2000 The Winston

Bill Elliott won the pole for The Winston, with Mark Martin starting on outside pole. Despite having not won a race, Kenny Irwin Jr. made the starting grid based on the No. 42 team's win in 1999 with Joe Nemechek, who switched to the No. 33 team in 2000. The first caution occurred before the first lap when Irwin tangled with Dale Earnhardt and got loose in turn four, sending John Andretti hard on the outside wall. Michael Waltrip brought out the second caution on lap 24 when he spun loose and crashed in turn two. Elliott led all 30 laps of Segment 1, earning him $50,000.

Segment results

1. 94-Bill Elliott ($50,000)
2. 6-Mark Martin ($15,000)
3. 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($7,500)

It was decided by lottery that the top 12 finishers were to be inverted for Segment 2, with Nemechek and Jeremy Mayfield in the front row. The caution was triggered on lap 38 when Jeff Gordon spun loose in turn two and caused a wreck that involved Steve Park, Earnhardt Sr., and Jeff Burton. Dale Earnhardt Jr. made two pit stops due to a loose lug nut on his left rear tire while Park, Earnhardt Sr., and Gordon had their cars mended during the caution. Upon the restart, Mayfield lost third gear and was forced to retire from the race. On lap 50, Earnhardt Jr. hit the outside wall in turn four, but the damage was not significant enough to cause a tire rub. The caution came out on lap 54, when Tony Stewart nudged Martin towards the backstretch wall; Martin also collided with Ward Burton before his car caught fire. Elliott once again had the dominant car, winning Segment 2 and earning another $50,000.

Segment results

1. 94-Bill Elliott ($50,000)
2. 88-Dale Jarrett ($15,000)
3. 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($7,500)

Elliott and Dale Jarrett led the field for Segment 3. Park and Nemechek tangled on lap 62, resulting in a multi-car pileup in turn one that took them out along with Stewart and Gordon to bring out the final caution. The incident also caused an adverse handling effect on Elliott's car, as he lost the lead to Jarrett and faded out of the top five. Upon the restart, both Earnhardts rebounded in the top three as smoke suddenly started to appear in the rear end of Jarrett's car. With two laps to go, Earnhardt Jr. overtook Jarrett and won The Winston, earning him $500,000 and making him the first rookie to win the event.

The victory celebration was held in front of the main grandstand instead of victory lane, which was left vacant for this race and the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 in memory of Adam Petty, who was killed in a practice crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 12, 2000.

After the race, as fans crowded across one of the track's pedestrian bridge walkways to a nearby parking lot, an 80-foot (24 m) section of the walkway fell 17 feet (5.2 m) onto a highway,^[8] injuring 107 people.^[6] Nearly 50 lawsuits against the speedway resulted from the incident, with many being settled out of court. Investigators said the bridge builder, Tindall Corp., used an improper additive to help the concrete filler at the bridge's center cure faster. The additive contained calcium chloride, which corroded the structure's steel cables and led to the collapse.^[8]