Interesting Stats from Kevin Harvick’s Memorable Second Victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

On Sunday, Kevin Harvick achieved a feat he had been trying to accomplish for nearly 17 years. For the second time in his career, the California driver captured the checkered flag and won at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick had dominated the 500-mile race, much like he had in the previous four events at the speedway. However, Trevor Bayne’s blown engine on lap 297 in turn 1 brought out the final caution and changed the course of the event in the final stage.

Teams used the yellow flag period to make their final pit stops of the race. The #4 of Harvick led the field down pit road and quick work from his five person crew returned him to the lead for the restart with Brad Keselowski in second. On the final restart, Harvick powered away from the field and built up a substantial lead. He completed the last 21 laps under green and grabbed the win by a margin of 2.690 seconds.

The win featured some interesting statistical achievements for Harvick and his Ford teammates. His win in the second race of the season marks only the second time in his career that he has won the race following the Daytona 500. In 2014, the California driver started 14th in The Profit on CNBC 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. He grabbed the lead for the first time on lap 74 and ended up leading 224 laps in a dominating victory at his best track of the time. Later that year, he captured his first career Cup championship, which could be a good sign for 2018 since Atlanta was the second race of the campaign this year.

Finally, Ford as a manufacturer captured the Top 3 positions in Atlanta. Harvick led the Ford trio followed by Keselowski and Clint Bowyer. Joey Logano and Kurt Busch finished sixth and eighth, respectively, giving Ford five of the Top 10 finishers. Interestingly, Ford has the oldest body style of the three manufacturers in the series. Toyota introduced a new Camry last season and Chevrolet is now competing with the brand-new Camaro body. Despite the age on the Fusion, Ford drivers excelled in Georgia on Sunday.

Those two statistics are fascinating, but two others haven’t been given as much attention since Harvick’s victory. Let’s take a look at those stats now, starting with the unbelievable changes in NASCAR that have occurred since the California driver earned his first victory at AMS in 2001, nearly 17 years ago.

On March 11, 2001, Kevin Harvick’s life changed forever thanks to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at AMS in only his third start behind the wheel of Richard Childress Racing’s #29 Chevrolet. His rise to the Cup Series was not a normal path, though. Just a month prior to the AMS race, Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time champion and legendary figure in the sport, was killed in a last lap crash during the Daytona 500.

In the wake of an unimaginable tragedy, Richard Childress decided against completely shutting down the #3 team. He changed the team’s number to 29 and put Harvick, a full-time driver for his organization in the NASCAR Busch Series, in the newly numbered racecar. In his first two career races, Harvick managed an average finish of eleventh and came to Atlanta with some confidence. After 500 miles of hard-fought racing, he proved his abilities to the entire world.

With six laps to go, Harvick took the lead from Dale Jarrett and set his sights on an emotional victory. Behind him, though, a three-time champion mounted a charge for the lead: Jeff Gordon. Over the final few laps, the #29 held off the #24 of Gordon until turn 3 of the last lap. The Cup champion powered underneath Harvick exiting turn 4 using a shot of momentum from the corner. The two raced through the quadoval side by side and came across the finish line in a thrilling photo finish. The California kid beat the Cup champion by 0.006 seconds to capture his first career win.

Tears were shed on pit road as Harvick captured an unprecedented win. The same team who had lost a driver less than a month earlier was now heading to victory lane with their new driver in a bittersweet moment. And on the frontstretch, the California kid celebrated his victory while remembering the driver he tragically had to replace. As he rode around backwards in front of the fans, he held three fingers out the window as a tribute to the late Earnhardt. Truly, it was one of NASCAR’s greatest finishes and one of the most emotional ones as well.

Flashforward to February 25, 2018, just 14 days shy of the 17th anniversary of Harvick’s first victory. Harvick returned to AMS and captured only his second win at the track in 17 years of competition, despite his recent dominance. He celebrated with another emotional tribute to Dale Earnhardt on the frontstretch. Between those two wins, though, there are only a few similarities. Harvick himself, the track, and his victory celebration holding three fingers out the window are the only shared things from his first win at AMS in 2001 and his second win in 2018. Just listen to the differences for Harvick.

