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| 2000 NASCAR RCA Cup Series (Johnsonverse) | |||
| Previous: | 1999 | Next: | 2001 |
The 2000 NASCAR RCA Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on January 23 and ended on November 20. Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.
This was the last season without Jimmie Johnson until 2021.
Teams, drivers, and manufacturers[]
*-factory team
Manufacturers[]
| Company | Marquee | Model | Status | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Chevrolet | Monte Carlo LS | NEW GENERATION, full factory support | All full-time teams |
| Cavalier | Full factory support | eligible but unused | ||
| Camaro Z28 | Full factory support | eligible but unused | ||
| Malibu | Full factory support | eligible but unused | ||
| Pontiac | Grand Prix | Full factory support | All full-time teams | |
| Firebird | Full factory support | eligible but unused | ||
| Oldsmobile | Alero | Full factory support | Joe Bessey Racing, Mattei Racing | |
| Intrigue | Full factory support | Andy Petree Racing, Morgan-McClure Motorsports | ||
| Ford Motor Company | Ford | Taurus | Full factory support | Bill Elliott Racing, Penske-Kranefuss Racing, PPI Motorsports, Robert Yates Racing |
| Crown Victoria | Full factory support | Steele-Favre Racing | ||
| Mustang SVT Cobra | Full factory support | Melling Racing | ||
| Roush Mustang | In-house variant | Roush Racing | ||
| Mercury | Sable | Full factory support | Cale Yarborough Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Grand Marquis | Full factory support | Orr Motorsports | ||
| Cougar | Full factory support | Jasper Motorsports | ||
| Lincoln | Continental | Full factory support | All full-time teams | |
| Chrysler Corporation | Dodge | Intrepid | Full factory support | Bill Davis Racing, Eel River Racing, Petty Enterprises, Team SABCO |
| Stratus | Full factory support | Donlavey Racing, Moroso-Rudd Racing | ||
| Avenger | FINAL YEAR UNTIL 2007, full factory support | AK Racing |
Manufacturer notes[]
Although multiple models of cars were eligible in 2000, certain models were used much more than others, these being the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford Taurus, Pontiac Grand Prix, Dodge Intrepid, and Mercury Sable. This came in the midst of the "Third Aero War", as these cars were much more aero-friendly than other models. The only non-Aero Warrior to see success in 2000 was Roush Racing's in-house version of the Ford Mustang; all manufacturers except Lincoln won at least one points race in 2000.
Complete schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model | Primary Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R) | Tony Eury | 2000 Monte Carlo | ACDelco |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | MBNA | ||||
| 38 | Kelley Earnhardt | Pennzoil | ||||
| Hendrick Motorsports * | 5 | Terry Labonte | Gary DeHart | 2000 Monte Carlo | Kellogg's | |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Robbie Loomis | DuPont | |||
| 25 | Jack Sprague (R) | Tony Furr | Lowe's | |||
| 52 | Ricky Craven | M&M's | ||||
| Marcis Auto Racing | 71 | Dave Marcis | Bob Marcis | 2000 Monte Carlo | RealTree Camouflage | |
| R. K. Smith | ||||||
| Kerry Earnhardt | ||||||
| Dick Trickle | ||||||
| Richard Childress Racing * | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Kevin Hamlin | 2000 Monte Carlo | GM Goodwrench Service Plus | |
| 29 | Steve Park | AOL | ||||
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Larry McReynolds | Budweiser | |||
| Dodge | AK Racing | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | Paul Andrews | 2000 Avenger | Walmart |
| 11 | Ernie Irvan | Burger King | ||||
| Bill Davis Racing * | 22 | Bobby Labonte | 2000 Intrepid | Caterpillar | ||
| 23 | Ward Burton | Tommy Baldwin Jr. | Sprite | |||
| 93 | Dave Blaney (R) | Doug Randolph | Amoco | |||
| Bill Elliott Racing | 9 | Bill Elliott | 2000 Intrepid | Coors Light | ||
| 13 | Jerry Nadeau | BellSouth | ||||
| 94 | Casey Elliott | Super 8 Motels | ||||
| Donlavey Racing | 90 | Ed Berrier | Craig Huartson | 2000 Stratus | Hills Brothers Coffee | |
| Brian Simo | ||||||
| Hut Stricklin | ||||||
| Eel River Racing | 30 | Clifford Allison | Barry Dodson | 2000 Intrepid | Gumout | |
| Moroso-Rudd Racing | 82 | Rob Moroso | Dan Stillman | 2000 Stratus | Mountain Dew | |
| 83 | Ricky Rudd | Billy Ingle | Tide | |||
| Petty Enterprises | 43 | John Andretti | Greg Steadman | 2000 Intrepid | STP | |
| Team SABCO | 40 | Shawna Robinson | Scott Eggleston | 2000 Intrepid | Kmart | |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | Tony Glover | Mello Yello | |||
| 45 | Patty Moise | Barbie | ||||
