The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professionalstock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.[1]
This was the final season for three-time Winston Cup Champion Darrell Waltrip. Also, this was unexpectedly the final full-time season for seven-time Winston Cup champion, and one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, Dale Earnhardt, who was killed the following year in the season-opening 2001 Daytona 500.
The 2000 season also marked the final one for various networks that carried NASCAR racing. Because of the new television deal struck on December 15, 1999, it would be the last year for a multitude of these long-time broadcasters. NASCAR on CBS broadcast the final races of its twenty-two-season partnership, ending with the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. NASCAR on TNN and NASCAR on TBS ended their time in the Winston Cup Series; the former's run of ten seasons came to an end at the Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix, while the latter's abruptly ceased at eighteen seasons following the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (TBS had initially won rights for the new deal, but was replaced by TNT). NASCAR on ESPN, alongside its affiliated programming with ESPN on ABC, ended its initial run of covering NASCAR's top series (both networks returned during the 2007 season); ESPN's first run of twenty seasons concluded with the NAPA 500 at Atlanta, while ABC's then twenty-five nonconsecutive seasons with the sport ended with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
Ricky Rudd suffered a spectacular flip at the checkered flag when he was tapped by Sterling Marlin when Marlin ran into Bobby Labonte. Everyone involved walked away uninjured.
This would be the first time since 1989 that Dale Earnhardt failed to win one of the Gatorade 125 Races. He would finish 11th in Race 1, resulting him with a 21st place starting spot for the Daytona 500. He would have some very negative comments about the new aerodynamics package following this race, and after the finish of the Daytona 500.
As of 2022, Dale Jarrett is the last driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole.
Ford sweeps the top 5 positions. As of 2022, this was the last time that a manufacturer would sweep the top 5 spots in the Daytona 500.
This would be the 1st time since 1989 that Daytona legend Dale Earnhardt failed to win a NASCAR race in Daytona Speedweeks. However, his streak of winning at least 1 Daytona Speedweeks race would still be alive after winning the IROC Race the day before. This would also be the first time in his Winston Cup career that he failed to finish in the top 10 in all of the speedweek races in the same season. He didn't race in the Bud Shootout, he finished 11th in the 1st race of the Gatorade Twin 125s, and he would finish 21st in this race.
This race was the start of major controversy due to the new aerodynamics package NASCAR officials made for both the Daytona and Talladega races this year since they are the restrictor-plate races. This race only saw 9 lead changes, and the majority of the race led to single file racing, almost 2 full car lengths apart per car. The entire 2000 Speedweeks saw a total of just 14 lead changes. Dale Earnhardt would be very vocal about the negativity of the aerodynamics package following this race.
This was the last Daytona 500 to be televised by CBS, and thus the last 500 broadcasts for Buddy Baker and Ned Jarrett.
Due to his failure to qualify, Dave Marcis' streak of making the Daytona 500 for consecutive years that started in 1968 came to an end, totaling 32 years.
Johnny Benson, driving an unsponsored, but they picked sponsorship from Lycos, Inc. with changed black number car for Tyler Jet Motorsports, was surprisingly in the lead with less than 10 laps to go and looked as if he might capture his first Cup win in the biggest event of the season. After a restart from a late caution flag, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton both passed him with four laps to go. Jarrett would wind up winning the race under caution, and Benson finished 12th.
The race was highlighted with a photo finish by Dale Earnhardt over Bobby Labonte at a margin of 0.010 seconds.
This was Earnhardt's 75th career NASCAR Winston Cup win and his final win at a non-restrictor plate track. The win made Earnhardt the third driver to win on both configurations of Atlanta Motor Speedway, the others being Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon. All three have won on the old 1.522 mile oval and the current 1.54-mile oval.
As of today, with this win in the year 2000, Dale Earnhardt would be 1st, and so far, the only driver in NASCAR history, to score at least 1 win in 4 consecutive decades. He scored his 1st career win in 1979 at Bristol, and then followed it up with 38 wins in the 1980s, and 35 wins in the 1990s.