He drove a Chevrolet in 2001, but he piloted a Ford on Sunday. He won in the #29 in 2001 while he took the #4 to victory lane just a few days ago. He drove for Richard Childress Racing 17 years ago and now competes for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick had no career victories until he won in 2001 and Sunday’s victory was the 38th of his Cup career.

In 2001, he was a rookie and an unknown driver. Now, he is a Cup champion and one of the most recognized faces in NASCAR. 17 years ago, he led 18 laps on the way to victory and began his career as “The Closer,” a nickname he has earned through many late race wins. On Sunday, he led 181 laps in another dominating performance he has become known for delivering.

The differences for Harvick from 2001 to 2018 are more numerous than those I just listed, including in his personal life. But the amount of changes for him made me think about something else. How much has changed about NASCAR between the 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 and the 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500? I knew there was a lot, but I was amazed during my research about how much the sport has evolved from the drivers to the title sponsor to the racecars. Let’s analyze some of those incredible differences.

In 2001, Jimmie Johnson was a regular driver in the NBS who was winless in 43 career starts. The day before Harvick’s victory, he had finished ninth driving the #92 Chevrolet for Stanley Herzog. Now, the California driver is a NASCAR Hall of Fame lock with his 83 Cup wins and his record tying seven Cup championships, as of this writing. In the next couple of years, Johnson could be the record holder for championships with eight and be regarded as the greatest of all time in stock car racing.

In 2001, Jeff Gordon was the most recent winner at Las Vegas before heading to Atlanta where he lost in a photo finish to Harvick. The Vegas victory was the 53rd of his career and his first of the season as he chased his fourth championship. Now, Gordon is retired from racing and is a broadcaster for FOX Sports. He finished his career with 93 wins and four championships, which currently puts him at third all-time on the Cup Series win list and makes him a lock for the Hall of Fame as well.

Bobby Labonte was the reigning Cup Series champion after delivering Joe Gibbs Racing the title in 2000. The Texas driver entered Atlanta in 2001 with 16 career wins and a desire to win after narrowly losing the previous race at the Georgia track in a photo finish with Dale Earnhardt. Labonte struggled throughout the 2001 race and finished 33rd after engine woes ended his day . Now, he is a retired driver who works with FOX Sports as an analyst for their prerace coverage. He ended his career with 21 wins and the 2000 championship.

17 years ago, Tony Stewart was a nine-time race winner in NASCAR’s highest division and a championship favorite in just his third season. However, he didn’t have a championship on his record. He ended up finishing 27th in the Cracker Barrel 500 on that Sunday afternoon in 2001. Now, he is a retired team owner who, ironically, entered Harvick’s car in the race on Sunday. The Indiana driver also has three Cup championships and 49 wins on his Hall of Fame résumé. Pretty soon, the polarizing figure will find his name called in Charlotte.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was only in his second season behind the wheel of a Cup car. Rookie of the Year honors had eluded him in 2000 and he had no Most Popular Driver awards. Still, the North Carolina driver had two wins to his credit entering Atlanta in 2001 with a heavy heart in the wake of his father’s death. He ended up finishing 15th at the 1.5-mile Georgia speedway. Now, Junior is a recently retired NASCAR superstar who ran his last race in Cup in the 2017 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He ended his career with 26 victories and 15 Most Popular Driver awards as he transitions into the role of broadcaster for NBC Sports.

Six Hall of Fame drivers competed in the 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at AMS where Harvick captured the win. Rusty Wallace (Class of 2013), Dale Jarrett (Class of 2014), Bill Elliott (Class of 2015), Terry Labonte (Class of 2016), Mark Martin (Class of 2017), and Ron Hornaday Jr. (Class of 2018) all competed for the victory 17 years ago. Jarrett finished the highest of the group with a fourth-place effort followed by Labonte in fifth, Wallace in 12th, Elliott in 15th, Hornaday Jr. in 39th, and Martin in 41st. All six drivers are now retired with a few working in radio and TV while the others spend their time in other aspects of the sport.

Dave Blaney and Bill Elliott competed against Harvick at Atlanta back in 2001. Blaney, a notable figure in the sprint car racing world, finished 34th in his Bill Davis Racing Dodge at Atlanta. Elliott, the 1988 Cup champion, finished 15th in his quest for a victory at his home track. On Sunday, a Blaney and an Elliott competed against Harvick as well. But it was not Dave and Bill. It was Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. The two sons of former racers battled for the victory at AMS. Ryan came home in 12th in his second race driving for Roger Penske and Chase grabbed his first Top 10 driving the famous #9 his father piloted for most of his career, including 2001.

