petree Racing
Time 50.326
Most laps led
Driver Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing
Laps 40
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Jerry Punch, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 2000 Winston 500 was the 30th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the last of five No Bull 5 events in that year's season, and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 15, 2000, before an audience of 140,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete.

In what is considered by NASCAR as one of the most memorable finishes in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt managed to come back from the 18th position with five laps left in the race, making a late-race charge to gain the lead by the start of the final lap. Defending against Andy Petree Racing's Kenny Wallace, Earnhardt was able to defend the field to take his 76th and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his second and final victory of the season, and a No Bull 5 victory, netting him a bonus of $1,000,000.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Kenny Wallace and his teammate, Joe Nemechek finished second and third, respectively.

That was the last restrictor plate race without Kurt Busch until 2015 Daytona 500.

Background

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The layout of Talladega Superspeedway, the venue where the race was held.

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (N) denotes driver eligible for the No Bull 5.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park (N) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Miller Lite
3 Dale Earnhardt (N) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service
4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin (N) Roush Racing Ford Valvoline, Zerex
7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet NationsRent
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford Kodiak
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Aaron's, RCA
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Ralphs
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Mobil1, 2000 World Series
14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford FamilyClick
17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo Supergard 1980's Throwback
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon (N) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Michael Holigan
26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Big Kmart
27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac Viagra
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's
32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford Tide, Alabama Crimson Tide
33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Oakwood Homes, Charlie Daniels Band
36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet Coors Light
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac Cheerios
44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet Midwest Transit
55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D, Cooper Lighting
60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet Power Team
66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Route 66, Big Kmart
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Realtree
75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford World Championship Wrestling
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford Hills Bros. Coffee
91 Blaise Alexander LJ Racing Chevrolet Ericsson
93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Amoco
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford John Deere
99 Jeff Burton (N) Roush Racing Ford Exide
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, October 13, at 12:00 PM EST. The session lasted for two hours. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Steve Park set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 50.105 and an average speed of 191.119 mph (307.576 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 1 Steve Park (N) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 50.105 191.119
2 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 50.357 190.162
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 50.465 189.755
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, October 14, at 9:15 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 15 minutes. Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 48.248 and an average speed of 198.475 mph (319.415 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 48.248 198.475
2 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 48.583 197.106
3 1 Steve Park (N) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 48.683 196.701
Full second practice results

Third practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 14, at 12:45 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour. Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Rusty Wallace set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 49.693 and an average speed of 192.703 mph (310.125 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 49.693 192.703
2 01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet 49.701 192.672
3 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 49.875 192.000
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 13, at 4:00 PM EST. Each driver had two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two counted as their official qualifying lap. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round was guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, October 14, at 11:45 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver had two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 26–36 were decided on time, while positions 37–43 were based on provisionals. Six spots were awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh was awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points was awarded a provisional.[4]

Joe Nemechek, driving for Andy Petree Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 50.326 and an average speed of 190.279 miles per hour (306.224 km/h) in the first round.[5]

