# 2000 MBNA Platinum 400

The 2000 MBNA Platinum 400 was the 13th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 4, 2000, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would complete a dominant performance on the final restart with six to go to win his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing and Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### Entry list

* (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 |
| 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's |
| 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 |
| 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Mobil 1 |
| 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | Conseco |
| 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | Family Click |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt |
| 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 |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | Caterpillar |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Michael Holigan |
| 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 |
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 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 |
| 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth |
| 43 | John Andretti* | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D |
| 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | Power Team |
| 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Route 66, Big Kmart |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Realtree |
| 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | RedCell, Dinner and a Movie |
| 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 85 | Carl Long | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | Mansion Motorsports |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 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 |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |
| Official entry list |||||
*During the race, Kyle Petty would replace Andretti due to Andretti's rib injuries sustained at the 2000 The Winston.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, June 2, at 11:30 AM EST, and would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Jeremy Mayfield of Penske-Kranefuss Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.749 and an average speed of 158.248 mph (254.675 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.749 | 158.248 |
| 2 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.953 | 156.842 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.954 | 156.835 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, June 2, at 1:20 PM EST, and would last for 40 minutes. Joe Nemechek of Andy Petree Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.796 and an average speed of 157.922 mph (254.151 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.796 | 157.922 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.870 | 157.411 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.896 | 157.232 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third practice

The third practice session was held on Saturday, June 3, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Scott Pruett of PPI Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.992 and an average speed of 156.576 mph (251.985 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 22.992 | 156.576 |
| 2 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.004 | 156.494 |
| 3 | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.009 | 156.460 |
| Full third practice results |||||||

### Fourth and final practice

The fourth and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 3, after the preliminary 2000 MBNA Platinum 200 Busch Series race, and lasted for up to an hour. Joe Nemechek of Andy Petree Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.386 and an average speed of 153.938 mph (247.739 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 23.386 | 153.938 |
| 2 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.441 | 153.577 |
| 3 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.536 | 152.957 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 2, 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, June 3, 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. 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.
Rusty Wallace of Penske-Kranefuss Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 22.870 and an average speed of 157.411 miles per hour (253.328 km/h).
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Kyle Petty and Carl Long.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.870 | 157.411 |
| 2 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 22.880 | 157.343 |
| 3 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.907 | 157.157 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.909 | 157.143 |
| 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.934 | 156.972 |
| 6 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.953 | 156.842 |
| 7 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.960 | 156.794 |
| 8 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.964 | 156.767 |
| 9 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 22.965 | 156.760 |
| 10 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.972 | 156.713 |
| 11 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 22.980 | 156.658 |
| 12 | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 22.982 | 156.644 |
| 13 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 22.997 | 156.542 |
| 14 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.022 | 156.372 |
| 15 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.059 | 156.121 |
| 16 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.060 | 156.114 |
| 17 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.064 | 156.087 |
| 18 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.084 | 155.952 |
| 19 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.095 | 155.878 |
| 20 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.097 | 155.864 |
| 21 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 23.103 | 155.824 |
| 22 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 23.106 | 155.804 |
| 23 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.108 | 155.790 |
| 24 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 23.136 | 155.602 |
| 25 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.139 | 155.581 |
| 26 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.052 | 156.169 |
| 27 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.074 | 156.020 |
| 28 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.078 | 155.993 |
| 29 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 23.080 | 155.979 |
| 30 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.107 | 155.797 |
| 31 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.158 | 155.454 |
| 32 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.159 | 155.447 |
| 33 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.160 | 155.440 |
| 34 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.181 | 155.300 |
| 35 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 23.183 | 155.286 |
| 36 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.191 | 155.233 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | - | - |
| 39 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | - | - |
| 40 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 41 | 27 | Mike Bliss (R) | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | - | - |
| 42 | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | - | - |
| 43 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.287 | 154.593 |
| 45 | 85 | Carl Long | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | - | - |
| Official first-round results |||||||
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 16 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 242 | running | 185 | $152,850 |
| 2 | 26 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 170 | $119,755 |
| 3 | 9 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 2 | running | 170 | $96,105 |
| 4 | 18 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $95,755 |
| 5 | 7 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $78,280 |
| 6 | 30 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 49 | running | 155 | $75,455 |
| 7 | 10 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 146 | $71,885 |
| 8 | 23 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 142 | $74,685 |
| 9 | 8 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 43 | running | 143 | $63,085 |
| 10 | 6 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 398 | 2 | running | 139 | $54,785 |
| 11 | 37 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 130 | $73,160 |
| 12 | 2 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 127 | $59,910 |
| 13 | 33 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 398 | 1 | running | 129 | $65,970 |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 398 | 9 | running | 126 | $70,360 |
| 15 | 34 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 118 | $53,280 |
| 16 | 32 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 397 | 1 | running | 120 | $58,460 |
| 17 | 11 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $57,975 |
| 18 | 3 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 109 | $57,260 |
| 19 | 17 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 106 | $56,835 |
| 20 | 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 103 | $60,985 |
| 21 | 20 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 100 | $56,335 |
| 22 | 39 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 97 | $56,085 |
| 23 | 31 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 94 | $47,835 |
| 24 | 12 | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 91 | $47,580 |
| 25 | 27 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 394 | 0 | running | 88 | $44,305 |
| 26 | 24 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 85 | $47,555 |
| 27 | 40 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 82 | $43,830 |
| 28 | 13 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 79 | $43,680 |
| 29 | 43 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 76 | $43,680 |
| 30 | 21 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 73 | $46,030 |
| 31 | 25 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 387 | 0 | running | 70 | $51,880 |
| 32 | 19 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 380 | 0 | running | 67 | $63,420 |
| 33 | 35 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 374 | 0 | running | 64 | $43,070 |
| 34 | 14 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 370 | 0 | running | 61 | $62,920 |
| 35 | 41 | 27 | Mike Bliss (R) | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 279 | 0 | crash | 58 | $42,770 |
| 36 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 268 | 2 | engine | 60 | $60,655 |
| 37 | 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 212 | 49 | engine | 57 | $50,545 |
| 38 | 29 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 206 | 0 | crash | 49 | $42,435 |
| 39 | 15 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | engine | 46 | $50,325 |
| 40 | 22 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | crash | 43 | $50,190 |
| 41 | 42 | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 84 | 0 | crash | 40 | $42,330 |
| 42 | 36 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34 | 0 | crash | 37 | $49,970 |
| 43 | 28 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 3 | 0 | crash | 34 | $42,360 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 85 | Carl Long | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Bobby Labonte | 1,946 |
| | 2 | Ward Burton | 1,864 (−82) |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,848 (−98) |
| 2 | 4 | Dale Jarrett | 1,790 (−156) |
| 2 | 5 | Mark Martin | 1,755 (−191) |
| 1 | 6 | Jeff Burton | 1,733 (−213) |
| | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 1,704 (−242) |
| 1 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 1,678 (−268) |
| 1 | 9 | Tony Stewart | 1,641 (−305) |
| 2 | 10 | Jeff Gordon | 1,606 (−340) |
| Official driver's standings ||||