2000 Pennsylvania 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 34 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2000 Pennsylvania 500 program cover, featuring Bobby Labonte. | |||
| Date | July 23, 2000 | ||
| Official name | 28th Annual Pennsylvania 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 130.662 miles per hour (210.280 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 52.207 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Laps | 73 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2000 Pennsylvania 500 was the 19th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 23, 2000, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. On the final lap of the race, leader of the race, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield would blow a tire heading into the second turn. Behind Mayfield, two drivers battling for position, teammate Rusty Wallace and Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton were battling for the second position, When Mayfield blew a tire, the two passed Mayfield, leading the two of them to battle for the lead. At the end of the race, Wallace was able to defend Burton to claim his 51st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Jeff Burton and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, July 21, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for three hours. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 52.377 and an average speed of 171.831 mph (276.535 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 52.377 | 171.831 |
| 2 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 52.454 | 171.578 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 52.612 | 171.063 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 22, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 20 minutes. Ted Musgrave, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.416 and an average speed of 168.489 mph (271.157 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 | Ted Musgrave | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.416 | 168.489 |
| 2 | 14 | Rick Mast | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 53.475 | 168.303 |
| 3 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 53.544 | 168.086 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 22, after the preliminary 2000 Pepsi ARCA 200 ARCA Re/Max Series race. The session would last for one hour. Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.338 and an average speed of 165.629 mph (266.554 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.338 | 165.629 |
| 2 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.370 | 165.532 |
| 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 54.421 | 165.377 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||