Mike Skinner led a race-high 191 laps and looked as if he was going to capture his first Winston Cup points win when an engine failure dropped him out of the race while leading with 20 laps to go. Skinner would finish 30th.
On lap 390, Jeff Gordon ran over one of Steve Park's old right-side tires that had been left on pit road, ending his chances to win. This incident led to the rule change that pit crews have to bring the right-side tires back to the pit wall during a pit stop.
Rusty Wallace became the 10th driver to win 50+ NASCAR races. He became the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1991 to score his 50th career win. He is currently the only driver in history to get his first and 50th career wins at the same track, in the same race.
19-year-old Adam Petty became the first fourth-generation athlete in professional sports history when he qualified 33rd for this race. He finished 40th after suffering a blown motor in his only ever Cup Series race. His great-grandfather, NASCAR pioneer Lee Petty, lived to see Adam race in NASCAR's top level. Lee would die just three days later on April 5, at the age of 86, due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Adam, who was set to be the future for Petty Enterprises, would die on May 12, only 37 days after his great-grandfather Lee. He was unexpectedly killed in a practice crash for a Busch Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
This was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s first career win, coming in only his 12th start in the Cup series, a then-record for fewest starts to first victory, breaking the record of 16, coincidentally held by his father, Dale Earnhardt.
Kyle Petty later relieved an injured Elliott Sadler, who suffered shoulder bruising after a cut tire on lap 119. The tire tore the car apart and the tire hit his shoulder several times.
This race had 17 cautions for 116 laps, season highs for the 2000 season.
Rusty Wallace dominated, leading 343 of the race's 500 laps, but with 64 laps to go, eventual winner Mark Martin passed Wallace and led until the finish.
This race was dedicated to the memory of Lee Petty, who died on April 5 due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was 86 years old.
Jeff Gordon became the 11th driver, and the second driver of 2000, to win 50+ NASCAR races, joining Rusty Wallace, who won three weeks prior to Bristol. This is the third time, and currently the last time, in NASCAR history, that two drivers won their 50th career races in the same year, a feat that had not been accomplished since 1978 when Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison won their 50th race in the same year. The first time was 1965 when Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett both won their 50th, yet final career races, in the same year.
Gordon is the youngest driver, and the quickest driver ever to win 50 NASCAR races. He accomplished this feat in 232 NASCAR starts, and he did it at 28 years old.
Gordon also won the race from the 36th starting spot.
Gordon finished a Career Grand Slam.
This was the last race attempted by Larry Hedrick Motorsports. This was due to a lack of funding after a deal with infamous sponsor Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce fell apart as the company never paid any money to Hedrick.
Last race for Bud Moore Engineering (which had been sold to businessmen Robert and Randy Finley earlier in the offseason), as the #15 car driven by Ted Musgrave would finished 35th after crashing out during the big one, the team would fold after failing to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte the following month, Moore originally planned to attempt to bring the #15 car to qualify for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July, but later withdrew due to lack of funding.
Jeremy Mayfield was fined 151 points and crew chief Peter Sospenzo was fined and suspended after this race for a rules infraction not related to the running of this event. The fine was a result of actions taken at the previous race, the April 16 DieHard 500atTalladega Superspeedway. NASCAR delayed the penalty in order to research the motive behind the infraction. [1]Archived 2005-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
Bobby Labonte took the points to lead after gaining it at Darlington and losing it at Talladega. He would keep it for the remainder of 2000.
Mayfield's win set a NASCAR all-time record with 10 different drivers winning the first 10 races of the season. As of 2020, this record still stands.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was an automatic entry with two wins in the season and won in his first All-Star Race start. He also became the first driver to win an All-Star Race in his rookie season.
This was the 16th and final time in their careers that Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt competed in the Winston. Waltrip retired at the end of 2000 and called the 2001 race from the booth, and Earnhardt was unexpectedly killed the following season at the 2001 Daytona 500. They are also the only two drivers in NASCAR history to compete in the first 16 races of the Winston.