Tragically, two drivers in the 2001 Atlanta race have passed away in the 17 years since the event. Jason Leffler, who was battling for Rookie of the Year honors in the series driving for Chip Ganassi, finished 32nd in his first Atlanta visit. On June 12, 2013, Leffler died in a sprint car crash at the Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey. It was a tragic loss for the sport because of the impact “Lefturn” had made on his fellow competitors and the success he had achieved behind the wheel. Also, Bobby Hamilton captured a 22nd place finish in 2001 for his #55 owned by Andy Petree. On January 7, 2007, the truck champion lost his battle with head and neck cancer. Both drivers have been missed since their deaths because of the on and off-track impact they made.

Finally, Harvick’s 2001 win came in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series while driving a fourth generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His victory on Sunday came in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series while piloting a sixth generation Ford Fusion. The primary sponsor name has changed from Winston to Nextel to Sprint to Monster Energy in those 17 years. The sport has also moved through different body styles, including the fifth generation Car of Tomorrow and the current sixth generation race vehicle.

It’s amazing how much can change in 17 years. Drivers, teams, racecars, and sponsors have all changed in the time between Harvick’s first and second victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite all the shifts, the California newcomer back in 2001 has remained a figure in the sport and climbed to the top of NASCAR as a champion now. 17 years from now, I can only imagine how much will have shifted between Harvick’s second win at Atlanta and another driver’s victory at the historic speedway. Heck, it could be another Harvick in victory lane as his son, Keelan, could be behind the wheel of a Cup car.

The final interesting stat from Harvick’s victory Sunday deals with laps led and domination at the 1.5-mile track in recent years. Over the last five races at Atlanta, the 2014 Cup champion has led 915 laps. All those races have been with him behind the wheel of a Stewart-Haas Racing car. Plus, he has led at least 115 laps in all five events. Harvick led 195 in 2014, 116 in 2015, 131 in 2016, 292 in 2017, and 181 in 2018.

His success in every race intrigued me and made me think of a question. How does the rest of the field stack up when it comes to laps led in the last five Atlanta events? Below this paragraph, I recorded the total amount of laps each driver led in all five of those races. I was shocked to find some very interesting statistics from the data. Check out the data below and follow it to my analysis:

Total Laps Led in Last Five Atlanta Races

Kevin Harvick: 915

Jimmie Johnson: 146

Kurt Busch: 136

Matt Kenseth: 110

Joey Logano: 85

Denny Hamlin: 77

Martin Truex Jr.: 35

Kasey Kahne: 25

Ryan Newman: 20

Kyle Busch: 11

Kyle Larson: 7

Mike Bliss: 2

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 1

Brett Moffitt: 1

David Gilliland: 1

Clint Bowyer: 1

Joe Nemechek: 1

Carl Edwards: 1

Cole Whitt: 1

Only two drivers other than Harvick have led over 115 laps total in the last five AMS races: Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. Johnson led 146 total in the last five trips to Georgia and Busch led 136 in those same races. Their laps led, however, can’t compare to Harvick’s. He has led 527% more laps than Johnson and 573% more than Busch, his current SHR teammate. Plus, in three of the five races on their own, Harvick led more laps than Johnson and Busch did combined in all five. For years, Phoenix was considered the California driver’s track. Now, Hampton, Georgia, and AMS has turned into Harvickton due to his incredible success at the speedway in recent years.

Despite leading all those laps and being “The Dominator” in those five races at Atlanta, Kevin Harvick struggled to be “The Closer” he had been labeled in the past few years. In the four races prior to Sunday’s event, he dominated and led many laps, but he couldn’t capture the victory due to a multitude of issues. On Sunday, though, he dominated and closed out the race in the lead after 500 miles. 

It was truly a victory 17 years in the making. Through all the changes in our sport between 2001 and 2018, Sunday was an opportunity to remember those differences as Harvick celebrated his victory. A chance to reminisce about NASCAR 17 years ago and a moment to remember where we’ve been. But also a chance to remember what’s still the same. The impact of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, who was honored in both races, and a California driver chasing the dream of being a winner in the Cup Series played a key role at AMS in 2001 and 2018.





