# 2000 NAPA Auto Parts 500

The 2000 NAPA Auto Parts 500 was the tenth stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fourth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 30, 2000, before an audience of 115,000 in Fontana, California, at the California Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. On the final restart with four laps left in the race, Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Jeremy Mayfield managed to defend the field to take the victory, overcoming an overheating car and a one lap deficit. The victory was Mayfield's second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte and Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

California Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Auto Club Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The track's turns are banked at fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. The back stretch has 3 degrees of banking.

### 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 | Eagle One |
| 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 | Team Menard | Ford | Burger King, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas |
| 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 Automotive Finishes |
| 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 ChromaFlair |
| 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, Cheerios |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D |
| 60 | Dick Trickle | 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 |
| 72 | Dwayne Leik | 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 |
| 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 Batteries |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, April 28, at 1:30 PM EST. The session lasted for two hours and 55 minutes. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Steve Park set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.584 and an average speed of 186.605 mph (300.312 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 38.584 | 186.605 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 38.668 | 186.200 |
| 3 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 38.720 | 185.950 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, April 29, at 1:30 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour. Team Menard's Robby Gordon set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.866 and an average speed of 185.252 mph (298.134 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 13 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | Ford | 38.866 | 185.252 |
| 2 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 39.031 | 184.469 |
| 3 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.075 | 184.261 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 29, after the preliminary 2000 Auto Club 300. The session lasted for one hour. Penske-Kranefuss Racing's Jeremy Mayfield set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.960 and an average speed of 180.180 mph (289.972 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 39.960 | 180.180 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 40.122 | 179.453 |
| 3 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 40.155 | 179.305 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 14, at 4:00 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 Saturday, April 15, at 11:45 AM 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. 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.
Mike Skinner, driving for Richard Childress Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 38.697 and an average speed of 186.061 miles per hour (299.436 km/h) in the first round.
Three drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.697 | 186.061 |
| 2 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 38.714 | 185.979 |
| 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 38.745 | 185.830 |
| 4 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 38.779 | 185.668 |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 38.817 | 185.486 |
| 6 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 38.876 | 185.204 |
| 7 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 38.916 | 185.014 |
| 8 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 38.943 | 184.886 |
| 9 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 38.978 | 184.720 |
| 10 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 38.987 | 184.677 |
| 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 39.003 | 184.601 |
| 12 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.003 | 184.601 |
| 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.019 | 184.525 |
| 14 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 39.033 | 184.459 |
| 15 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac | 39.048 | 184.388 |
| 16 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 39.067 | 184.299 |
| 17 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 39.085 | 184.214 |
| 18 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 39.119 | 184.054 |
| 19 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 39.128 | 184.011 |
| 20 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 39.137 | 183.969 |
| 21 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.137 | 183.969 |
| 22 | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 39.142 | 183.946 |
| 23 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.180 | 183.767 |
| 24 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 39.234 | 183.514 |
| 25 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.263 | 183.379 |
| Failed to lock in the first round |||||||
| 26 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.269 | 183.351 |
| 27 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 39.278 | 183.309 |
| 28 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 39.309 | 183.164 |
| 29 | 13 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | Ford | 39.329 | 183.071 |
| 30 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 39.332 | 183.057 |
| 31 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.340 | 183.020 |
| 32 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 39.343 | 183.006 |
| 33 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.348 | 182.983 |