This was the final appearance of Kenny Irwin Jr. in The Winston, as he was killed in a practice crash at New Hampshire two months later. Irwin, who was winless in his Cup Series career, received an automatic entry in the starting grid due to the No. 42 team's win with Joe Nemechek at the 1999 Dura Lube/Kmart 300.
Carl Long, who qualified in the No. 85 Mansion Motorsports entry, gave up his spot for Darrell Waltrip to compete in his final Coca-Cola 600. Darrell would finish the race 36th, 14 laps down to the winner.
The race was stopped on lap 254 by a 51-minute red flag due to rain.
This was Matt Kenseth's first career victory, the first rookie ever to win the Coca-Cola 600.
This would be the first time in NASCAR history that two rookies won in the same season (Dale Earnhardt Jr. won twice prior to Kenseth's win).
After winning the pole with a new track qualifying record, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a leading contender. Earnhardt Jr. led a race-high 175 laps, at one time overtaking his father for the lead after a restart.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Jerry Nadeau led 115 laps, most of them in the first half in a breakout performance. However, just after the rain delay, various engine problems dropped him from contention. Nadeau's night came to an end when his engine expired on lap 360.
Robby Gordon was competing in the Indianapolis 500, where the start was rain-delayed by three hours. P. J. Jones started in place of Gordon in the No. 13 Ford. After finishing 6th at Indy, Gordon decided to fly to Charlotte anyway, arriving during the red flag at lap 254 and drove the remainder of this race. The car finished 35th, 11 laps behind the leader. Tony Stewart competed in both races in the previous season.
John Andretti, who was dealing with rib injuries suffered in a crash in The Winston, started the race in the No. 43 Pontiac. Andretti drove until lap 81 when he was relieved by Tim Fedewa. The car would finish 31st, 7 laps down to the winner.
Stewart led 242 of 400 laps and moved up to 9th place in points.
Kyle Petty actually ran this race for John Andretti. They made the driver swap at the first caution. This was Kyle's first race since the death of his son Adam. The car would finish 13th, 2 laps down to the winner.
Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 21 car went for a wild ride in practice, flipping 12 times after blowing a tire on the front stretch. He was not injured.
The race was shortened to 194 laps due to darkness caused by two rain delays. Due to the rain delay, race coverage was moved from CBS to TNN but retained the CBS announcer team and graphics.
Tony Stewart became the first back-to-back winner of the year 2000 other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. who became the first rookie to win repeat wins in 2000 prior to his win at Richmond back in May.
This race is remembered for Mayfield getting Dale Earnhardt to lose on the final lap in the final turn to move him out of the way and take the win by using a patented Earnhardt move.
The weekend was marked by tragedy as Kenny Irwin Jr. was killed in a Turn 3 practice crash on July 7. Race winner Tony Stewart later gave the race trophy to Irwin's parents.
Ironically Kenny's death happened on the same day it was announced that Chip Ganassi had purchased majority interest in the Felix Sabates team.[2]
First Pontiac to win at Loudon since Rusty Wallace won the inaugural running in 1993.
Kenny Irwin's teammate on the SABCO team, Sterling Marlin, declined to run in qualifying following Irwin's death; choosing to use a provisional to enter the race. He finished 1 lap down to the leader in 25th.
Owner of car number 42 Felix Sabates would change the car number for the remainder of the season to 01. Three different drivers would finish the season in Kenny's former ride, Ted Musgrave, P. J. Jones, and Bobby Hamilton Jr.
Rusty Wallace led a dominating 110 laps of the race's 160, but it was a hard-charging Bobby Labonte who caught and passed Rusty to lead the last 15 laps and win the race.
This race has the record for the fastest Brickyard 400, with only 2 cautions and an average speed of 155.912 mph.
This was the third straight year that the points leader coming into this race would win the Brickyard 400, and still retain the points lead for the rest of the season, and go on to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Jeff Gordon did it in 1998, Dale Jarrett in 1999, and Bobby Labonte in 2000.