| 46 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Spam | ||||
| Ford | Penske-Kranefuss Racing * | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Robin Pemberton | 2000 Taurus | Miller Lite |
| 12 | Tim Richmond | Peter Sospenzo | Mobil 1 | |||
| PPI Motorsports | 32 | Stacy Compton (R) | Scott Houston | 2000 Taurus | Nickelodeon | |
| Robert Yates Racing * | 28 | Davey Allison | Michael McSwain | 2000 Taurus | Texaco/Havoline | |
| 88 | Sterling Marlin | Todd Parrott | Ford Quality Care | |||
| Roush Racing * | 6 | Mark Martin | Jimmy Fennig | 2000 Roush Mustang | Valvoline | |
| 16 | Tammy Jo Kirk | Pat Tryson | NorthernLight.com | |||
| 60 | Matt Kenseth (R) | Robbie Reiser | DeWalt Tools | |||
| 97 | Chad Little | Jeff Hammond | John Deere | |||
| Kurt Busch | ||||||
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Frank Stoddard | Exide Batteries | |||
| Steele-Favre Racing | 15 | Tim Steele | Joey Knuckles | 2000 Crown Victoria | Nike/Sony | |
| Lincoln | Brett Bodine Racing * | 27 | Brett Bodine | Mike Hillman | 2000 Continental | Ralph's Supermarkets |
| Galaxy Motorsports | 75 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Newt Moore | 2000 Continental | Turner Broadcasting | |
| Haas-Carter Motorsports | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Donnie Wingo | 2000 Continental | Big Kmart | |
| Mercury | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Michael McSwain | 2000 Sable | Sonic |
| Jasper Motorsports | 77 | Robert Pressley | Ryan Pemberton | 2000 Cougar | Jasper Engines | |
| Orr Motorsports | 37 | Rodney Orr | 2000 Grand Marquis | Craftsman | ||
| Wood Brothers Racing * | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Eddie Wood | 2000 Sable | Citgo | |
| Oldsmobile | Andy Petree Racing | 33 | Ken Schrader | Danny Gill | 2000 Intrigue | Oakwood Homes |
| 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Jimmy Elledge | Square D | |||
| Joe Bessey Racing | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Jim Long | 2000 Alero | Power Team | |
| Mattei Racing | 70 | Michael Waltrip | Bobby Kennedy | 2000 Intrigue | NationsRent | |
| Morgan-McClure Motorsports | 4 | Kenny Wallace | David Ifft | 2000 Alero | Kodak Film | |
| Pontiac | Joe Gibbs Racing * | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Jimmy Makar | 2000 Grand Prix | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Kelly Watson | Circuit City | ||||
| MB2 Motorsports | 36 | Ken Schrader | Sammy Johns | 2000 Grand Prix | Jimmy Dean Sausage | |
| Stacker-Foyt Racing | 14 | Tony Stewart | Greg Zipadelli | 2000 Grand Prix | Home Depot | |
| Tyler Jet Motorsports | 10 | Johnny Benson | James Ince | 2000 Grand Prix | Lycos.com |
Limited schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Andy Petree Racing | 56 | Geoff Bodine | Chris Carrier | 2000 Monte Carlo |
| Bobby Hamilton Racing | 52 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | 1999 Malibu | ||
| Coulter Racing | 61 | Rich Bickle | 1999 Cavalier | ||
| Tim Sauter | |||||
| Jim & Judie Motorsports | 65 | Dan Pardus | 1999 Camaro | ||
| JKR Motorsports | 34 | David Green | 1998 Malibu | ||
| Larry Hedrick Motorsports | 41 | Rick Mast | Philippe Lopez | 2000 Monte Carlo | |
| Gary Bradberry | |||||
| LJ Racing | 91 | Andy Hillenburg | 1999 Monte Carlo | ||
| Todd Bodine | |||||
| Larry Gunselman | |||||
| Blaise Alexander | |||||
| Marcis Auto Racing | 72 | Jim Sauter | Bob Marcis | 2000 Monte Carlo | |
| Dawyne Leik | |||||
| NEMCO Motorsports | 87 | Ron Fellows | Brian Pattie | 1999 Monte Carlo | |
| Norm Benning Racing | 84 | Norm Benning | 1999 Camaro | ||
| Dodge | Bill Baird Motorsports | 52 | Bill Baird | 1999 Avenger | |
| Bill Davis Racing | 57 | Scott Wimmer | 2000 Intrepid | ||
| Evernham Motorsports | 91 | TBA | Chad Knaus
Patrick Donahue |
2000 Intrepid | |
| Gerhart Racing | 89 | Bobby Gerhart | 1999 Stratus | ||
| Petty Enterprises | 44 | Adam Petty | Chris Hussey | 2000 Intrepid | |
| Petty-Huggins Motorsports | 96 | Greg Sacks | 2000 Intrepid | ||
| Ford | Hover Motorsports | 73 | Morgan Shepherd | 2000 Taurus | |
| Penske-Kranefuss Racing | 02 | Ryan Newman | Matt Borland | 2000 Taurus | |
| PPI Motorsports | 96 | Andy Houston | Joe Garone | 2000 Taurus | |
| TriStar Motorsports | 48 | Stanton Barrett | 1999 Crown Victoria | ||
| Lincoln | Haas-Carter Motorsports | 46 | Todd Bodine | 1999 Continental | |
| MacPherson Motorsports | 76 | Jeff Fuller | Vic Kangas | 2000 Continental | |
| Geoff Bodine | |||||
| Mansion Motorsports | 68 | Carl Long | Keith Montgomery | 2000 Continental | |
| Mercury | AC Motorsports | 89 | Austin Cameron | 1999 Sable | |
| Sadler Brothers Motorsports | 95 | David Keith | 1999 Sable | ||
