The 2000 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer was the 22nd stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 20, 2000, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace, with the help of his crew chief, would pull away on the final restart with 18 to go to win his 52nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Ricky Rudd of Robert Yates Racing and Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2000 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer program cover. | |||
| Date | August 20, 2000 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer | ||
| Location | Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2 mi (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 132.597 miles per hour (213.394 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Time | 37.667 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Laps | 118 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NASCAR on ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, August 18, at 1:35 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 37.678 and an average speed of 191.092 mph (307.533 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 37.678 | 191.092 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 37.779 | 190.582 |
| 3 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 37.783 | 190.561 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, August 19, at 9:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour.[3] Andy Houston of PPI Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.066 and an average speed of 189.145 mph (304.399 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96 | Andy Houston | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 38.066 | 189.145 |
| 2 | 71 | Kerry Earnhardt | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 38.118 | 188.887 |
| 3 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 38.163 | 188.664 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, August 19, after the preliminary 2000 NAPAonline.com 250.[3] Rusty Wallace of Penske-Kranefuss Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.085 and an average speed of 184.213 mph (296.462 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 39.085 | 184.213 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 39.233 | 183.518 |
| 3 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.274 | 183.327 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 18, 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, August 19, at 10:45 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]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would win the pole, setting a time of 37.667 and an average speed of 191.149 miles per hour (307.624 km/h).[8]
Six drivers would fail to qualify: Geoff Bodine, Darrell Waltrip, Stacy Compton, Kyle Petty, David Keith, and Carl Long.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (August 20, 2000). "Wallace's day ends well - in victory lane". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 15, 2001. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ "Wallace easily wins Pepsi 400". Star Tribune. August 21, 2000. p. 25. Retrieved May 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2000 Michigan 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 25, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "Racin.net - The 2000 Pepsi 400 Friday Practice". The Racin' Network. Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "Racin.net - The 2000 Pepsi 400 Saturday AM Practice". The Racin' Network. Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "`Happy Hour' practice speeds from Michigan". ThatsRacin. August 19, 2000. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 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 (August 18, 2000). "Earnhardt Jr. wins pole at Michigan". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "2000 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-18.