The 2000 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the first of five No Bull 5 races, and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 20, 2000, before an audience of 200,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2000 Daytona 500 logo. | |||
| Date | February 20, 2000 | ||
| Official name | 42nd Annual Daytona 500 | ||
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 400 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 154.972 miles per hour (249.403 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 200,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 47.098 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Laps | 89 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Ned Jarrett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing's Dale Jarrett engaged in a battle for the lead against Tyler Jet Motorsports' Johnny Benson Jr. With four laps left in the race, Jarrett was able to pass Benson, retaining the lead until a caution came out with two laps left in the race for Jimmy Spencer. As the race ended under caution, Jarrett was the declared the winner at race's end. The victory was Jarrett's 23rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his first victory of the season, and his third and final Daytona 500 victory.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Roush Racing's Jeff Burton and owner-driver Bill Elliott finished second and third, respectively.
Background edit
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.
After years of complaints over suspension issues first exposed after two fatal crashes in 1994 regarding overaggressive shock and spring setups, NASCAR decided for the "restrictor plate" races to implement standardised shocks and springs.
Entry list edit
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice edit
First practice edit
The first practice session was held on Friday, February 11, at 10:00 AM EST. The session lasted for two hours.[4] Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Rusty Wallace set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.555 and an average speed of 189.255 mph (304.576 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 47.555 | 189.255 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 47.559 | 189.239 |
| 3 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 47.566 | 189.211 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice edit
The second practice session was held on Friday, February 11, at 12:30 PM EST. The session lasted for two hours and 20 minutes.[4] Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Rusty Wallace set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.425 and an average speed of 189.773 mph (305.410 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 47.425 | 189.773 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 47.446 | 189.689 |
| 3 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 47.448 | 189.681 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third practice edit
The third practice session was held on Saturday, February 12, at 8:30 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 10 minutes.[4] Robert Yates Racing's Ricky Rudd set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.344 and an average speed of 190.098 mph (305.933 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 47.344 | 190.098 |
| 2 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 47.434 | 189.737 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 47.465 | 189.613 |
| Full third practice results | ||||||
Fourth practice edit
The fourth practice session was held on Monday, February 14, at 10:00 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 30 minutes. Andy Petree Racing's Joe Nemechek set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 46.663 and an average speed of 192.872 mph (310.397 km/h).[4]
During the session, a crash involving Jeff Fuller and Greg Sacks occurred, forcing both drivers to use backup cars for the Gatorade 125s.[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 46.663 | 192.872 |
| 2 | 15 | Derrike Cope | Fenley-Moore Motorsports | Ford | 46.679 | 192.806 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 46.680 | 192.802 |
| Full fourth practice results | ||||||
Fifth practice edit
The fifth practice session was held on Tuesday, February 15, at 12:30 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 55 minutes.[4] Tyler Jet Motorsports' Johnny Benson Jr. set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 46.375 and an average speed of 194.070 mph (312.325 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 46.375 | 194.070 |
| 2 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 46.565 | 193.278 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 46.590 | 193.175 |
| Full fifth practice results | ||||||
Sixth practice edit
The sixth practice session was held on Wednesday, February 16, at 10:30 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 30 minutes.[4] Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Rusty Wallace set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 46.367 and an average speed of 194.104 mph (312.380 km/h).[10]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 46.367 | 194.104 |
| 2 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 46.380 | 194.049 |
| 3 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.411 | 193.920 |
| Full sixth practice results | ||||||
Seventh practice edit
The seventh practice session was held on Wednesday, February 16, at 10:30 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 30 minutes.[4] Owner-driver Bill Elliott set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 46.308 and an average speed of 194.351 mph (312.778 km/h).[11]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 46.308 | 194.351 |
| 2 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.320 | 194.301 |
| 3 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 46.466 | 193.690 |
| Full seventh practice results | ||||||
Final practice edit
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, February 19, after the preliminary 2000 NAPA Auto Parts 300. The session lasted for one hour.[4] Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 46.478 and an average speed of 193.640 mph (311.633 km/h).[12]
During the session, Dale Jarrett was involved in a spin in the track's first and second turns after a check-up by Mike Bliss caused a chain reaction of drivers slowing down. Jarrett was, however, able to save the car and continue using the car for the Daytona 500.[13]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.478 | 193.640 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 46.513 | 193.494 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 46.521 | 193.461 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying edit
Qualifying was set by the 2000 Gatorade 125s. The top two positions were set by qualifying speeds held for the Gatorade 125s held on Saturday, February 12, with the top two qualifiers in the session earning the top two positions for the Daytona 500. The rest of the starting lineup was set in the Gatorade 125s held on Thursday, February 17, during two races. The top 14 finishers in the first race, excluding the pole position winner, set the inside row from rows two to 15, and the top 14 finishers in the second race, excluding the outside pole position winner, set the outside row from rows two to 15. The remaining non-qualifiers set positions 31-36 based on qualifying speeds from the first qualifying session held on Saturday. In addition, six provisionals based on the previous season's owner's points were given out, setting positions 37-42. The final position, position 43, was given to a past series champion who did not otherwise qualify by any other method. If no past champion needed the provisional, the position was given out to the next team in the previous season's owner's points.[4]
Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 47.098 and an average speed of 191.091 miles per hour (307.531 km/h) in Saturday's session.[14]
13 drivers failed to qualify.
Full qualifying results edit
Race results edit
Standings after the race edit
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Notes edit
References edit
- ^ Poole, David (February 20, 2000). "Plot twists, hurt feelings mark opener". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Kotala, Carl (February 21, 2000). "Jarrett wins fortune 500". Florida Today. pp. 1C, 7C. Retrieved September 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Poole, David (February 14, 2000). "Who's hot, and who's not on Daytona Day 4?". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 3, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jayski's Silly Season Site – Daytona 500 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "First-session practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 11, 2000. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "2nd-session practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 11, 2000. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Saturday's Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 12, 2000. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Poole, David (February 14, 2000). "Fuller, Sacks crash in Winston Cup practice". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Tuesday's Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 15, 2000. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 16, 2000. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 18, 2000. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. February 19, 2000. Archived from the original on November 20, 2000. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Poole, David (February 19, 2000). "Jarrett's save salvages car from Happy Hour spin". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Poole, David (February 12, 2000). "To the Yates team go the spoils". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
