2000 NAPA Autocare 500
{{Short description|28th race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Location=Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway|Distance_mi=263|Pole_Time=19.855|Course_mi=0.526|Car=20|Scheduled_km=423.257|Distance_km=423.257|Distance_laps=500|Scheduled_laps=500|Scheduled_mi=263|Avg={{convert|73.859|mph|km/h}}|Date=October 1|Race_No=28|Season_No=34|Year=2000|Race_Name=NAPA Autocare 500|Most_laps=202|Most_Driver=Jeff Burton|Most_Team=Roush Racing|First_Driver=Tony Stewart|First_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|Pole_Driver=Tony Stewart|Pole_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|Network=ESPN|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons|Official_name=52nd Annual NAPA Autocare 500|Course_km=0.847|Caption=The 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 program cover.|Image=2000_NAPA_Autocare_500_program_cover.jpg}}
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 {{Convert|0.526|mi|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.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=October 1, 2000 |title=Starting first helped Stewart finish there |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/00/1001/1002martlede.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020111014427/http://www.thatsracin.com/00/1001/1002martlede.htm |archive-date=January 11, 2002 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=ThatsRacin |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Kurz Jr. |first=Hank |date=October 2, 2000 |title=Tony Stewart roars to Martinsville win |pages=18 |work=The Park City Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103006546/tony-stewart-roars-to-martinsville-win/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}} To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
File:Martinsville_Speedway_track_map.png, the venue where the race was held.]]
Martinsville Speedway is a 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 =
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!# !Driver !Team !Make !Sponsor |
| 1 |
| 01 |
| 2
|Ford |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6
|Ford |
| 7
|NationsRent |
| 8
|Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) |
| 9
|Stacy Compton (R) |Ford |
| 10 |
| 11
|Ford |
| 12
|Ford |
| 14 |
| 16
|Ford |Family Click.com |
| 17
|Matt Kenseth (R) |Ford |
| 18 |
| 19
|Ford |
| 20 |
| 21
|Ford |Citgo 1950's Throwback |
| 22 |
| 24 |
| 25 |
| 26
|Ford |
| 27
|Mike Bliss (R) |
| 28
|Ford |
| 31 |
| 32
|Scott Pruett (R) |Ford |Tide |
| 33 |
| 36 |
| 40 |
| 43 |
| 44 |
| 45 |
| 50 |
| 55 |
| 60 |
| 66
|Ford |
| 71 |
| 75
|Ford |
| 77
|Ford |
| 85
|Ford |
| 88
|Ford |
| 90
|Ford |
| 93
|Dave Blaney (R) |
| 94
|Ford |
| 97
|Ford |
| 99
|Ford |
| colspan="5" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20001017220853/http://www.nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/napa5002/entry.html Official entry list] |
|---|
Practice
= First practice =
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.{{Cite web |date= |title=Jayski's Silly Season Site - Martinsville 2 Race Info Page |url=http://jayski.thatsracin.com/next/2000/2000-martinsville2.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010425033143/http://jayski.thatsracin.com/next/2000/2000-martinsville2.htm |archive-date=April 25, 2001 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Jayski's Silly Season Site}} 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 {{Convert|95.588|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date= |title=2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice 1 |url=http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/fri_practice.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001017232241/http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/fri_practice.html |archive-date=October 17, 2000 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=NASCAR Online}}
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|20 |19.810 |95.588 |
|---|
| 2
|60 |19.859 |95.352 |
| 3
|77 |Ford |19.865 |95.323 |
| colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20001017232241/http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/fri_practice.html Full first practice results] |
= Second practice =
The second practice session was held on Saturday, September 30, at 9:40 AM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Steve Grissom of Petty Enterprises would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.126 and an average speed of {{Convert|94.087|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date= |title=2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice 2 |url=http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/sat_practice.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001017181321/http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/sat_practice.html |archive-date=October 17, 2000 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=NASCAR Online}}
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|44 |20.126 |94.087 |
|---|
| 2
|60 |20.129 |94.073 |
| 3
|50 |20.148 |93.984 |
| colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20001017181321/http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/sat_practice.html Full second practice results] |
= Third and final practice =
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. 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 {{Convert|93.808|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date= |title=Racin.net - 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 Practice 3 |url=http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/martinsville/2/prac3.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010708181301/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/martinsville/2/prac3.shtml |archive-date=July 8, 2001 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=The Racin' Network}}
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|50 |20.186 |93.808 |
|---|
| 2
|25 |20.231 |93.599 |
| 3
|18 |20.241 |93.553 |
| colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20010708181301/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/martinsville/2/prac3.shtml Full Happy Hour practice results] |
Qualifying
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. 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.{{Cite web |title=Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2000 Provisional Start Status |url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2000/2000prov.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123054225/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2000/2000prov.htm |archive-date=November 23, 2005 |access-date=May 4, 2022 |website=Jayski's Silly Season Site}}
Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 19.855 and an average speed of {{Convert|95.371|mph|km/h}}.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=September 29, 2000 |title=Tony Stewart wins Martinsville pole |url=http://thatsracin.com/00/1001/0930marlede.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011124161124/http://thatsracin.com/00/1001/0930marlede.htm |archive-date=November 24, 2001 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=ThatsRacin |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Scott Pruett, Steve Grissom, Carl Long, Dave Marcis, and Rich Bickle.
