The 2000 Dura Lube/Kmart 400 was the second stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 27, 2000, in Rockingham, North Carolina at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would hold off Dale Earnhardt and win after leading the final 113 laps. This was Labonte's 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 27, 2000 | ||
| Official name | 35th Annual Dura Lube/Kmart 400 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.637 km) | ||
| Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Average speed | 127.875 miles per hour (205.795 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | ||
| Time | 23.167 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 134 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
editNorth Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.[2]
Entry list
edit- (R) - denotes rookie driver
**Withdrew prior to the event.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, February 25, at 10:00 AM EST, and would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3] Mark Martin of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.500 and an average speed of 155.795 miles per hour (250.728 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.500 | 155.795 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.506 | 155.755 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.573 | 155.313 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, February 26.[3] Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.986 and an average speed of 152.639 miles per hour (245.649 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.986 | 152.639 |
| 2 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.007 | 152.505 |
| 3 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 24.208 | 151.239 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, February 25, at 2:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a fastest time; and that lap would count as their official qualifying lap. Positions 1-36 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 champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Rusty Wallace of Penske-Kranefuss Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 23.167 and an average speed of 158.035 miles per hour (254.333 km/h).[7]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Ricky Craven, Scott Pruett, Dave Blaney, and Mike Bliss.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
edit| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 134 | Running | 185 |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 1 | Running | 175 |
| 3 | 11 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 100 | Running | 170 |
| 4 | 15 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | Running | 160 |
| 5 | 23 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | Running | 155 |
| 6 | 2 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | Running | 150 |
| 7 | 27 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | Running | 146 |
| 8 | 33 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 392 | 26 | Running | 147 |
| 9 | 18 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 392 | 34 | Running | 143 |
| 10 | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 392 | 16 | Running | 139 |
| 11 | 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 391 | 37 | Running | 135 |
| 12 | 20 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | Running | 127 |
| 13 | 36 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | Running | 124 |
| 14 | 34 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | Running | 121 |
| 15 | 14 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 391 | 2 | Running | 123 |
| 16 | 39 | 60 | Ted Musgrave | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | Running | 115 |
| 17 | 17 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | Running | 112 |
| 18 | 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 390 | 0 | Running | 109 |
| 19 | 7 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | Running | 106 |
| 20 | 40 | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 390 | 0 | Running | 103 |
| 21 | 12 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | Running | 100 |
| 22 | 31 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | Running | 97 |
| 23 | 24 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | Running | 94 |
| 24 | 19 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | Running | 91 |
| 25 | 9 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | Running | 88 |
| 26 | 35 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 389 | 0 | Running | 85 |
| 27 | 28 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | Running | 82 |
| 28 | 26 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | Running | 79 |
| 29 | 22 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 388 | 0 | Running | 76 |
| 30 | 8 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 388 | 0 | Running | 73 |
| 31 | 13 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 388 | 0 | Running | 70 |
| 32 | 16 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 387 | 1 | Running | 72 |
| 33 | 29 | 41 | Rick Mast | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 387 | 0 | Running | 64 |
| 34 | 21 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 386 | 0 | Running | 61 |
| 35 | 32 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 385 | 0 | Running | 58 |
| 36 | 43 | 90 | Ed Berrier | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 384 | 0 | Running | 55 |
| 37 | 6 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 383 | 0 | Running | 52 |
| 38 | 25 | 13 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | Ford | 381 | 0 | Running | 49 |
| 39 | 10 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 379 | 0 | Running | 46 |
| 40 | 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 368 | 42 | Running | 48 |
| 41 | 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 363 | 0 | Running | 40 |
| 42 | 30 | 27 | Jeff Fuller (R) | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 336 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 43 | 41 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 222 | 0 | Ignition | 34 |
| Failed to qualify | |||||||||
| 44 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | |||||
| 45 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | |||||
| 46 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | |||||
| 47 | 14 | Mike Bliss (R) | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac | |||||
| Withdrew | |||||||||
| 15 | Derrike Cope | Fenley-Moore Motorsports | Ford | ||||||
| Official race results | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Poole, David (2000-02-27). "No. 18 crews dogged approach pays off". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc". Fasttrackracing.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ^ a b "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2000 North Carolina Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "First Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2000-04-07. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2000 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-11-23. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Wallace wins Rockingham pole". ThatsRacin'. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2022-05-03.