# 2000 DirecTV 500

The 2000 DirecTV 500 was the seventh stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fourth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 2, 2000, before an audience of 223,000 in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. At race's end, Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed to dominate the final stages of the race, leading the final 53 laps of the race to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing's Jeff Burton and Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil, Mission to Mars |
| 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, Cummins |
| 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 | Menards, Duracell |
| 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 | Jeff Fuller | 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 Texas Proud |
| 41 | Gary Bradberry | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce |
| 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP, Cheerios |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 45 | Adam Petty (R) | Petty Enterprises | Chevrolet | Sprint PCs |
| 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 |
| 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | RotoZip |
| 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 |
| 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | LJ Racing |
| 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 |

## Practice

Originally, four practice sessions were scheduled to be held, with two sessions on Friday and two sessions on Saturday. However, due to rain, the scheduled final session was cancelled.

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, March 31, at 12:00 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 15 minutes. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Steve Park set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.278 and an average speed of 190.961 mph (307.322 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.278 | 190.961 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 28.282 | 190.934 |
| 3 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 28.306 | 190.772 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, March 31, at 2:05 PM EST. The session lasted for 55 minutes. Hendrick Motorsports' Terry Labonte set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.148 and an average speed of 191.843 mph (308.741 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.148 | 191.843 |
| 2 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 28.155 | 191.795 |
| 3 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 28.251 | 191.144 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session was held on Saturday, April 1, at 10:00 AM EST. The session lasted for one hour. Wood Brothers Racing' Elliott Sadler set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.426 and an average speed of 189.967 mph (305.722 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.426 | 189.967 |
| 2 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 28.609 | 188.752 |
| 3 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 28.704 | 188.127 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was scheduled split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 17, at 4:30 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. Originally, a second round qualifying session was scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 18. However, due to rain, the round was cancelled, leaving all positions to be determined using the times from the first round. 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.
Terry Labonte, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the pole, setting a time of 28.105 and an average speed of 192.137 miles per hour (309.215 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.105 | 192.137 |
| 2 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.129 | 191.973 |
| 3 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 28.158 | 191.775 |
| 4 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.174 | 191.666 |
| 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.222 | 191.340 |
| 6 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.236 | 191.245 |
| 7 | 27 | Jeff Fuller | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 28.316 | 190.705 |
| 8 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.340 | 190.543 |
| 9 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 28.345 | 190.510 |
| 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.369 | 190.349 |
| 11 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.377 | 190.295 |
| 12 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 28.400 | 190.141 |
| 13 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.435 | 189.907 |
| 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 28.451 | 189.800 |
| 15 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 28.465 | 189.707 |
| 16 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.495 | 189.507 |
| 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.524 | 189.314 |
| 18 | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 28.525 | 189.308 |
| 19 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 28.537 | 189.228 |
| 20 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.542 | 189.195 |
| 21 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.547 | 189.162 |
| 22 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 28.562 | 189.062 |
| 23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.571 | 189.003 |
| 24 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 28.584 | 188.917 |
| 25 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 28.584 | 188.917 |
| 26 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.586 | 188.904 |
| 27 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 28.594 | 188.851 |
| 28 | 60 | Dick Trickle | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.606 | 188.772 |
| 29 | 41 | Gary Bradberry | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.612 | 188.732 |
| 30 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 28.612 | 188.732 |
| 31 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 28.637 | 188.567 |
| 32 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 28.639 | 188.554 |
| 33 | 45 | Adam Petty (R) | Petty Enterprises | Chevrolet | 28.642 | 188.534 |
| 34 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac | 28.653 | 188.462 |
| 35 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.719 | 188.029 |
| 36 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.732 | 187.944 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.772 | 187.682 |