= Full qualifying results =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|20 |Tony Stewart (R) |19.855 |95.371 |
|---|
| 2
|2 |Ford |19.862 |95.338 |
| 3
|99 |Ford |19.866 |95.319 |
| 4
|22 |19.896 |95.175 |
| 5
|24 |19.898 |95.165 |
| 6
|55 |19.905 |95.132 |
| 7
|4 |19.926 |95.032 |
| 8
|31 |19.928 |95.022 |
| 9
|11 |Ford |19.952 |94.908 |
| 10
|1 |19.962 |94.860 |
| 11
|28 |Ford |19.964 |94.851 |
| 12
|3 |19.972 |94.813 |
| 13
|25 |19.976 |94.794 |
| 14
|18 |19.978 |94.784 |
| 15
|01 |19.990 |94.727 |
| 16
|77 |Ford |19.995 |94.704 |
| 17
|75 |Ford |20.000 |94.680 |
| 18
|66 |Ford |20.010 |94.633 |
| 19
|14 |20.012 |94.623 |
| 20
|94 |Ford |20.015 |94.609 |
| 21
|93 |20.020 |94.585 |
| 22
|19 |Ford |20.026 |94.571 |
| 23
|6 |Ford |20.026 |94.557 |
| 24
|33 |20.032 |94.529 |
| 25
|26 |Ford |20.037 |94.505 |
| 26
|27 |Mike Bliss (R) |20.038 |94.500 |
| 27
|45 |20.040 |94.491 |
| 28
|43 |20.043 |94.477 |
| 29
|90 |Ford |20.045 |94.467 |
| 30
|9 |Stacy Compton (R) |Ford |20.061 |94.392 |
| 31
|88 |Ford |20.081 |94.298 |
| 32
|8 |Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) |20.091 |94.251 |
| 33
|10 |20.098 |94.218 |
| 34
|40 |20.106 |94.181 |
| 35
|12 |Ford |20.117 |94.129 |
| 36
|50 |20.137 |94.036 |
| colspan="7" |Provisionals |
| 37
|17 |Matt Kenseth (R) |Ford |20.221 |93.645 |
| 38
|5 |20.170 |93.882 |
| 39
|36 |20.259 |93.470 |
| 40
|97 |Ford |20.238 |93.567 |
| 41
|16 |Ford |20.156 |93.947 |
| 42
|7 |20.187 |93.803 |
| 43
|21 |Ford |20.617 |91.847 |
| colspan="7" |Failed to qualify |
| 44
|32 |Scott Pruett (R) |Ford |20.173 |93.868 |
| 45
|44 |20.176 |93.854 |
| 46
|85 |Ford |20.281 |93.368 |
| 47
|71 |20.447 |92.610 |
| 48
|60 |20.524 |92.263 |
| colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20010821084347/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/martinsville/2/qual.shtml Official first round qualifying results] |
| colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20010629111754/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/martinsville/2/grid.shtml Official starting lineup] |
Race results
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |
| 1
|1 |20 |Tony Stewart (R) |500 |179 |running |180 |$125,875 |
|---|
| 2
|12 |3 |500 |0 |running |170 |$77,925 |
| 3
|3 |99 |Ford |500 |202 |running |175 |$83,225 |
| 4
|11 |28 |Ford |500 |37 |running |165 |$59,275 |
| 5
|5 |24 |500 |0 |running |155 |$59,075 |
| 6
|31 |88 |Ford |500 |0 |running |150 |$57,375 |
| 7
|25 |26 |Ford |500 |0 |running |146 |$46,075 |
| 8
