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2000 Coca-Cola 600

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2000 Coca-Cola 600
Race details
Race 12 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2000 Coca-Cola 600 program cover Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 2000 Coca-Cola 600 program cover Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date May 28, 2000
Official name 41st Annual Coca-Cola 600
Location Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Average speed 142.64 miles per hour (229.56 km/h)
Attendance 183,500
Pole position
Driver Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Time 29.027
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Laps 175
Winner
No. 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

The 2000 Coca-Cola 600 was the 12th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 28, 2000, before an audience of 183,500 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Taking advantage of a misfortunate Jerry Nadeau, Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth managed to make a late-race pass with 26 laps left in the race, leading the rest of the race to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. With this win, he became the first ever rookie to win the Coca-Cola 600.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of the Lowe's Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Lowe's Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# 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 Peter Max
4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak, U.S. Navy
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Froot Loops CherryBerry
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
13 Robby Gordon[a] Team Menard Ford Burger King, Turtle Wax
14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
15 Ted Musgrave Fenley-Moore Motorsports Ford Lazydays
16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford Family Click
17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford DeWalt 24 Volt
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 1970's Throwback
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont End of the Rainbow
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Michael Holigan, U.S. Coast Guard
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, U.S. Marine Corps
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's, U. S. Army
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, Brooks & Dunn
42 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP, Cheerios
44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet Midwest Transit
55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet Power Team
66 Darrell Waltrip[b] Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Route 66, Big Kmart
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Realtree
75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford Dinner and a Movie, RedCell
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
85 Carl Long[b] Mansion Motorsports Ford Mansion Motorsports
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit, U.S. Air Force
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, Future Farmers of America
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Wednesday, May 24, at 3:00 PM EST. The session lasted for two hours and 55 minutes. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Dale Earnhardt Jr. set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.325 and an average speed of 184.143 mph (296.349 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.325 184.143
2 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.435 183.455
3 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 29.461 183.293
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Thursday, May 25, at 2:30 PM EST. The session lasted for two hours. Melling Racing's Stacy Compton set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.189 and an average speed of 178.873 mph (287.868 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 30.189 178.873
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 30.360 177.866
3 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 30.396 177.655
Full second practice results

Third practice

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The third practice session was held on Thursday, May 25, at 7:00 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour. Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Rusty Wallace set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.438 and an average speed of 177.410 mph (285.514 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 30.438 177.410
2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 30.476 177.189
3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.485 177.136
Full third practice results

Fourth practice

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The fourth practice session was held on Saturday, May 27, at 9:00 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour. Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.175 and an average speed of 178.956 mph (288.002 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 30.175 178.956
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 30.195 178.838
3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.229 178.636
Full fourth practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, May 27, after the preliminary 2000 Carquest 300. The session lasted for one hour. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Dale Earnhardt Jr. set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.441 and an average speed of 177.392 mph (285.485 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 30.441 177.392
2 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 30.563 176.684
3 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 30.611 176.407
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 24, at 8:05 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 Thursday, May 25, at 6:00 PM 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.[5] Positions 26–36 was decided on time, while positions 37–43 was 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.[6]

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., managed to win the pole, setting a time of 29.027 and an average speed of 186.034 miles per hour (299.393 km/h) in the first round.[7]

