2000 NAPA Autocare 500
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 0.526 miles (0.847 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.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 28 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 1, 2000 | ||
| Official name | 52nd Annual NAPA Autocare 500 | ||
| Location | Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 73.859 miles per hour (118.865 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 19.855 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 202 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs 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
Martinsville Speedway is an 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.
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.[3] 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 95.588 mph (153.834 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 19.810 | 95.588 |
| 2 | 60 | Rich Bickle | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 19.859 | 95.352 |
| 3 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 19.865 | 95.323 |
| 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.[3] Steve Grissom of Petty Enterprises would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.126 and an average speed of 94.087 mph (151.418 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.126 | 94.087 |
| 2 | 60 | Rich Bickle | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 20.129 | 94.073 |
| 3 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 20.148 | 93.984 |
| 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.[3] 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 93.808 mph (150.969 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 20.186 | 93.808 |
| 2 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.231 | 93.599 |
| 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.241 | 93.553 |
| 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.[3] 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.[7]
Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 19.855 and an average speed of 95.371 miles per hour (153.485 km/h).[8]
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Scott Pruett, Steve Grissom, Carl Long, Dave Marcis, and Rich Bickle.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- Poole, David (October 1, 2000). "Starting first helped Stewart finish there". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- Kurz Jr., Hank (October 2, 2000). "Tony Stewart roars to Martinsville win". The Park City Daily News. p. 18. Retrieved June 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site - Martinsville 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 25, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- "2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice 1". NASCAR Online. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- "2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Practice 2". NASCAR Online. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- "Racin.net - 2000 NAPA Autocare 500 Practice 3". The Racin' Network. Archived from the original on July 8, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- "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 (September 29, 2000). "Tony Stewart wins Martinsville pole". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on November 24, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- "2000 NAPA Autocare 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-01.