Terry Labonte was forced to miss this and the next race due to inner ear injuries suffered at Pocono. At the time, he held the record for consecutive starts, with 655.
The race was ABC's last broadcast of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series until the 2007 fall Richmond race (in which the series was renamed to NASCAR Nextel Cup Series) as part of the ESPN group of networks.
This was Steve Park's first career Winston Cup victory.
Jeff Gordon, winner of the last six road course races, did not win a seventh, as he and Tony Stewart collided with each other on lap 2, causing him to hit the guardrail, eventually finishing in the 23rd position.
This race saw Dale Earnhardt's eldest son Kerry Earnhardt make his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut. The presence of Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kerry made this the only time in NASCAR's modern era, and only the second time in NASCAR's history altogether that a father would race against two of his sons. Lee Petty had previously accomplished that feat with sons Richard and Maurice back in 1960.[3] It would be a good day for the elder Earnhardt, as he would finish in the sixth position, but both of his sons had troubles during the race. Dale Jr. blew an engine en route to a 31st-place finish, while Kerry fell victim to an early accident and finished last in the 43 car field.
Despite winning the pole for this race, and also winning his fourth and final race of the year, this was Rusty Wallace's first win of the season from the pole. It took him eight pole positions of 2000 to finally score the win from that spot. The race marked the last win from the pole in Wallace's career.
With this win, Wallace tied Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough for second place all-time as a nine-time winner at Bristol. Darrell Waltrip is the only winner with more than ten, winning 12 races. Wallace's nine wins at Bristol were the most at any one track in his career.
Wallace swept the Bristol races, the first time he swept a track since Martinsville in 1994. It was also the last time that Wallace swept both of the races at a track
Wallace became the second driver of 2000 to win back-to-back races, joining Tony Stewart.
Final back-to-back wins for Wallace.
Final time in his career that Wallace won multiple races in a season.
The race was shortened to 328 laps due to thunderstorms. Due to the rain delay, race coverage was moved from ESPN to ESPN2 but retained ESPN's announcer team and graphics.
Bobby Labonte won the race from the 37th starting position. the worst starting spot to victory since Jeff Gordon at Talladega when he started 36th.
Terry and Bobby Labonte became the first set of brothers to win the Southern 500.
Gordon held off a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt, denying Earnhardt a million-dollar bonus as being eligible for the No Bull 5 program in this event.
The race marked the third and final win for Gordon in 2000, the lowest winning total for him since 1994.
First time since 1994 that Jeff Gordon failed to win back-to-back races.
Casey Atwood, along with Ray Evernham's new team Evernham Motorsports, made their NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut in the 19 car, driving a Ford (the team switched to Dodge in 2001 due to the team being a huge part of Dodge's return into NASCAR). Atwood finished his debut in 19th place, two laps down.
This would be the final time that Darrell Waltrip failed to qualify for a Winston Cup race.
This race had the distinction of being the only Cup race outside of Daytona and Talladega to run a restrictor-plate race since the adoption of the current 358 cubic inch formula. After Adam Petty's fatal crash in the Busch Series practice in May and Kenny Irwin Jr.'s fatal crash in the Cup Series practice in July, NASCAR decided to run restrictor plates. Adding restrictor plates did have the desired result of slowing down the cars drastically, but at the same time restricted passing so much that Jeff Burton led all 300 laps. This lack of passing was so uncompetitive that, for Cup cars only, the restrictor plates were gone for the very next race. Replacing the plates was an engine kill switch, which was located on the steering wheel, and it allowed drivers to halt the car if their throttle was stuck open going too hard into the turns.[4]
Jeff Burton led all 300 laps. As of 2020, this was the last time that a driver led every single lap in a NASCAR points race. The closest a driver came to accomplishing this feat was in 2016 when Martin Truex Jr. led 392 of 400 laps and won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
This was Kurt Busch's first race in the Cup series, having replaced Chad Little as the driver of the No. 97 Ford. Busch started 10th and finished 18th.
