2000 Pocono 500

File:Pocono_Raceway.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono International Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

• (R) denotes rookie driver.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !# !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
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 |Lycos
11 |Brett Bodine |Brett Bodine Racing |Ford |Ralphs Supermarkets
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
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
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
42 |Kenny Irwin Jr. |Team SABCO |Chevrolet |BellSouth
43 |John Andretti |Petty Enterprises |Pontiac |STP, Cheerios
44 |Kyle Petty |Petty Enterprises |Pontiac |Hot Wheels
52 |Bill Baird |Baird Motorsports |Chevrolet |Dynatek
55 |Kenny Wallace |Andy Petree Racing |Chevrolet |Square D
60 |Geoff Bodine |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
72 |Dwayne Leik |Marcis Auto Racing |Chevrolet |Realtree
75 |Wally Dallenbach Jr. |Galaxy Motorsports |Ford |Dinner and a Movie
77 |Robert Pressley |Jasper Motorsports |Ford |Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 |Dale Jarrett |Robert Yates Racing |Ford |Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 |Ed Berrier (R) |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 |Chad Little |Roush Racing |Ford |John Deere
99 |Jeff Burton |Roush Racing |Ford |Exide Batteries
colspan="5" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20001021235849/http://www.nascar.com/winstoncup/races00/pocono500/entry.html Official entry list]

The first practice session was held on Friday, June 16, at 11:00 AM EST. The session lasted for three hours. Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Rusty Wallace set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 52.557 and an average speed of {{Convert|171.243|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date= |title=Jayski's Silly Season Site – Pocono 1 Race Info Page |url=http://www.jayski.com/next/2000-pocono.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001031215022/http://www.jayski.com/next/2000-pocono.htm |archive-date=October 31, 2000 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |website=Jayski's Silly Season Site}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed
1 |2 |Rusty Wallace |Penske-Kranefuss Racing |Ford |52.557 |171.243
2 |28 |Ricky Rudd |Robert Yates Racing |Ford |52.849 |170.297
3 |6 |Mark Martin |Roush Racing |Ford |52.871 |170.226
colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20010507021858/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/pocono/1/prac1.shtml Full first practice results]

The second practice session was held on Saturday, June 17, at 9:30 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 20 minutes. Joe Bessey Racing's Geoff Bodine set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.867 and an average speed of {{Convert|167.078|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed
1 |60 |Geoff Bodine |Joe Bessey Racing |Chevrolet |53.867 |167.078
2 |27 |Mike Bliss (R) |Eel River Racing |Pontiac |53.902 |166.970
3 |12 |Jeremy Mayfield |Penske-Kranefuss Racing |Ford |53.904 |166.963
colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20010507022219/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/pocono/1/prac2.shtml Full second practice results]

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 17, after the preliminary 2000 Pocono ARCA 200. The session lasted for one hour. Robert Yates Racing's Ricky Rudd set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.412 and an average speed of {{Convert|165.405|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed
1 |28 |Ricky Rudd |Robert Yates Racing |Ford |54.412 |165.405
2 |12 |Jeremy Mayfield |Penske-Kranefuss Racing |Ford |54.443 |165.311
3 |36 |Ken Schrader |MB2 Motorsports |Pontiac |54.594 |164.853
colspan="7" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20010708181323/http://www.racin.net/nascar/cup/races/00/pocono/1/prac3.shtml Full Happy Hour practice results]

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 16, at 3:00 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, June 17, at 11:30 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. 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.{{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}}

Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 52.440 and an average speed of {{Convert|171.625|mph|km/h}} in the first round.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=June 16, 2000 |title=Wallace looking to finish where he starts - up front |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/00/0618/0617quallede.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010610085049/http://www.thatsracin.com/00/0618/0617quallede.htm |archive-date=June 10, 2001 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}

Three drivers failed to qualify.

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;Drivers' Championship standings

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! Pos ! Driver ! Points
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Bobby Labonte | style="text-align:center;"| 2,240
align="left"| 10px 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | Dale Earnhardt | style="text-align:center;"| 2,183 (−57)
align="left"| 10px 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | Dale Jarrett | style="text-align:center;"| 2,125 (−115)
align="left"| 10px 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | Ward Burton | style="text-align:center;"| 2,096 (−144)
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 5 | Jeff Burton | style="text-align:center;"| 2,019 (−221)
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 6 | Rusty Wallace | style="text-align:center;"| 1,999 (−241)
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 7 | Tony Stewart | style="text-align:center;"| 1,976 (−264)
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 8 | Ricky Rudd | style="text-align:center;"| 1,975 (−265)
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 9 | Mark Martin | style="text-align:center;"| 1,958 (−282)
align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 10 | Jeff Gordon | style="text-align:center;"| 1,874 (−366)
class="sortbottom" !colspan="9"|[https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-winston-cup-poin/131329101/ Official driver's standings]

• Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

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Category:2000 in sports in Pennsylvania

Category:2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

Category:NASCAR races at Pocono Raceway

Category:June 2000 sports events in the United States