2000 Mall.com 400
The 2000 Mall.com 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 19, 2000, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 293 laps to complete. At race's end, Bill Davis Racing's Ward Burton dominated the late laps of the race to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his only victory of the season, and his first victory in 131 races.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing's Dale Jarrett and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt finished second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 36 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2000 Mall.com 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Burton. | |||
| Date | March 19, 2000 | ||
| Official name | 44th Annual Mall.com 400 | ||
| Location | Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km) | ||
| Average speed | 128.076 miles per hour (206.118 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.481 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | |
| Laps | 188 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, March 17, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Roush Racing's Jeff Burton set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.923 and an average speed of 170.024 mph (273.627 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.923 | 170.024 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.982 | 169.678 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 29.025 | 169.426 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, March 17, at 1:00 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Hendrick Motorsports's Jeff Gordon set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.747 and an average speed of 171.065 mph (275.302 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.747 | 171.065 |
| 2 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.833 | 170.555 |
| 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 28.844 | 170.490 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third practice
The third practice session was held on Saturday, March 18, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Dale Earnhardt Jr. set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.611 and an average speed of 166.073 mph (267.269 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.611 | 166.073 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.648 | 165.866 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.712 | 165.508 |
| Full third practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 18, after the 2000 SunCom 200. The session would last for one hour. Roush Racing's Mark Martin set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.516 and an average speed of 166.607 mph (268.128 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.516 | 166.607 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.565 | 166.331 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 29.571 | 166.298 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 17, at 3:30 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, March 18, at 11:30 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.[3] Positions 26–36 would be decided on time, while positions 37–43 would be 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.[4]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.481 and an average speed of 172.662 miles per hour (277.873 km/h) in the first round.[5]
Five drivers failed to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Standings after the race
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References
- Poole, David (March 19, 2000). "W. Burton's patience pays off". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on November 14, 2001. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- McLaurin, Jim (March 20, 2000). "A family feud, Darlington-style". The State. pp. C1, C8. Retrieved July 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site – Darlington 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 23, 2001. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site – 2000 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on November 23, 2005. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- Poole, David (March 17, 2000). "Gordon re-energizes season with Darlington pole". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved July 30, 2023.