Three drivers failed to qualify: Wally Dallenbach Jr., Blaise Alexander, & Hut Stricklin.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 50.326 190.279
2 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 50.388 190.045
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 50.562 189.391
4 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50.681 188.947
5 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 50.713 188.827
6 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 50.737 188.738
7 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 50.811 188.463
8 24 Jeff Gordon (N) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50.817 188.441
9 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 50.844 188.341
10 1 Steve Park (N) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 50.934 188.008
11 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 50.948 187.956
12 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 51.005 187.746
13 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 51.115 187.342
14 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 51.116 187.339
15 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 51.122 187.317
16 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 51.231 186.918
17 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51.247 186.860
18 7 Michael Waltrip Ultra Motorsports Chevrolet 51.262 186.805
19 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 51.262 186.805
20 3 Dale Earnhardt (N) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 51.263 186.801
21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 51.296 186.681
22 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 51.308 186.638
23 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 51.340 186.521
24 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 51.439 186.162
25 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 51.462 186.079
Failed to lock in the first round
26 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 51.394 186.325
27 6 Mark Martin (N) Roush Racing Ford 51.466 186.065
28 60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 51.474 186.036
29 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac 51.482 186.007
30 01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet 51.484 186.000
31 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac 51.535 185.815
32 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 51.552 185.754
33 93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 51.566 185.704
34 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 51.576 185.668
35 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 51.583 185.643
36 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 51.672 185.323
Provisionals
37 99 Jeff Burton (N) Roush Racing Ford 51.728 185.122
38 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 51.757 185.018
39 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 51.696 185.237
40 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 52.069 183.910
41 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 51.757 185.018
42 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 51.699 185.226
43 27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 51.805 184.847
Failed to qualify
44 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 51.682 185.287
45 91 Blaise Alexander LJ Racing Chevrolet 52.104 183.786
46 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 52.221 183.375
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 20 3 Dale Earnhardt (N) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 34 running 180 $135,900
2 7 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 188 0 running 170 $98,170
3 1 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 188 0 running 165 $85,685
4 8 24 Jeff Gordon (N) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 26 running 165 $82,100
5 17 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 4 running 160 $73,700
6 24 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 3 running 155 $62,450
7 27 6 Mark Martin (N) Roush Racing Ford 188 8 running 151 $62,350
8 38 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 188 1 running 147 $59,500
9 43 27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 188 4 running 143 $46,770
10 36 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 188 2 running 139 $65,100
11 11 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 188 0 running 130 $52,930
12 6 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 188 7 running 132 $59,450
13 4 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 3 running 129 $51,730
14 3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 188 28 running 126 $49,260
15 12 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 188 0 running 118 $66,185
16 31 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac 188 0 running 115 $51,250
17 25 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 188 0 running 112 $51,185
18 39 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 188 0 running 109 $50,280
19 10 1 Steve Park (N) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 188 0 running 106 $50,000
20 15 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 188 1 running 108 $57,960
21 28 60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 188 0 running 100 $52,160
22 21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 188 1 running 102 $55,750
23 13 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 188 2 running 99 $41,070
24 2 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 188 40 running 101 $59,290
25 41 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 188 0 running 88 $40,910
26 42 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 188 0 running 85 $37,135
27 5 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 187 12 running 87 $56,465
28 33 93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 187 0 running 79 $36,945
29 37 99 Jeff Burton (N) Roush Racing Ford 187 0 running 76 $56,875
30 26 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 187 0 running 73 $38,105
31 29 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac 187 0 running 70 $36,715
32 30 01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet 186 1 engine 72 $47,820
33 23 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 186 0 running 64 $39,640
34 18 7 Michael Waltrip Ultra Motorsports Chevrolet 186 1 running 66 $47,495
35 34 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 186 0 running 58 $39,620
36 19 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 167 3 accident 60 $46,935
37 14 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 166 6 engine 57 $36,400
38 22 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 134 0 handling 49 $44,350
39 35 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 120 0 engine 46 $36,300
40 9 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 101 1 engine 48 $36,225
41 32 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 81 0 engine 40 $44,175
42 40 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 69 0 engine 37 $44,125
43 16 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 20 0 ignition 34 $44,086
Failed to qualify
44 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford
45 91 Blaise Alexander LJ Racing Chevrolet
46 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford
Official race results

Television

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The race was aired live on ESPN. Jerry Punch, 1973 Cup Series champion Benny Parsons and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett called the race from the broadcast booth. Bill Weber, John Kernan and Ray Dunlap handled pit road for the television side. Punch filled in for regular commentator Bob Jenkins was coverage ABC's coverage of the Excite 500 IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

ABC
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap Color-commentators
Jerry Punch Benny Parsons
Ray Evernham
Bill Weber
John Kernan
Ray Dunlap

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (October 15, 2000). "Earnhardt charges from 18th to front, wins". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 12, 2000. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Gayle, Tim (October 16, 2000). "Dale does it again". Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site – Talladega 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site – 2000 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on November 23, 2005. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Poole, David (October 13, 2000). "Nemechek wins pole, expects fireworks". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on March 12, 2001. Retrieved September 7, 2023.


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2000 UAW-GM Quality 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
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2000 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400