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
racing-reference.info/race/2001_Cracker_Barrel_Old_Country_Store_500/W
racing-reference.info/race/2018_Folds_of_Honor_QuikTrip_500/W
racing-reference.info
-Images:
2001: happy4harvick.com/2013/11/29/kevin-harvick-wins-atlanta-2001/
2018: www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/harvick-reflects-after-atlanta-win-honors-dale-earnhardt-1009312/
-Full Races:
2001: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Sd5vFo6iU&t=4s
2018: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZWS8P3oyOM

Flashback Friday- 2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at Atlanta

(*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/playlist?list=PL78638601C68AC244.)

          For many years, Atlanta Motor Speedway has been home to amazing finishes. Most fans today go back to Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson's battle to the line in 2005 or Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson drifting around the track in the final few laps in the second race at the track in 2011. I remember a little bit different finish and it happened in the fourth race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race did not start out as a build up to a great finish. Mike Skinner was dominating the event and only a few drivers remained on the lead lap near the end. All of Mike Skinner's momentum and domination went away when his engine went up in smoke with twenty laps to go. This put Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the lead, but Bobby Labonte was right behind him with only a few laps to go. The two went out of turn 4 on the final lap and Labonte made a move to Earnhardt's inside. The two drag raced to the line and Senior nipped the finish line just before Labonte for the win. It was Earnhardt's first win of the season and the seventy fifth of his career. It was one of the final bright moments in the career of Dale Earnhardt, but it was definitely a difficult fight for the win and in the race for Earnhardt and the forty two other drivers in the field.

          Dale Jarrett started on the pole. It was all ready his second pole of the 2000 season in only four races. The race went green and Jarrett jumped out to the lead. Jarrett would only hold the lead a few laps before history would be made. On lap 5, Matt Kenseth, a rookie in the series, took the lead. It was Kenseth's first laps led in NASCAR's highest series, but, as we know, it wasn't his last. Kenseth only held the lead a couple of laps before teammate, Kevin Lepage took the lead on lap 8. Lepage would only hold the lead a few laps before Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 16. At this point in the race, the drivers at the front of the field began to change. Drivers like Dale Jarrett, Matt Kenseth, and Steve Park began to fall back due to the rough conditions of the tires and track, but drivers like Jerry Nadeau and Jeff Gordon began to move to the front. In fact, Nadeau made it up to the lead and took it away from Junior on lap 24. Nadeau held the lead for a few laps before Jeff Gordon took it away a lap before the first caution of the race waved on lap 29. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had been up front, got loose in turn 2 and slammed the outside wall. He drove away from the accident, but he had a good bit of damage and his chances for a win were lost. This led to the first pit stops of the race. The strategy was the same on the stops with all the drivers taking four tires, but there was a little problem on pit road. Dale Jarrett spun Stacy Compton while he was leaving his pit box. Jarrett had a little front end damage and would have to come back down pit road to have a little repair work done while Compton returned to the track with only a little rear end damage. This would be a recurring theme in the race and it would be interesting to see how these pit problems affected the outcome of the event.

        On the restart, Jeff Gordon held the lead. He only held it a few laps before Mark Martin took it away on lap 33. Shortly after this, Mike Skinner began to stretch his muscles in the event. He began to battle hard with Martin for the lead and the two switched the lead back and forth before Skinner gained complete control on lap 41. Skinner ran away from the field and held the lead until the second caution of the race waved on lap 55. Wally Dallenbach got loose in turn 4 and went for a slide across the frontstretch grass. He slid back on track and everybody was able to avoid him. He drove away from the scene with little damage. The second round of pit stops occurred during the race. Bill Elliott decided to pull some strategy and take only two tires while the rest of the field took four tires. It would be interesting to see how the move worked for Elliott. On the restart, everybody was easily shown that the move didn't work. Elliott began to fall back as Mike Skinner once again took the lead. Skinner held the lead for a few laps before Jeff Burton took it away on lap 64. Burton's race would soon reach a screeching halt with the third caution of the race on lap 68. Burton, who was leading at the time, blew a tire in turn 3. He slammed the outside wall and slid down the track. He reached a stop with heavy damage on the apron of the track. He would not return to the race and he would have a terrible finish to show for the race. Pit stops once again occurred during the caution. There wasn't any strategy with everybody taking four tires, but there was another incident on pit road. Bill Elliott made contact with Scott Pruett and received some damage. Elliott would have to come back down pit road and get the damage fixed, but he would return. Believe it or not, this was not the end of the action on pit road, but the race would return back to green before the next incident. 