| 38 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 28.970 | 186.400 |
| 39 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 28.911 | 186.780 |
| 40 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 28.895 | 186.884 |
| 41 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 28.858 | 187.123 |
| 42 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.018 | 186.091 |
| 43 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 28.792 | 187.552 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 13 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | Ford | 28.785 | 187.598 |
| 45 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 28.829 | 187.311 |
| 46 | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 28.837 | 187.259 |
| 47 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 28.900 | 186.851 |
| 48 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 29.024 | 186.053 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 334 | 106 | running | 185 | $374,675 |
| 2 | 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 37 | running | 175 | $259,550 |
| 3 | 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 334 | 40 | running | 170 | $186,500 |
| 4 | 19 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 334 | 58 | running | 165 | $155,450 |
| 5 | 2 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 18 | running | 160 | $128,800 |
| 6 | 31 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 334 | 18 | running | 155 | $106,650 |
| 7 | 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 146 | $108,750 |
| 8 | 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 3 | running | 147 | $116,350 |
| 9 | 38 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 334 | 0 | running | 138 | $99,225 |
| 10 | 20 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 334 | 9 | running | 139 | $105,125 |
| 11 | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 130 | $93,525 |
| 12 | 11 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 1 | running | 132 | $87,325 |
| 13 | 16 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 124 | $84,025 |
| 14 | 9 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 334 | 0 | running | 121 | $93,525 |
| 15 | 41 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 333 | 2 | running | 123 | $85,200 |
| 16 | 42 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 332 | 1 | running | 120 | $73,200 |
| 17 | 27 | 42 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 332 | 1 | running | 117 | $78,500 |
| 18 | 36 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 332 | 0 | running | 109 | $68,800 |
| 19 | 6 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 332 | 6 | running | 111 | $75,600 |
| 20 | 34 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac | 331 | 0 | running | 103 | $66,200 |
| 21 | 32 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 | running | 100 | $75,400 |
| 22 | 24 | 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 331 | 0 | running | 97 | $60,700 |
| 23 | 25 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 330 | 0 | running | 94 | $59,700 |
| 24 | 30 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 91 | $61,100 |
| 25 | 23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 320 | 0 | running | 88 | $76,150 |
| 26 | 43 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 318 | 0 | engine | 85 | $58,400 |
| 27 | 3 | 32 | Scott Pruett (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 318 | 13 | running | 87 | $52,700 |
| 28 | 28 | 60 | Dick Trickle | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 317 | 0 | running | 79 | $61,900 |
| 29 | 21 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 1 | engine | 81 | $60,300 |
| 30 | 22 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 297 | 0 | running | 73 | $59,450 |
| 31 | 13 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 288 | 0 | accident | 70 | $57,050 |
| 32 | 40 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 287 | 0 | running | 67 | $62,975 |
| 33 | 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 285 | 18 | running | 69 | $68,550 |
| 34 | 39 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 279 | 0 | engine | 61 | $53,425 |
| 35 | 18 | 90 | Ed Berrier (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 270 | 0 | engine | 58 | $41,900 |
| 36 | 15 | 9 | Stacy Compton (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 255 | 0 | running | 55 | $40,850 |
| 37 | 12 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 2 | accident | 57 | $47,825 |
| 38 | 7 | 27 | Jeff Fuller | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 233 | 0 | accident | 49 | $38,775 |
| 39 | 35 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 221 | 0 | running | 46 | $46,725 |
| 40 | 33 | 45 | Adam Petty (R) | Petty Enterprises | Chevrolet | 215 | 0 | engine | 43 | $38,675 |
| 41 | 29 | 41 | Gary Bradberry | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 165 | 0 | accident | 40 | $38,625 |
| 42 | 26 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 143 | 0 | accident | 37 | $38,575 |
| 43 | 8 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | accident | 34 | $46,525 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 13 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 48 | | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Media
### Television

The DirecTV 500 was covered by CBS in the United States for the fourth straight year and it was their final DirecTV 500 race as coverage would switch to Fox in 2001. Mike Joy, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett and nineteen time NASCAR Cup Series race winner Buddy Baker called the race from the broadcast booth. Dick Berggren, Ralph Sheheen and Bill Stephens handled pit road for the television side. Ken Squier would serve as host.
CBS :
| Host | Booth announcers | Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Host | Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | Pit reporters |
| Ken Squier | Mike Joy | Ned Jarrett Buddy Baker | Dick Berggren Ralph Sheheen Bill Stephens |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Bobby Labonte | 1,114 |
| 1 | 2 | Mark Martin | 1,030 (−84) |
| 1 | 3 | Ward Burton | 1,024 (−90) |
| 1 | 4 | Dale Earnhardt | 959 (−155) |
| 1 | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 940 (−174) |
| 2 | 6 | Jeff Burton | 934 (−180) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 907 (−207) |
| 4 | 8 | Dale Jarrett | 895 (−219) |
| | 9 | Terry Labonte | 878 (−236) |
| 4 | 10 | Jeremy Mayfield | 848 (−266) |
| Official driver's standings ||||