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 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.

#DriverTeamMake1Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet8Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet9Stacy Compton (R)Melling RacingFord10Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord12Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord13Robby GordonTeam MenardFord14Rick MastA. J. Foyt EnterprisesPontiac16Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord17Matt Kenseth (R)Roush RacingFord18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac20Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac21Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord27Mike Bliss (R)Eel River RacingPontiac28Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord31Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet32Scott Pruett (R)PPI MotorsportsFord33Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet36Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac40Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet42Kenny Irwin Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet43John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac55Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet60Dick TrickleJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet66Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet72Dwayne LeikMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Wally Dallenbach Jr.Galaxy MotorsportsFord77Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Ed Berrier (R)Donlavey RacingFord93Dave Blaney (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord97Chad LittleRoush RacingFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordOfficial 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed11Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet38.584186.605222Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac38.668186.200377Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord38.720185.950Full 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed113Robby GordonTeam MenardFord38.866185.252233Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet39.031184.469342Kenny Irwin Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet39.075184.261Full 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed112Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord39.960180.18028Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet40.122179.453331Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet40.155179.305Full 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 in the first round.

Three drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed131Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet38.697186.061226Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord38.714185.979328Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord38.745185.830422Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac38.779185.66856Mark MartinRoush RacingFord38.817185.486632Scott Pruett (R)PPI MotorsportsFord38.876185.204766Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord38.916185.01489Stacy Compton (R)Melling RacingFord38.943184.88691Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet38.978184.7201043John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac38.987184.677112Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord39.003184.601124Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet39.003184.6011399Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord39.019184.5251410Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac39.033184.4591514Rick MastA. J. Foyt RacingPontiac39.048184.3881677Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord39.067184.2991793Dave Blaney (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac39.085184.2141836Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac39.119184.0541921Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord39.128184.011208Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet39.137183.969217Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet39.137183.9692275Wally Dallenbach Jr.Galaxy MotorsportsFord39.142183.9462317Matt Kenseth (R)Roush RacingFord39.180183.7672412Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord39.234183.5142525Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39.263183.379Failed to lock in the first round2624Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39.269183.3512794Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord39.278183.3092833Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet39.309183.1642913Robby GordonTeam MenardFord39.329183.0713044Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac39.332183.0573111Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord39.340183.0203220Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac39.343183.0063388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord39.348182.983345Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39.402182.732353Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39.405182.7183618Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac39.418182.658Provisionals3740Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet39.524182.1683897Chad LittleRoush RacingFord40.266178.8113942Kenny Irwin Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet - -4016Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord39.491182.3204155Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet39.867180.6004260Dick TrickleJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet39.646181.6074327Mike Bliss (R)Eel River RacingPontiac39.533182.126Failed to qualify4471Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet39.662181.5344590Ed Berrier (R)Donlavey RacingFord40.389178.2664672Dwayne LeikMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet - -Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings12412Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord25026running180$125,92523618Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac2500running170$135,30032317Matt Kenseth (R)Roush RacingFord250120running175$114,3254328Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord25010running165$86,52551399Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord2502running160$77,5756422Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac2500running150$76,7257131Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet25064running151$70,9508112Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord2500running142$64,15093388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord2500running138$70,650103220Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac2500running134$75,950112624Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2500running130$64,47512208Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2500running127$52,375132525Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2500running124$53,4751456Mark MartinRoush RacingFord2507running126$58,175153897Chad LittleRoush RacingFord2501running123$59,2751691Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2502running120$51,87517353Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet2500running112$59,07518124Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet2500running109$53,975192794Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord2501running111$50,975202833Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet2500running103$55,775211677Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord2491running105$42,875224016Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord2490running97$50,075231410Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac2490running94$41,775241836Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac2492running96$41,475251043John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac2496running93$56,875263044Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac2490running85$48,975272275Wally Dallenbach Jr.Galaxy MotorsportsFord2490running82$40,6252889Stacy Compton (R)Melling RacingFord2491running84$41,22529766Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord2481running81$40,12530217Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet2480running73$47,925312913Robby GordonTeam MenardFord2480running70$36,750323740Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet2480running67$44,55033345Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2470running64$54,35034632Scott Pruett (R)PPI MotorsportsFord2470running61$36,750354327Mike Bliss (R)Eel River RacingPontiac2470running58$35,975364155Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet2460running55$43,900374260Dick TrickleJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet2390accident52$43,700381793Dave Blaney (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac2360running49$35,525391514Rick MastA. J. Foyt RacingPontiac2200running46$35,47540226Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord2196accident48$43,400413111Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord1870running40$35,350423942Kenny Irwin Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet990accident37$43,300431921Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord940engine34$43,250Official 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 Pit reporters Lap-by-lap Color-commentators Bob Jenkins Benny Parsons Ray Evernham Jerry Punch Bill Weber John Kernan

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings