2000 The Winston

Last updated
2000 The Winston
Race details [1] [2] [3]
DateMay 20, 2000
Location Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
CoursePermanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
DistanceWinston Open:
30 laps, 45 mi (72 km)
No Bull Sprint:
16 laps, 24 mi (39 km)
The Winston:
70 laps, 105 mi (169 km)
Avg SpeedThe Winston:
167.035 mph (268.817 km/h)
Winston Open
Pole position Jerry Nadeau (Hendrick Motorsports)
Winner Steve Park (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)
No Bull Sprint
Pole position Mike Skinner (Richard Childress Racing)
Winner Jerry Nadeau (Hendrick Motorsports)
The Winston
Pole position Bill Elliott (Bill Elliott Racing)
105.932 seconds [4]
Showdown transfers Steve Park (Open winner)
Jerry Nadeau (No Bull Sprint winner)
Most laps led Bill Elliott (Bill Elliott Racing)
36 laps
Winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)
Television
Network TNN
Announcers Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, and Dick Berggren

The 2000 edition of The Winston was held on May 20, 2000, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This was the 16th running of the event. The race is remembered for Dale Earnhardt Jr. becoming the first rookie to win The Winston. [5] Drivers Steve Park and Jerry Nadeau advanced to the main lineup, with Park winning the Winston Open and Nadeau winning the No Bull Sprint race. This was the last All-Star Race of Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt; Waltrip retired at the end of 2000 and called the 2001 race from the booth for Fox Sports, and Earnhardt was killed at the season-opening Daytona 500. This was Kenny Irwin Jr.'s only appearance in The Winston, as he was killed in a crash during practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 7. In addition, this was TNN's final broadcast of The Winston.

Contents

The event is also remembered for one of the biggest disasters in NASCAR history: the post-race collapse of a pedestrian walkway that injured 107 people. [6]

Background

Lowe's Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held. Lowesmotorspeedway.jpg
Lowe's Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

The Winston was open to race winners from last season through the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway and all previous All-Star race winners and NASCAR Winston Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2000 were eligible to compete in the All-Star Race.

2000 The Winston drivers and eligibility

Race winners in 1999 and 2000

Winning team owners in 1999 and 2000

Previous NASCAR Winston Cup Champions

Previous winners of The Winston

Winners of The Winston Open and No Bull Sprint

The Winston Open/No Bull Sprint

Jerry Nadeau won the pole for The Winston Open and led 14 laps, but it was Steve Park who won the 30-lap race and earned $35,000. The only caution of the race occurred after the first lap when Geoff Bodine and Dave Marcis collided with each other in turn four. Mike Skinner was the pole sitter for the No Bull Sprint and led nine laps, but finished 15th while Nadeau won the 16-lap race and earned $25,000. Two cautions occurred in the race caused by two crashes: Chad Little in lap six and Elliott Sadler in lap 10.

Both Park and Nadeau advanced to The Winston. This also marked the first time Ricky Rudd failed to make The Winston after having participated in the past 15 events.

The Winston

Segment 1

Bill Elliott won the pole for The Winston, with Mark Martin starting on outside pole. Despite having not won a race, Kenny Irwin Jr. made the starting grid based on the No. 42 team's win in 1999 with Joe Nemechek, who switched to the No. 33 team in 2000. The first caution occurred before the first lap when Irwin tangled with Dale Earnhardt and got loose in turn four, sending John Andretti hard on the outside wall. Michael Waltrip brought out the second caution on lap 24 when he spun loose and crashed in turn two. Elliott led all 30 laps of Segment 1, earning him $50,000.

Segment results
  1. 94-Bill Elliott ($50,000)
  2. 6-Mark Martin ($15,000)
  3. 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($7,500)

Segment 2

It was decided by lottery that the top 12 finishers were to be inverted for Segment 2, with Nemechek and Jeremy Mayfield in the front row. The caution was triggered on lap 38 when Jeff Gordon spun loose in turn two and caused a wreck that involved Steve Park, Earnhardt Sr., and Jeff Burton. Dale Earnhardt Jr. made two pit stops due to a loose lug nut on his left rear tire while Park, Earnhardt Sr., and Gordon had their cars mended during the caution. Upon the restart, Mayfield lost third gear and was forced to retire from the race. On lap 50, Earnhardt Jr. hit the outside wall in turn four, but the damage was not significant enough to cause a tire rub. The caution came out on lap 54, when Tony Stewart nudged Martin towards the backstretch wall; Martin also collided with Ward Burton before his car caught fire. Elliott once again had the dominant car, winning Segment 2 and earning another $50,000.