        The race went back green and Mike Skinner held the lead over the field. Skinner drove away from the field and the laps began to click by. A good while after the restart, the first round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 128. The stops were filled with a good bit of action. In the middle of the stops, Jerry Nadeau's car began to smoke on the backstretch. He was able to coast around to pit road without bringing out a caution and the team diagnosed the problem as a busted oil pan. Nadeau would not return to the race after leading early. Around the same time, Kevin Lepage broke an axle leaving pit road and would have to retire from the race. Amid all the chaos and problems, all the drivers took four tires and Mike Skinner returned to the lead. Skinner continued to drive away from the field before the fourth caution waved on lap 183. Scott Pruett got loose in turn 2 and slammed the outside wall. He slid down the backstretch, but the field was able to avoid him. He had a good bit of damage and he would not return to the event. Pit stops once again occurred on the caution and this time they went smoothly with all the drivers taking four tires. The landscape of the race had changed a good bit. Because of the long green flag run, only a few drivers remained on the lead lap. This meant that the winner would only come from a select few drivers, but they would definitely battle hard for the win.

         The race went back green and Bobby Labonte held onto the lead he had inherited on the pit stops. Mike Skinner would not stay second long as he took the lead on lap 190. Skinner began to drive away from the field as the fifth caution of the race waved on lap 203. Matt Kenseth lost an engine on track. Pit stops did not occur under the caution and Skinner held onto the lead. The race went back green and Skinner proved he wanted to win the race. Dale Earnhardt Sr., who was Skinner's teammate, made a run to Skinner's inside exiting turn 2 and Skinner drifted down the track. The two made contact and Earnhardt's left front began to smoke and he fell back as a tire might have been going down. He would catch a break as the sixth caution of the race waved a few laps later on lap 213. Wally Dallenbach spun on the frontstretch and slammed the outside wall. He had too much damaged and he would not return to the race. Pit stops occurred under the caution and they went smoothly as all the leaders took four tires. The race went back green and Mike Skinner held onto the lead. Skinner tried to drive away from the field again, but Bobby Labonte took the lead away from him on lap 233. Labonte drove away from the field and held onto the lead until the seventh caution waved on lap 262. Todd Bodine hit the wall in turn 4, but the damage was minor and he was able to continue on in the race. Pit stops once again occurred and all the drivers took four tires, but a final bit of craziness would occur on pit road. During the stops, Bobby Hamilton’s pit started to burn due to a dropped catch can and fuel can. He had driven away from the scene before the fire completely erupted, but the tail end of his car caught fire as he drove down the backstretch. He came to pit road and both fires were put out after a scary situation. With that dilemma over, the race could return to normal. 

         The race went back green and Bobby Labonte was able to hold onto the lead. He would only hold it a few laps as Dale Earnhardt Sr. took it away on lap 272. Earnhardt would hold the lead until the eighth caution waved on lap 275. Tony Stewart got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin down the frontstretch. He hit the wall and slid down in front of traffic. Robert Pressley slammed hard into Stewart's right side and the cars went sliding down the frontstretch. Stacy Compton and Rusty Wallace also received some damage trying to avoid, but they drove away. Pressley and Stewart were okay, but Stewart would need some medical attention in the infield. It was a scary crash, but it turned out okay. No pit stops occurred and the race went back green. Earnhardt held onto the lead, but Mike Skinner would not stay back long and took the lead on lap 285. Skinner began to drive away a bit with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bobby Labonte following behind. Skinner held the lead until the ninth caution waved on lap 298. Michael Waltrip lost an engine on the backstretch and dropped some oil on the track. He would be unable to return to the race and he would have to settle for a terrible finish. The final round of pit stops occurred during the caution. All the drivers took four tires and Mike Skinner would come out with the lead with Earnhardt and Labonte following behind him. The race went back green and Skinner held onto the lead. He looked to be in control, but the tenth and final caution of the race on lap 307 would unravel a great finish for Skinner. He was leading in turn 2 when he slowed on track. His engine began to smoke and oil dropped on the track. Kenny Irwin Jr. spun in the oil on the track, but he would drive away. Skinner made it to pit road and his promising afternoon would be finished. He seemed surprisingly okay in the garage with a hilarious interview, but the race seemed to be completely his most of the time and it was definitely a missed opportunity. Now, the final run to the green flag would be set up and Dale Earnhardt Sr. was in control with Bobby Labonte behind him.