| Spencer Motor Ventures | 64 | Boris Said | Richard Broome | 1997 Cougar | |
| Oldsmobile | Team Menard | 13 | Robby Gordon | Mark Tudor | 2000 Alero |
| P.J. Jones | |||||
| Pontiac | Buckshot Racing | 00 | Buckshot Jones | 1998 Grand Prix | |
| Stacker-Foyt Racing | 49 | Larry Foyt | 1999 Grand Prix |
Schedule[]
| No. | Race Title | Track | Date | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Save Mart/Kragen 350 | Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma | January 30 | WBC |
| Bud Shootout Qualifying | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 6 | WBC | |
| Bud Shootout | WBC | |||
| Gatorade Twin 125s | February 10 | WBC | ||
| 2 | Daytona 500 | February 13 | WBC | |
| 3 | Dura Lube/Kmart 400 | North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham | February 20 | TNN |
| 4 | San Jose 500 | San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy | February 27 | WBC |
| 5 | CarsDirect.com 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas | March 5 | WBC |
| 6 | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton | March 12 | WBC |
| 7 | Mall.com 400 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | March 19 | ESPN |
| 8 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | March 26 | ESPN |
| 9 | Texas 400 | Texas World Speedway, College Station | April 2 | WBC |
| 10 | Goody's Body Pain 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | April 9 | ESPN |
| 11 | DieHard 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln | April 16 | WBC |
| 12 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | California Speedway, Fontana | April 30 | WBC |
| 13 | Pontiac Excitement 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | May 6 | ESPN |
| 14 | Diet RCA 500 | Denver International Speedway, Denver | May 14 | WBC |
| RCA Shootout | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | May 19 | untelevised | |
| RCA Open | May 20 | TNN | ||
| RCA Sprint | TNN | |||
| RCA All-Star Challenge XVI | TNN | |||
| 15 | Coca-Cola 600 | Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord | May 28 | WBC |
| 16 | MBNA Platinum 400 | Dover Downs International Speedway | June 4 | TNN |
| 17 | Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 | The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis | June 11 | TNN |
| 18 | Chrysler 400 | Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth | June 19 | WBC |
| 19 | Budweiser 400 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside | June 25 | WBC |
| 20 | Pepsi 400 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | July 1 | WBC |
| 21 | thatlook.com 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon | July 9 | TNN |
| 22 | Music City USA 420 | Nashville Speedway USA, Nasvhile | July 15 | TNN |
| 23 | Pennsylvania 500 | Pocono Raceway, Long Pond | July 23 | WBC |
| 24 | Coors 400 | Pikes Peak International Speedway, Fountain | July 30 | WBC |
| 25 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway | August 5 | WBC |
| 26 | Global Crossing @ The Glen | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen | August 13 | ESPN |
| 27 | Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer | Michigan Speedway, Brooklyn | August 20 | ESPN |
| 28 | goracing.com 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | August 26 | ESPN |
| 29 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | September 3 | ESPN |
| 30 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | September 9 | ESPN |
| 31 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | September 17 | ESPN |
| 32 | MBNA.com 400 | Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover | September 24 | TNN |
| 33 | NAPA Autocare 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | October 1 | ESPN |
| 34 | UAW-GM Quality 500 | Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord | October 8 | WBC |
| 35 | Dodge 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln | October 15 | ESPN |
| 36 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham | October 22 | TNN |
| 37 | Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500k | Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale | November 5 | TNN |
| 38 | Pennzoil 400 presented by Discount Auto Parts | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead | November 12 | WBC |
| 39 | NAPA 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton | November 20 | ESPN |
| 40 | Sprite 500 | Denver International Speedway, Denver | November 25 | WBC |
| 41 | askjeeves.com 500 | San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy | December 3 | WBC |
| 42 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario | December 10 | WBC |
Season summary[]
Results[]