| 34 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.402 | 182.732 |
| 35 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 39.405 | 182.718 |
| 36 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 39.418 | 182.658 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.524 | 182.168 |
| 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 40.266 | 178.811 |
| 39 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 40 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.491 | 182.320 |
| 41 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 39.867 | 180.600 |
| 42 | 60 | Dick Trickle | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 39.646 | 181.607 |
| 43 | 27 | Mike Bliss (R) | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 39.533 | 182.126 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 39.662 | 181.534 |
| 45 | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 40.389 | 178.266 |
| 46 | 72 | Dwayne Leik | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 24 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 250 | 26 | running | 180 | $125,925 |
| 2 | 36 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 250 | 0 | running | 170 | $135,300 |
| 3 | 23 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 120 | running | 175 | $114,325 |
| 4 | 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 250 | 10 | running | 165 | $86,525 |
| 5 | 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 2 | running | 160 | $77,575 |
| 6 | 4 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 250 | 0 | running | 150 | $76,725 |
| 7 | 1 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 64 | running | 151 | $70,950 |
| 8 | 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 142 | $64,150 |
| 9 | 33 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 138 | $70,650 |
| 10 | 32 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 250 | 0 | running | 134 | $75,950 |
| 11 | 26 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 130 | $64,475 |
| 12 | 20 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 127 | $52,375 |
| 13 | 25 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 124 | $53,475 |
| 14 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 7 | running | 126 | $58,175 |
| 15 | 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 1 | running | 123 | $59,275 |
| 16 | 9 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 250 | 2 | running | 120 | $51,875 |
| 17 | 35 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 112 | $59,075 |
| 18 | 12 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 109 | $53,975 |
| 19 | 27 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 250 | 1 | running | 111 | $50,975 |
| 20 | 28 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 103 | $55,775 |
| 21 | 16 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 249 | 1 | running | 105 | $42,875 |
| 22 | 40 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 249 | 0 | running | 97 | $50,075 |
| 23 | 14 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 249 | 0 | running | 94 | $41,775 |
| 24 | 18 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 249 | 2 | running | 96 | $41,475 |
| 25 | 10 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 249 | 6 | running | 93 | $56,875 |
| 26 | 30 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 249 | 0 | running | 85 | $48,975 |
| 27 | 22 | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 249 | 0 | running | 82 | $40,625 |
| 28 | 8 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 249 | 1 | running | 84 | $41,225 |
| 29 | 7 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 248 | 1 | running | 81 | $40,125 |
| 30 | 21 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 248 | 0 | running | 73 | $47,925 |
| 31 | 29 | 13 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | Ford | 248 | 0 | running | 70 | $36,750 |
| 32 | 37 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 248 | 0 | running | 67 | $44,550 |
| 33 | 34 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | running | 64 | $54,350 |
| 34 | 6 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 247 | 0 | running | 61 | $36,750 |
| 35 | 43 | 27 | Mike Bliss (R) | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 247 | 0 | running | 58 | $35,975 |
| 36 | 41 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 246 | 0 | running | 55 | $43,900 |
| 37 | 42 | 60 | Dick Trickle | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 239 | 0 | accident | 52 | $43,700 |
| 38 | 17 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 236 | 0 | running | 49 | $35,525 |
| 39 | 15 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac | 220 | 0 | running | 46 | $35,475 |
| 40 | 2 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 219 | 6 | accident | 48 | $43,400 |
| 41 | 31 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 40 | $35,350 |
| 42 | 39 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | accident | 37 | $43,300 |
| 43 | 19 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 94 | 0 | engine | 34 | $43,250 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 72 | Dwayne Leik | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Media
### Television

The race was aired live on ABC in the United States for the twenty ninth and final time Bob Jenkins, 1973 Cup Series champion Benny Parsons and two-time NAPA Auto Parts 500 winning crew chief Ray Evernham called the race from the broadcast booth. Jerry Punch, Bill Weber and John Kernan handled pit road for the television side.
ABC :
| Booth announcers | Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | Pit reporters |
| Bob Jenkins | Benny Parsons Ray Evernham | Jerry Punch Bill Weber John Kernan |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Bobby Labonte | 1,516 |
| 1 | 2 | Mark Martin | 1,496 (−20) |
| | 3 | Ward Burton | 1,443 (−73) |
| 1 | 4 | Jeff Burton | 1,396 (−120) |
| 1 | 5 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,384 (−132) |
| | 6 | Dale Jarrett | 1,305 (−211) |
| | 7 | Jeff Gordon | 1,279 (−237) |
| | 8 | Rusty Wallace | 1,271 (−245) |
| 1 | 9 | Ricky Rudd | 1,251 (−265) |
| 4 | 10 | Mike Skinner | 1,194 (−322) |
| Official driver's standings ||||