This was the last race to air on TNN under "The Nashville Network" name.
This would be Dale Earnhardt's 76th and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, as he would be tragically killed the following season in the 2001 Daytona 500, the very 1st race of the year.
This would be Dale Earnhardt's 76th and final victory with Richard Childress Racing. His 76 wins ranged 17 seasons, from 1984 to 2000. As of 2022, Earnhardt is still the winningest driver for that team.
Not only that this was his 76th win, but this would be the 100th, and final victory overall, for Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR Winston Cup Racing. Along with his 76 points wins, he managed to win 24 non-points exhibition races throughout his career. He would become only the 3rd driver in NASCAR history to win a total of 100+ races, joining Richard Petty and David Pearson. Former rival Jeff Gordon would eventually become the 4th, and as of 2022, the most recent driver to win a total of 100+ races, with 104 victories.
This would be the last time in a long time that the legendary #3 went to victory lane in the Cup Series. After Dale Earnhardt's unexpected death the following season in the 2001 Daytona 500, car owner Richard Childress immediately changed the number from 3 to 29 and recruited full-time Busch Series star Kevin Harvick to replace the legendary driver. After Harvick left in 2013, Childress changed the #29 back to the legendary #3 and hired his grandson Austin Dillon in 2014. Finally, after almost 17 years and 592 consecutive races since this event, Austin Dillon would take the legendary #3 back to victory lane in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600. It would be his 1st career NASCAR Cup Series win. As of 2022, Dillon is still the driver of the legendary Richard Childress #3 car.
This race is strongly remembered for Dale Earnhardt's late-race charge from the back to the front. With 5 laps to go, Earnhardt was racing midpack, battling for the 18th position, but somehow, unbelievably, in just 3 laps, he stormed his way through the pack from the 18th spot by using just the middle lane. He would then find himself up front, battling for the lead with less than 2 laps to go. He actually ended up taking the lead from both, ironically, his teammate Mike Skinner, and son Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the tri-oval, coming to the white flag. After a hard, but short, 3 lap battle with the pack and trying to get to the front, Earnhardt would officially cross the start/finish line 1st on the white flag lap. Then he held off Andy Petree Racing teammates Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek for the entire last lap to score the win.
This was Dale Earnhardt's first, and only, Winston No Bull 5 Million Dollar Bonus win.
This was Earnhardt's 10th career Talladega win, the most wins at Talladega by a driver as of 2020.
10 wins at Talladega is the most wins at one track in Dale Earnhardt's legendary career. This 10th win broke him out of a four-way tie for most wins at one track. His second-most wins at one track are nine each at three tracks: Atlanta, Bristol, and Darlington.
This race was the debut of a new aerodynamics package for both Daytona and Talladega restrictor-plate races. This new package was supposed to go into effect starting in the 2001 Daytona 500, but due to the controversy of the 1st 3 plate races earlier in the season, the new rules package took effect immediately in this race. The new package for this race saw a lot of passing and had a total of 49 lead changes among 21 different drivers.
This was the last career Winston Cup race that Dave Marcis led a lap.
This was the last Cup race sponsored by a tobacco product.
This was Mike Skinner's nearest-miss of his Cup Series career as he led with 2 laps to go in RCR's #31 Lowe's Chevrolet, only to finish 6th after losing the lead before the white flag waved. Skinner also finished 2nd at Talladega earlier in the year.
It was the last race televised by The Nashville Network (during the broadcast, known as The National Network), which was later called Spike, and is now called Paramount Network.
Ryan Newman made his NASCAR debut starting 10th and finishing 41st.
It was Tony Stewart's sixth win of the year, most of all drivers for the season.
Bobby Labonte clinched the championship by finishing 4th with only one race left. It was the 2nd straight year that the championship was clinched at Homestead. He led the standings by 256 points over Jeff Burton going into the season finale at Atlanta.
This was Joe Gibbs' first Winston Cup Championship as an owner since he formed his racing team back in 1992.