| No. | Race | Pole Position | Winner | Make/Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Save Mart/Kragen 350 | Jeff Gordon | Mark Martin | Roush Mustang |
| Bud Shootout Qualifier | ??? | Dale Jarrett | Pontiac Grand Prix | |
| Bud Shootout | Mark Martin | Ernie Irvan | Ford Taurus | |
| Gatorade Twin 125s Race 1 | Dale Jarrett | Bill Elliott | Ford Taurus | |
| Gatorade Twin 125s Race 2 | Ricky Rudd | Rob Moroso | Dodge Stratus | |
| 2 | Daytona 500 | Dale Jarrett | Davey Allison | Ford Taurus |
| 3 | Dura Lube/Kmart 400 | Rusty Wallace | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 4 | San Jose 500 | Bill Elliott | Rob Moroso | Dodge Stratus |
| 5 | CarsDirect.com 400 | Ricky Rudd | Jeff Burton | Roush Mustang |
| 6 | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 | Davey Allison | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 7 | Mall.com 400 | Jeff Gordon | Ward Burton | Dodge Intrepid |
| 8 | Food City 500 | Steve Park | Rusty Wallace | Ford Taurus |
| 9 | Texas 400 | Terry Labonte | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 10 | Goody's Body Pain 500 | Rusty Wallace | Mark Martin | Roush Mustang |
| 11 | DieHard 500 | Jeremy Mayfield | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 12 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | Mike Skinner | Jeremy Mayfield | Mercury Sable |
| 13 | Pontiac Excitement 400 | Rusty Wallace | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 14 | Diet RCA 500 | Sterling Marlin | Rodney Orr | Mercury Grand Marquis |
| RCA Shootout Race 1 | ??? | Jerry Nadeau | Ford Taurus | |
| RCA Shootout Race 2 | ??? | Jimmy Spencer | Lincoln Continental | |
| RCA Open | ??? | Steve Park | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | |
| RCA Sprint | ??? | Jerry Nadeau | Ford Taurus | |
| RCA All-Star Challenge XVI | Ernie Irvan | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | |
| 15 | Coca-Cola 600 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Matt Kenseth | Roush Mustang |
| 16 | MBNA Platinum 400 | Rusty Wallace | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 17 | Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 | Bobby Labonte | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 18 | Chrysler 400 | Rusty Wallace | Tim Richmond | Ford Taurus |
| 19 | Budweiser 400 | Rusty Wallace | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 20 | Pepsi 400 | Davey Allison | Jeff Burton | Roush Mustang |
| 21 | thatlook.com 300 | Rusty Wallace | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 22 | Music City USA 420 | Rusty Wallace | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Dodge Intrepid |
| 23 | Pennsylvania 500 | Tony Stewart | Rusty Wallace | Ford Taurus |
| 24 | Coors 400 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip | Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| 25 | Brickyard 400 | Ricky Rudd | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 26 | Global Crossing @ The Glen | Dale Earnhardt | Steve Park | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 27 | Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Rusty Wallace | Ford Taurus |
| 28 | goracing.com 500 | Rusty Wallace | Rusty Wallace | Ford Taurus |
| 29 | Southern 500 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 30 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 | Jeff Burton | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 31 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | Bobby Labonte | Alan Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 32 | MBNA.com 400 | Jeremy Mayfield | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 33 | NAPA Autocare 500 | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 34 | UAW-GM Quality 500 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 35 | Dodge 500 | Joe Nemechek | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 36 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dale Jarrett | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 37 | Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500k | Rusty Wallace | Jeff Burton | Roush Mustang |
| 38 | Pennzoil 400 presented by Discount Auto Parts | Steve Park | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| 39 | NAPA 500 | Jeff Gordon | Jerry Nadeau | Ford Taurus |
| 40 | Sprite 500 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| 41 | askjeeves.com 500 | Tony Stewart | Rob Moroso | Dodge Stratus |
| 42 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Joe Nemechek | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
Cars Used in 2000 (incomplete)[]
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Ford Taurus
Dodge Intrepid
Pontiac Grand Prix
Lincoln Continental
Mercury Sable
Oldsmobile Alero