Flashback Friday- 2000 CarsDirect.com 400 at Las Vegas

(*SPOILER ALERT: This is a summary of a race that some of you may not have seen. If you want to see the race before reading this article, do not scroll down past the point at the bottom of the screen. Here is the link to the race, which is also listed at the bottom of the page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8zfmc4TGAs&list=PL79D34E25321FAA1E&index=7 *)

        The NASCAR Winston Cup Series headed to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the third race of the 2000 season on March 5. The race was know known as the CarsDirect.com 400 and it had some interesting story lines behind it. The first one was the No Bull 5 $1,000,000 bonus. Since it was put into place in 1998, the program had five races and the top 5 from the previous No Bull 5 race would have a chance for the million dollar bonus. All they had to do was win the race. The top 5 finishers from the 2000 Daytona 500, the previous No Bull 5 race in the 2000 season, were eligible for the bonus in this race. The drivers were Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin, and Rusty Wallace. All had a legitimate shot for the bonus, but they had one final story line to face: rain. Rain had been a constant problem the day of the race and it would constantly plague the event. These story lines made for a good show, but one that could have lasted a lot longer.

        Ricky Rudd started on the pole. Ironically, Rudd started next to Scott Pruett, who had jumped in the Tide sponsored car the year after Rudd's sponsorship with the company was dropped. The race went green and Rudd immediately jumped out to the lead in front of Pruett. He was able to lead the first lap, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed him on the second lap for the lead. The race had just begun when the first caution of the race waved on lap 20. The rain became too much to continue racing and NASCAR was forced to throw a caution. Most of the drivers made pit stops while Kyle Petty and Darrell Waltrip stayed on the track. The rain persisted and the caution stayed out. Kyle Petty and Darrell Waltrip made their pit stops and put Dale Earnhardt Jr. back in the lead. After twenty laps under the caution, the rain still continued and NASCAR decided to wave the red flag. The drivers pulled their cars down the frontstretch and stopped. They were allowed to get out and move as the rain continued to fall. After a twenty minute red flag situation, the yellow was brought back out and the drivers continued out on the track. The race went back green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. held the lead. On lap 60, Jeff Burton, who was contending for the Winston No Bull 5 bonus, took the lead. It seemed like he was in charge and had the best opportunity for the bonus, but one driver was coming. 

         Since the green flag had come back out, Bill Elliott was on the move. He had the fastest car on the track and moved from eighth to third in a short amount of time. Time would tell if he could make the move to get past Burton for the lead. It was a short time after this that one driver had trouble. On lap 92, Steve Park threw up a plume of smoke as he had slowed and moved to the apron. The engine had blown due to a broken oil line and his day was finished. The race continued on after this until the second and final caution of the race on 146. Rain was once again falling on the track and it was too much to continue racing. A short time after this, the second red flag of the race was waved and the drivers pulled their cars down the frontstretch and stopped. They were once again allowed out of their cars to walk around and talk with their crews. Jeff Burton was in the lead at the time.  Most of the drivers were interviewed and the race had went on so long that ABC had to end their coverage before the race was called. Unfortunately, the race was unable to be completed after 148 of the scheduled 267 laps. This meant that Jeff Burton would win the race and the Winston No Bull 5 bonus. It was an okay race, but it could have been a lot longer and more action packed.

        Jeff Burton furthered proved why his nickname is “The Rain Man”. It was the second Winston No Bull 5 race that he had won due to rain shortening the race. It was also his third win in these races in two years. Burton also led 56 laps, which was the most in the race. All in all, it was dominating performance by Burton considering the amount of laps that were run. Another major event happened in this race. Bobby Labonte, who won the week before, took the points lead away from Dale Jarrett for the first time of the season. He had a four point advantage heading to the always action packed Atlanta Motor Speedway. Did Jeff Burton repeat with another win, did Bobby Labonte hold his point lead, or did Dale Jarrett take his points lead back? You will have to find out on the next installment of “Flashback Friday”.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 20- Rain was falling on the track.

2nd Caution: Lap 46- Rain was once again falling on the track.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Jeff Burton
2nd: Tony Stewart
3rd: Mark Martin
4th: Bill Elliott
5th: Bobby Labonte

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Dale Jarrett
8th: Dale Earnhardt Sr.
10th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
14th: Matt Kenseth
15th: Rusty Wallace
28th: Jeff Gordon




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Special Thanks to de31168 for the full race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8zfmc4TGAs
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2000_CarsDirect.com_400/W
-Image:
http://www.lvms.com/images/1365210_lg.jpg