Segment results
  1. 94-Bill Elliott ($50,000)
  2. 88-Dale Jarrett ($15,000)
  3. 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($7,500)

Segment 3

Elliott and Dale Jarrett led the field for Segment 3. Park and Nemechek tangled on lap 62, resulting in a multi-car pileup in turn one that took them out along with Stewart and Gordon to bring out the final caution. The incident also caused an adverse handling effect on Elliott's car, as he lost the lead to Jarrett and faded out of the top five. Upon the restart, both Earnhardts rebounded in the top three as smoke suddenly started to appear in the rear end of Jarrett's car. With two laps to go, Earnhardt Jr. overtook Jarrett and won The Winston, earning him $500,000 and making him the first rookie to win the event.

The victory celebration was held in front of the main grandstand instead of victory lane, which was left vacant for this race and the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 in memory of Adam Petty, who was killed in a practice crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 12, 2000.

Race results
PosGridCarDriverOwnerManufacturerLaps runLaps led
158 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 702
2788 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 708
3123 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet700
42025 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet700
5899 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford700
6105 Terry Labonte Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet700
742 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford700
8194 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford7036
9318 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 700
101322 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac700
111766 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford700
121642 Kenny Irwin Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet690
13191 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet620
141433 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet6219
15620 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs RacingPontiac620
161124 Jeff Gordon Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet620
1726 Mark Martin Roush RacingFord540
18912 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing SouthFord405
19157 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet240
201843 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac00
Source: [3]

Bridge collapse

After the race, as fans crowded across one of the track's pedestrian bridge walkways to a nearby parking lot, an 80-foot (24 m) section of the walkway fell 17 feet (5.2 m) onto a highway, [8] injuring 107 people. [6] Nearly 50 lawsuits against the speedway resulted from the incident, with many being settled out of court. Investigators said the bridge builder, Tindall Corp., used an improper additive to help the concrete filler at the bridge's center cure faster. The additive contained calcium chloride, which corroded the structure's steel cables and led to the collapse. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 56th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch, who drove a Ford for Roush Racing, was the Nextel Cup champion. It would be the last time until 2012 that the championship would be won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 55th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 54th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 54th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 31st modern-era Cup Series season. It began on February 10, 2002, at Daytona International Speedway, and ended on November 17, 2002, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, was declared as the Winston Cup champion. Bill Elliott won the 2002 NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award. He would win it for the 16th and final time in his career. He withdrew from the ballot after receiving the award. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was captured by Ford after winning 14 events and gaining 245 points over second-place finisher Chevrolet, who had 10 wins and 211 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 50th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 50th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 27th modern-era cup series. The season included 33 races and three exhibition races, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the Driver's Championship, the third of his career, and his third in the last four seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 51st season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 51st season of professional Stock car racing in the United States, the 28th modern-era Cup series, and the last Cup season of the 1990s and the 20th century. The season began on Sunday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Dale Jarrett, representing Robert Yates Racing, was crowned the champion, while the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by the Ford drivers with 13 wins and 231 points over second-place Chevrolet who had 12 wins and 210 points and third place Pontiac who had 9 wins and 205 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 52nd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 49th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 49th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 26th modern-era NASCAR Cup series. It began on February 9 and ended on November 16. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his second Cup championship at the end of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 46th season of NASCAR stock car racing

The 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 46th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 23rd modern-era Cup series. The season began on Sunday, February 20, and ended on Sunday, November 13. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at season's end, winning consecutive Winston Cups for the third time in his career and tying Richard Petty for the record of most top-level NASCAR championships with seven. It was also the 7th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship for Dale Earnhardt before his death 7 years later in 2001, this was also the final season for 18-time Winston Cup winner Harry Gant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 18th season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series