        The race went back green and Earnhardt held onto the lead. Labonte moved solidly into second place with only about ten laps remaining. The two ran hard in the corners with one gaining one lap and the other gaining on the next lap. Labonte seemed to have the better race car, but he couldn't make the move. Soon, only five laps remained. Labonte stayed in Earnhardt's tracks as the laps began to click by and only two remained. Each corner was like clockwork for the two drivers and they took the white flag in the same stride. Labonte began to move around a lot on track looking for the right groove. As they came into turn 3, Labonte hit the inside line as Earnhardt stuck to the outside. The two drove hard off the corner and they were side by side coming into the quad-oval. The two nipped the finish line almost simultaneously. The crowd and viewers stood in bewilderment waiting for the winner to be crowned. Eventually, it was decided that Earnhardt had won by only 0.010 seconds. It was one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history and Dale Earnhardt Sr., possibly one of the greatest, had taken the win.

        Is there really anything bad you can say about Dale Earnhardt Sr.? Yes, he did rattle some cages. Yes, he did ruffle some feathers. Of course, he had some words to say sometimes, but he lived up to those words most of the time. But, most of time, he drove you as hard as you drove him and he didn't say anything without evidence. That was just how he was. He carried himself like a champion and that is why I have always thought fairly fond of him. It sucks I never got to see him race live or in person, but everything you hear about him is great. Bobby Labonte was so close to his second win of the season in only four races, but second was great for him in terms of points. Dale Jarrett had a terrible race and ended up deep in the finishing order, which allowed Labonte to lengthen his advantage on the points. It was still early in the season, but these races at the beginning of the year always turn out to be very crucial. This race was very interesting in terms of crazy things happening. There were pit problems, engines blowing up, and even a crazy wreck with Tony Stewart and some other drivers. With a race this crazy early in the season, it was hard to see a better race coming. The next race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup season was the Mall.com 400 at Darlington Raceway. Would the race end with a crazy finish like the one at Atlanta, would Bobby Labonte capture another win and boost his hold on the points, or would another driver take the win and boost his morale in the early part of the season? We will have to wait until the next installment of “Flashback Friday” to find this information out. 
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 29- Dale Earnhardt Jr. got loose in turn 2 and slammed the outside wall.

2nd Caution: Lap 55- Wally Dallenbach got loose in turn 4 and went for a slide across the frontstretch grass. 

3rd Caution: Lap 68- Jeff Burton blew a tire in turn 3 and slammed the outside wall.

4th Caution: Lap 183- Scott Pruett got loose in turn 2 and slammed the outside wall. 

5th Caution: Lap 203- Matt Kenseth lost an engine on track.

6th Caution: Lap 213- Wally Dallenbach spun on the frontstretch and slammed the outside wall.

7th Caution: Lap 262- Todd Bodine hit the wall in turn 4.

8th Caution: Lap 275- Tony Stewart got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin down the frontstretch. Robert Pressley could not avoid him and slammed into his door. Stacy Compton and Rusty Wallace also got involved while trying to avoid.

9th Caution: Lap 298- Michael Waltrip lost an engine on the backstretch of the track.

10th Caution: Lap 307- Mike Skinner lost an engine in turn 2 while leading.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Dale Earnhardt Sr.
2nd: Bobby Labonte
3rd: Mark Martin
4th: Steve Park
5th: Joe Nemechek

Notables Not in Top 5:
9th: Jeff Gordon
10th: Bill Elliott
25th: Michael Waltrip
29th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
32nd: Rusty Wallace
34th: Tony Stewart
36th: Dale Jarrett
40th: Matt Kenseth
43rd: Jeff Burton





Credits:
-Image:
http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/images/2000_Earnhadt_Last_Win_lg.jpg
-Thanks to AUTiger7222 for the full race. Unfortunately, he took it down after I finished watching the race so I will link you guys to a playlist with the entire race in parts. Credit goes to m140m for the race:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL78638601C68AC244
-Statistics:
http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=2000-04&series=W