2000 NAPA Autocare 500

The 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 was the 28th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 52nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 1, 2000, in Ridgeway, Virginia, at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would control the final restart with 11 laps to go to win his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his fifth of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

2000 NAPA Autocare 500
Race details
Race 28 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 program cover.
The 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 program cover.
Date October 1, 2000
Official name 52nd Annual NAPA Autocare 500
Location Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.526 mi (0.847 km)
Distance 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km)
Average speed 73.859 miles per hour (118.865 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 19.855
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Burton Roush Racing
Laps 202
Winner
No. 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Martinsville Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Miller Lite
3 Dale Earnhardt 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 Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
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. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac Aaron's, RCA
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Ralphs
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Mobil 1
14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford Family Click.com
17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
19 Casey Atwood Evernham Motorsports Ford Motorola
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo 1950's Throwback
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon 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
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
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac Cheerios
44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac Sprint
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 RotoZip
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford Mansion Motorsports
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford Hills Bros. Coffee
93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Amoco
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford John Deere
99 Jeff Burton 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, September 29, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for two hours and 30 minutes.[3] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 19.810 and an average speed of 95.588 mph (153.834 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 19.810 95.588
2 60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 19.859 95.352
3 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 19.865 95.323
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, September 30, at 9:40 AM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes.[3] Steve Grissom of Petty Enterprises would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.126 and an average speed of 94.087 mph (151.418 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac 20.126 94.087
2 60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 20.129 94.073
3 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 20.148 93.984
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, September 30, at 1:00 PM EST. The session would last for one hour.[3] Ricky Craven of Midwest Transit Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.186 and an average speed of 93.808 mph (150.969 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 20.186 93.808
2 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.231 93.599
3 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 20.241 93.553
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 29, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be 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, September 30, at 11:15 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 26-36 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 champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]

Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 19.855 and an average speed of 95.371 miles per hour (153.485 km/h).[8]

Five drivers would fail to qualify: Scott Pruett, Steve Grissom, Carl Long, Dave Marcis, and Rich Bickle.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 20 Tony Stewart (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 19.855 95.371
2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 19.862 95.338
3 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 19.866 95.319
4 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 19.896 95.175
5 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.898 95.165
6 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 19.905 95.132
7 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 19.926 95.032
8 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.928 95.022
9 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 19.952 94.908
10 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 19.962 94.860
11 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 19.964 94.851
12 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.972 94.813
13 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.976 94.794
14 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 19.978 94.784
15 01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet 19.990 94.727
16 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 19.995 94.704
17 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 20.000 94.680
18 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 20.010 94.633
19 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 20.012 94.623
20 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 20.015 94.609
21 93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 20.020 94.585
22 19 Casey Atwood Evernham Motorsports Ford 20.026 94.571
23 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 20.026 94.557
24 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 20.032 94.529
25 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 20.037 94.505
26 27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 20.038 94.500
27 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 20.040 94.491
28 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 20.043 94.477
29 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 20.045 94.467
30 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 20.061 94.392
31 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 20.081 94.298
32 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 20.091 94.251
33 10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 20.098 94.218
34 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 20.106 94.181
35 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 20.117 94.129
36 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 20.137 94.036
Provisionals
37 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 20.221 93.645
38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.170 93.882
39 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 20.259 93.470
40 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 20.238 93.567
41 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 20.156 93.947
42 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 20.187 93.803
43 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 20.617 91.847
Failed to qualify
44 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 20.173 93.868
45 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac 20.176 93.854
46 85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford 20.281 93.368
47 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 20.447 92.610
48 60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 20.524 92.263
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin[9] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 20 Tony Stewart (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 500 179 running 180 $125,875
2 12 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 0 running 170 $77,925
3 3 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 500 202 running 175 $83,225
4 11 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 500 37 running 165 $59,275
5 5 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 155 $59,075
6 31 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 500 0 running 150 $57,375
7 25 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 500 0 running 146 $46,075
8 8 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 0 running 142 $42,750
9 34 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 500 27 running 143 $42,550
10 14 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 500 0 running 134 $60,100
11 10 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 500 0 running 130 $39,185
12 13 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 127 $38,975
13 28 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 500 0 running 124 $44,450
14 24 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 500 0 running 121 $37,825
15 20 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 500 0 running 118 $39,625
16 39 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 499 0 running 115 $34,125
17 38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 499 0 running 112 $43,125
18 23 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 499 0 running 109 $42,630
19 33 10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 499 0 running 106 $27,675
20 36 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 499 1 running 108 $28,175
21 15 01 Ted Musgrave Team SABCO Chevrolet 498 0 running 100 $35,675
22 6 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 498 0 running 97 $35,825
23 2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 498 53 running 99 $43,275
24 42 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 498 1 running 96 $34,525
25 22 19 Casey Atwood Evernham Motorsports Ford 497 0 running 88 $23,375
26 19 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 497 0 running 85 $23,425
27 18 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 497 0 running 82 $25,975
28 26 27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 496 0 running 79 $23,525
29 41 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 494 0 running 76 $33,575
30 21 93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 494 0 running 73 $22,225
31 27 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 486 0 drivetrain 70 $22,075
32 43 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 480 0 running 67 $33,550
33 16 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 458 0 crash 64 $24,825
34 37 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 447 0 running 61 $32,700
35 7 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 444 0 running 58 $32,075
36 32 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 406 0 crash 55 $31,500
37 40 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 396 0 running 52 $29,375
38 35 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 393 0 overheating 49 $29,250
39 30 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 333 0 crash 46 $21,125
40 17 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 329 0 brakes 43 $20,975
41 9 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 317 0 overheating 40 $20,850
42 29 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 114 0 crash 37 $20,725
43 4 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 61 0 engine 34 $39,100
Failed to qualify
44 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford
45 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac
46 85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford
47 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
48 60 Rich Bickle Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (October 1, 2000). "Starting first helped Stewart finish there". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (October 2, 2000). "Tony Stewart roars to Martinsville win". The Park City Daily News. p. 18. Retrieved June 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - Martinsville 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 25, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice 1". NASCAR Online. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice 2". NASCAR Online. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Racin.net - 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 Practice 3". The Racin' Network. Archived from the original on July 8, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Poole, David (September 29, 2000). "Tony Stewart wins Martinsville pole". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on November 24, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
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