Five drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.027 186.034
2 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.170 185.122
3 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 29.206 184.894
4 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.229 184.748
5 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.271 184.483
6 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 29.271 184.483
7 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.316 184.200
8 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.321 184.168
9 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.387 183.755
10 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.412 183.599
11 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 29.426 183.511
12 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 29.431 183.480
13 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.444 183.399
14 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.448 183.374
15 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.456 183.324
16 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.485 183.144
17 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.487 183.132
18 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.508 183.001
19 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.510 182.989
20 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.519 182.933
21 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 29.533 182.846
22 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 29.540 182.803
23 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac 29.541 182.797
24 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 29.584 182.531
25 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.584 182.531
Failed to lock in the first round
26 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 29.589 182.500
27 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.593 182.476
28 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.622 182.297
29 60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 29.650 182.125
30 93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 29.654 182.100
31 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 29.675 181.971
32 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 29.704 181.794
33 42 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.747 181.531
34 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.784 181.305
35 85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford 29.786 181.293
36 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.827 181.044
Provisionals
37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.751 175.604
38 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 29.874 180.759
39 10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 29.930 180.421
40 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 30.164 179.021
41 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 30.247 178.530
42 13 Robby Gordon Team Menard Ford 29.953 180.282
43 27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 31.589 170.946
Failed to qualify
44 15 Ted Musgrave Fenley-Moore Motorsports Ford 30.165 179.015
45 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac 30.827 175.171
46 90 Ed Berrier (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 30.896 174.780
47 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford - -
48 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 21 17 Matt Kenseth (R) Roush Racing Ford 400 32 running 180 $200,950
2 7 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 400 35 running 175 $138,600
3 15 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 23 running 170 $103,250
4 1 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 400 175 running 170 $110,900
5 8 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 400 2 running 160 $95,000
6 4 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 400 7 running 155 $71,850
7 5 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 3 running 151 $70,850
8 16 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 400 0 running 142 $64,350
9 18 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 400 0 running 138 $59,950
10 14 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 4 running 139 $78,950
11 28 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 400 0 running 130 $67,100
12 19 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 399 0 running 127 $62,100
13 31 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 399 0 running 124 $63,100
14 9 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 399 2 running 126 $62,300
15 6 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 399 0 running 118 $57,200
16 39 10 Johnny Benson Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 399 0 running 115 $42,800
17 20 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 399 0 running 112 $50,395
18 12 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 399 0 running 109 $51,275
19 36 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 398 0 running 106 $49,095
20 38 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 398 0 running 103 $51,695
21 41 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 398 0 running 100 $47,470
22 37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 398 0 running 97 $52,605
23 27 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 398 0 running 94 $46,295
24 33 42 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 397 0 running 91 $45,440
25 11 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 397 0 running 88 $45,540
26 24 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 396 0 running 85 $36,840
27 10 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 396 0 running 82 $45,540
28 32 75 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Galaxy Motorsports Ford 396 0 running 79 $36,480
29 29 60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 396 0 running 76 $44,425
30 25 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 395 0 running 73 $33,905
31 17 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 393 0 running 70 $51,380
32 43 27 Mike Bliss (R) Eel River Racing Pontiac 392 0 running 67 $33,365
33 40 9 Stacy Compton (R) Melling Racing Ford 391 0 running 64 $36,355
34 13 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 391 0 running 61 $41,350
35 42 13 P. J. Jones Team Menard Ford 389 0 running 58 $33,345
36 35 85 Darrell Waltrip Mansion Motorsports Ford 386 0 running 55 $33,340
37 34 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 371 0 running 52 $33,335
38 2 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 357 115 engine 54 $61,925
39 23 14 Rick Mast A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac 350 0 engine 46 $33,320
40 30 93 Dave Blaney (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 291 0 engine 43 $33,315
41 26 32 Scott Pruett (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 148 0 accident 40 $33,310
42 22 50 Ricky Craven Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 133 0 engine 37 $33,305
43 3 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 122 2 engine 39 $45,202
Failed to qualify
44 15 Ted Musgrave Fenley-Moore Motorsports Ford
45 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Pontiac
46 90 Ed Berrier (R) Donlavey Racing Ford
47 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
48 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ P. J. Jones is recorded as the official finisher of the race. Gordon was attempting to do Double Duty, but a rain delay at the 2000 Indianapolis 500 caused Gordon to arrive at the NASCAR race late. As Jones started the race, he is listed as the official finisher.[3]
  2. ^ a b Waltrip failed to qualify for the race. As a result of sponsor obligations, Waltrip bought out qualifier Carl Long's ride, replacing Long with Waltrip for the race.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (May 28, 2000). "Rookie Matt Kenseth scores". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 26, 2001. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Mulhurn, Mike (May 29, 2000). "Kenseth rolls to win". Winston-Salem Journal. pp. C1, C8. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Fyrer, Jenna (May 29, 2000). "Kenseth comes from way back to win Coca-Cola". Ventura County Star. Associated Press. pp. C5. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Utter, Jim (May 26, 2000). "Deal gets DW into 600". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 6, 2001. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Jayski's Silly Season Site – Lowe's 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Utter, Jim (May 24, 2000). "Earnhardt Jr. grabs pole in record fashion". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 15, 2000. Retrieved September 1, 2023.


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2000 Pontiac Excitement 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2000 season
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2000 MBNA Platinum 400