2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500

The 2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 12, 2000, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race was contested over 325 laps. At race's end, Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, held off Bobby Labonte in a photo finish for his 75th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win. Earnhardt would beat Labonte by 0.010 of a second.[1] To fill out the podium, Mark Martin of Roush Racing would finish third, respectively.

2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500
Race details
Race 4 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 program cover.
The 2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 program cover.
Date March 12, 2000
Official name 41st Annual Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500
Location Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.54 mi (2.48 km)
Distance 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km)
Scheduled Distance 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km)
Average speed 131.759 miles per hour (212.046 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Robert Yates Racing
Time 28.789
Most laps led
Driver Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing
Laps 191
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ray Evernham
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Atlanta Motor Speedway, the circuit where the race was held.

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.54-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

Entry list

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  • (R) - denotes rookie driver
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Miller Lite
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline, Cummins
7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet NationsRent
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford Cougar, Melling Engine Parts
10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac Lycos
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Ralphs Supermarkets
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Mobil 1
13 Robby Gordon Team Menard Ford Turtle Wax, Duracell, CD2
14 Mike Bliss (R) A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac Conseco
15 Derrike Cope Fenley-Moore Motorsports Ford Fenley-Moore Motorsports
16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford FamilyClick.com
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
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont Automotive Finishes
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Michael Holigan
26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Big Kmart, Route 66
27 Jeff Fuller (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac Pfizer, 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
33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Oakwood Homes
36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet Coors Light
41 Rick Mast Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Big Daddy's
42 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP, Cheerios
44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet Midwest Transit
55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
60 Ted Musgrave 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 WCW Turner Network
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Ed Berrier Donlavey Racing Ford Hills Bros. Coffee
91 Todd Bodine LJ Racing Chevrolet LJ Racing
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 Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, March 10, at 11:00 AM EST, and would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[2] Steve Park of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.047 and an average speed of 190.863 mph (307.164 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.047 190.863
2 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.125 190.351
3 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.159 190.129
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Friday, March 10, at 1:40 PM EST, and would last for 23 minutes, due to inclement weather.[2] Steve Park of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with an average speed of 190.995 mph (307.377 km/h). [4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Speed
1 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 190.995
2 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 190.981
3 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 190.058
Full second practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 11.[2] Robby Gordon of Team Menard would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.455 and an average speed of 188.219 mph (302.909 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 13 Robby Gordon Team Menard Ford 29.455 188.219
2 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.633 187.088
3 90 Ed Berrier Donlavey Racing Ford 29.695 186.698
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, March 3, at 2:00 PM PST. Each driver would have one lap to set a fastest time; and that lap would count as their official qualifying lap. Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]

Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 28.789 and an average speed of 192.574 mph (309.918 km/h).[7]

Five drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis, Ed Berrier, Johnny Benson Jr., Mike Bliss, and Robby Gordon.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 28.789 192.574
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 28.825 192.333
3 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 28.842 192.220
4 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 28.854 192.140
5 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 28.863 192.080
6 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.866 192.060
7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.883 191.947
8 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 28.926 191.661
9 93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 28.963 191.417
10 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 28.979 191.311
11 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 28.993 191.219
12 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 28.995 191.205
13 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 28.997 191.192
14 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.014 191.080
15 27 Jeff Fuller (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 29.016 191.067
16 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.024 191.014
17 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 29.038 190.922
18 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 29.077 190.666
19 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 29.078 190.660
20 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 29.124 190.358
21 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 29.138 190.267
22 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.151 190.182
23 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.178 190.006
24 91 Todd Bodine LJ Racing Chevrolet 29.195 189.896
25 41 Rick Mast Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.220 189.733
26 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.226 189.694
27 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.255 189.506
28 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 29.291 189.273
29 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.292 189.267
30 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.309 189.157
31 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.314 189.125
32 42 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.319 189.092
33 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.320 189.086
34 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.323 189.067
35 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.359 188.835
36 15 Derrike Cope Fenley-Moore Motorsports Ford 29.380 188.700
Provisionals
37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
38 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet
39 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet
40 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac
41 60 Ted Musgrave Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet
42 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac
43 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
Failed to qualify
44 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 29.453 188.232
45 90 Ed Berrier Donlavey Racing Ford 29.457 188.207
46 10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 29.469 188.130
47 14 Mike Bliss (R) A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac 29.624 187.146
48 13 Robby Gordon Team Menard Ford 29.694 186.704
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts
1 35 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 325 34 Running 180
2 22 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 325 46 Running 175
3 11 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 325 7 Running 170
4 3 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 325 1 Running 165
5 8 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 325 0 Running 155
6 13 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 325 2 Running 155
7 24 91 Todd Bodine LJ Racing Chevrolet 325 0 Running 146
8 18 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 324 0 Running 142
9 7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 324 4 Running 143
10 10 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 324 3 Running 139
11 34 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 324 0 Running 130
12 39 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 324 0 Running 127
13 38 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 324 0 Running 124
14 31 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 324 2 Running 126
15 37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 324 0 Running 118
16 16 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 324 1 Running 120
17 19 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 324 0 Running 112
18 23 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 324 0 Running 109
19 36 15 Derrike Cope Fenley-Moore Motorsports Ford 323 0 Running 106
20 9 93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 322 0 Running 103
21 25 41 Rick Mast Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 322 0 Running 100
22 15 27 Jeff Fuller (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 322 0 Running 97
23 42 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 322 0 Running 94
24 32 42 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 322 0 Running 91
25 38 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 319 0 Engine 88
26 40 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 319 0 Running 85
27 41 60 Ted Musgrave Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 318 2 Running 87
28 33 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 310 0 Running 79
29 2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 307 8 Running 81
30 14 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 305 191 Engine 83
31 43 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 298 0 Running 70
32 30 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 274 0 Accident 67
33 12 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 271 0 Accident 64
34 27 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 270 0 Accident 61
35 17 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 264 0 Running 58
36 1 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 257 5 Engine 60
37 26 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 253 0 Engine 52
38 5 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 238 8 Running 54
39 21 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 208 0 Accident 46
40 4 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 199 2 Engine 48
41 20 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 177 0 Accident 40
42 6 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 135 5 Engine 42
43 29 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 68 5 Accident 39
Failed to qualify
44 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
45 90 Ed Berrier Donlavey Racing Ford
46 10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac
47 14 Mike Bliss (R) A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac
48 13 Robby Gordon Team Menard Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Utter, Jim (2000-03-12). "Atlanta race answers the critics". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  2. ^ a b c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2000 Atlanta Spring Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  3. ^ "First-session Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  4. ^ "2nd-session Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-04-08. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  5. ^ "NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice". NASCAR Online. Archived from the original on 2000-08-23. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  6. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2000 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-11-23. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  7. ^ Harris, Mike. "Jarrett nips Earnhardt Jr. for Atlanta pole". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
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