|8 |31 |500 |0 |running |142 |$42,750 |
| 9
|34 |40 |500 |27 |running |143 |$42,550 |
| 10
|14 |18 |500 |0 |running |134 |$60,100 |
| 11
|10 |1 |500 |0 |running |130 |$39,185 |
| 12
|13 |25 |500 |0 |running |127 |$38,975 |
| 13
|28 |43 |500 |0 |running |124 |$44,450 |
| 14
|24 |33 |500 |0 |running |121 |$37,825 |
| 15
|20 |94 |Ford |500 |0 |running |118 |$39,625 |
| 16
|39 |36 |499 |0 |running |115 |$34,125 |
| 17
|38 |5 |499 |0 |running |112 |$43,125 |
| 18
|23 |6 |Ford |499 |0 |running |109 |$42,630 |
| 19
|33 |10 |499 |0 |running |106 |$27,675 |
| 20
|36 |50 |499 |1 |running |108 |$28,175 |
| 21
|15 |01 |498 |0 |running |100 |$35,675 |
| 22
|6 |55 |498 |0 |running |97 |$35,825 |
| 23
|2 |2 |Ford |498 |53 |running |99 |$43,275 |
| 24
|42 |7 |498 |1 |running |96 |$34,525 |
| 25
|22 |19 |Ford |497 |0 |running |88 |$23,375 |
| 26
|19 |14 |497 |0 |running |85 |$23,425 |
| 27
|18 |66 |Ford |497 |0 |running |82 |$25,975 |
| 28
|26 |27 |Mike Bliss (R) |496 |0 |running |79 |$23,525 |
| 29
|41 |16 |Ford |494 |0 |running |76 |$33,575 |
| 30
|21 |93 |494 |0 |running |73 |$22,225 |
| 31
|27 |45 |486 |0 |drivetrain |70 |$22,075 |
| 32
|43 |21 |Ford |480 |0 |running |67 |$33,550 |
| 33
|16 |77 |Ford |458 |0 |crash |64 |$24,825 |
| 34
|37 |17 |Matt Kenseth (R) |Ford |447 |0 |running |61 |$32,700 |
| 35
|7 |4 |444 |0 |running |58 |$32,075 |
| 36
|32 |8 |Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) |406 |0 |crash |55 |$31,500 |
| 37
|40 |97 |Ford |396 |0 |running |52 |$29,375 |
| 38
|35 |12 |Ford |393 |0 |overheating |49 |$29,250 |
| 39
|30 |9 |Stacy Compton (R) |Ford |333 |0 |crash |46 |$21,125 |
| 40
|17 |75 |Ford |329 |0 |brakes |43 |$20,975 |
| 41
|9 |11 |Ford |317 |0 |overheating |40 |$20,850 |
| 42
|29 |90 |Ford |114 |0 |crash |37 |$20,725 |
| 43
|4 |22 |61 |0 |engine |34 |$39,100 |
| colspan="11" |Failed to qualify |
| 44
! rowspan="5" | |32 |Scott Pruett (R) |Ford ! colspan="5" rowspan="5" | |
| 45
|44 |
| 46
|85 |Ford |
| 47
|71 |
| 48
|60 |
| colspan="11" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20001017191208/http://nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/autocare500/race_un.html Official race results] |
References
{{Reflist}}{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=2000 MBNA.com 400|Next_race=2000 UAW-GM Quality 500|Monsteryear=2000|Series=NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}{{NASCAR on ESPN}}{{2000 Winston Cup}}
Category:2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Category:NASCAR races at Martinsville Speedway