Casey Atwood scored his first career top-ten finish in the Cup Series.
Because of a deal that gave broadcasting rights to Fox, FX, NBC, and TNT, this was ESPN's last Winston Cup race until the station along with ABC was brought back to NASCAR in 2007. It is remembered for Bob Jenkins making a farewell speech and his fellow commentator Benny Parsons and Ned Jarrett almost making him cry as they said goodbye on TV. Jenkins introduced a video from ESPN thanking all the fans, simply stating "Without you, there would have been no magic."
The race was not Parsons' final race as a color commentator. He would continue in the position with NBC and TNT until he died in January 2007.
This was Ned Jarrett's final Winston Cup race as a full-time color commentator. ESPN brought him back for a Busch race at Charlotte in 2007 and NBC brought Jarrett in the mid-2010s during Darlington Raceway throwback weekends.
Jerry Nadeau scores his first and only victory of his career.
This was Scott Wimmer's first Cup start.
This was the 809th and final career Cup Series start for Darrell Waltrip, who would end his driving career and start his broadcasting career in 2001 for NASCAR on FOX.
With his 2nd-place finish in this race, Dale Earnhardt would officially pass Jeff Burton to finish 2nd in the championship standings, 265 points behind Bobby Labonte. Burton would finish 12th in this event, finishing 3rd in points. This would be Earnhardt's 10th time finishing either 1st or 2nd in the standings. He would become the 2nd, and as of 2021, the most recent driver, to accomplish this feat. Richard Petty has the all-time record of 13 finishes of either 1st or 2nd in points (7 championships, 6 runner-up finishes). However, Dale Earnhardt is the only driver in NASCAR history to finish either 1st or 2nd in the championship standings 10 times under one points system.
This was the last race for Galaxy Motorsports after 22 years since the team was established in 1978 under RahMoc Enterprises, it was rumored that the team was going to field the #75 car for 2001 with Pizza Hut as the primary sponsor, but the team would shut down before the season began due to lack of finances.
This was Dale Earnhardt's unexpectedly last lead lap and top-five finish in a Winston Cup points event as he would be tragically killed the following season in the Daytona 500, the very 1st race of the 2001 season.
With his 5th-place finish, Bobby Labonte would become the 2nd, and as of 2021, the most recent driver, to finish every single race in his championship season (no DNFs). Cale Yarborough became the 1st driver to accomplish this feat in 1977.
Champion Bobby Labonte and Runner-Up Dale Earnhardt were the only 2 drivers to not score a DNF in the 2000 season.
The cars of Scott Wimmer, Larry Foyt and Tim Sauter were initially entered in the weekend's ARCA race at Atlanta, but when all three DNQ'd due to ARCA qualifying being rained out, they elected to attempt the Cup race instead as the cars and rules packages were very similar. Foyt and Sauter failed to make the race, but Wimmer did and actually led 9 laps, including three under green flag conditions, by staying on track under a caution when everybody else pitted. Wimmer would finish three laps down in 22nd position.
This was the last race attempted by Joe Bessey Racing, as the team would shut down after failing to qualify to this race, it was rumored that Joe Bessey had attempted to field the #60 car for 2001 with Hermie Sadler driving the vehicle with TracFone Wireless and World Championship Wrestling as the sponsors, and it was set to be qualifying for the 2001 Dura Lube 400 at Rockingham, But Bessey would withdrawal the car from qualifying for this race due to financial and funding problems.
In the preseason, the two favorites for the award were Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. While Earnhardt had the name, the popularity, and the two wins, Kenseth had more consistency and was able to claim the title by a narrow margin. The third-place finisher was Dave Blaney, who had finished 31st in points. Scott Pruett and Stacy Compton showed promise in the beginning of the year, but eventually lost momentum and bottomed out at the end of the year. Mike Bliss started the year with A. J. Foyt Racing, was released after 4 races, then finished the season with Eel River Racing. Ed Berrier and Jeff Fuller finished towards the bottom, mainly due to being released from their rides during the season.