The 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 48th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 25th modern-era NASCAR Cup series. The season had been started on February 18 at Daytona International Speedway, and ended on November 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The season would be remembered for Terry Labonte pulling off a massive upset and winning his second Winston Cup Championship over teammate Jeff Gordon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 53rd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 30th modern-era Cup series. It began on February 11, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23, 2001, at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was declared as the series champion for the fourth time in seven years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span>

The 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 47th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 24th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 12 in Daytona Beach and concluded on November 12 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his first career championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Daytona 500</span> 43rd iteration of Daytona 500

The 2001 Daytona 500, the 43rd running of the event, was the first race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule. It was held on February 18, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, consisting of 200 laps and 500 miles on the 2.5-mile (4 km) asphalt tri-oval.

The 2001 edition of The Winston was held on May 19, 2001, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This was the 17th running of the event. The race is mostly remembered for the start, when rain progressed onto the track, causing cars to get loose and crash into the wall. One of the first ones to crash was Kevin Harvick, in his first appearance at the speedway. Then Jeff Gordon got sideways and wrecked after tapping Jeff Burton from behind, then Michael Waltrip wrecked Gordon, destroying his car, at which point the race was stopped. All of the drivers returned with back-up cars. At the end, Gordon came across the line and won his third All-Star race, tying Dale Earnhardt. Drivers Johnny Benson and Todd Bodine advanced from The Winston Open, with Benson winning the Open and Bodine winning the No Bull 5 Sprint race. This was the first Winston event without Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt. Waltrip retired at the end of 2000 and called the 2001 race from the booth, and Earnhardt was killed earlier in the season at the Daytona 500. Both drivers competed in the first 16 events.

The 2002 edition of The Winston was held on May 18, 2002 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It featured the last multiple-segment Open where only segment winners advanced until 2015, and had a 27-car field, the largest in All-Star race history. Ryan Newman won the race and became the second driver since Michael Waltrip to win the event after coming out from the Open and the only driver from the second segment to win. Newman and Jeremy Mayfield advance to The Winston after winning the two segments of the Open races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 NAPA 500</span> Auto race run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2000

The 2000 NAPA 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on November 20, 2000, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. It was originally scheduled for November 19, but was postponed due to rain and run on Monday. It was the 34th and final race of the 2000 NASCAR season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 EA Sports 500</span> 30th race of 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

The 2002 EA Sports 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on October 6, 2002, at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Dura Lube 300</span> Race 26 of 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup series

The 2000 Dura Lube 300 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race that was held on September 17, 2000, at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. The race was the twenty-sixth of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The pole position was won by Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing, while Roush Racing's Jeff Burton won after leading all 300 laps. As of 2022, this was the last time that a driver led every single lap in a Cup Series race.

The 1996 edition of The Winston Select was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 18, 1996. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the pole. Terry Labonte of Hendrick Motorsports led the most laps with 22 of the 70 laps. Michael Waltrip of Wood Brothers Racing became the first transferee to win the Winston Select after qualifying in the Winston Select Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Jiffy Lube 300</span> Motor car race

The 1999 Jiffy Lube 300 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 11, 1999, at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. This race was the 18th stop of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Pepsi 400</span> 17th race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

The 2002 Pepsi 400 was the 17th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 6, 2002, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. At race's end, Michael Waltrip, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would win a crash-marred race under caution, a decision that would prove controversial with fans, as they wanted the race to finish under green. To fill out the podium, Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing and Sterling Marlin of Chip Ganassi Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

References

  1. ↑ "2000 Winston Open". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ "2000 No Bull Sprint". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "2000 The Winston". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Bill Elliott takes The Winston pole at Charlotte". Motorsport Network. May 20, 2000. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ Jensen, Tom (May 19, 2023). "10 Historic NASCAR All-Star Races". NASCAR Hall of Fame . Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Boudin, Michelle (July 30, 2010). "10 years after NASCAR bridge collapse, injured man changing lives". Charlotte, North Carolina: WCNC-TV. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  7. ↑ Jayski's Silly Season Site. "The Winston 2000". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Fryer, Jenna (July 5, 2006). "Judge rules against fans in Lowe's bridge collapse". ESPN News Services. Raleigh, North Carolina: ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.