The 2000 Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500k was the 32nd stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 52nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 5, 2000, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would charge to the front on the final restart with 11 to go to win his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and the third and final win of his season. To fill out the podium, Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, and Steve Park, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMake1Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet01Ted MusgraveTeam SABCOChevrolet2Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord02Ryan NewmanPenske-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 SABCOChevrolet43John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Steve GrissomPetty EnterprisesPontiac50Ricky CravenMidwest Transit RacingChevrolet55Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet60Rich BickleJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet66Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Wally Dallenbach Jr.Galaxy MotorsportsFord77Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Hut StricklinDonlavey RacingFord93Dave Blaney (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord96Andy HoustonPPI MotorsportsFord97Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice The first practice session was held on Friday, November 3, at 10:30 AM MST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Robert Pressley, driving for Jasper Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.108 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed177Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord27.108132.802210Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac27.120132.743333Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet27.175132.475Full first practice results
Second practice The second practice session was held on Friday, November 3, at 12:35 PM MST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Tyler Jet Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.069 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed110Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac27.069132.99326Mark MartinRoush RacingFord27.087132.905399Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord27.089132.895Full second practice results
Third practice The third practice session was held on Saturday, November 4, at 8:30 AM MST. The session would last for one hour. Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Tyler Jet Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.775 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed110Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac27.775129.613244Steve GrissomPetty EnterprisesPontiac27.807129.46437Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet27.809129.454Full third practice results
Fourth and final practice The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, November 4, at 10:30 AM MST. The session would last for one hour. Ken Schrader, driving for MB2 Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.069 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed136Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac27.729129.828210Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac27.751129.725333Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet27.759129.688Full Happy Hour practice results
Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 3, at 2:15 PM MST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be 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, November 4, at 12:15 PM MST. As with the first round, each driver would have a lap to set a time. Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is 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 will be awarded a provisional.
Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 26.830 and an average speed of .
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Stacy Compton, Steve Grissom, Robby Gordon, Dave Marcis, and Hut Stricklin.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed12Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord26.830134.178299Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord26.845134.103377Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord27.011133.279410Johnny Benson Jr.Tyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac27.032133.17551Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet27.035133.161636Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac27.044133.116755Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet27.044133.11686Mark MartinRoush RacingFord27.054133.067918Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac27.055133.0621002Ryan NewmanPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord27.061133.0331150Ricky CravenMidwest Transit RacingChevrolet27.063133.0231217Matt Kenseth (R)Roush RacingFord27.064133.0181393Dave Blaney (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac27.073132.9741426Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord27.107132.8071527Mike Bliss (R)Eel River RacingPontiac27.147132.611164Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet27.182132.4411728Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord27.183132.436188Dale Earnhardt Jr. (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet27.184132.4311922Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac27.186132.4212075Wally Dallenbach Jr.Galaxy MotorsportsFord27.211132.2992132Scott Pruett (R)PPI MotorsportsFord27.220132.2562216Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord27.223132.2412311Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord27.240132.1592424Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.248132.1202512Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord27.251132.1052697Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord27.260132.0622740Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet27.261132.0572814Rick MastA. J. Foyt EnterprisesPontiac27.263132.0472943John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac27.264132.0423031Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet27.327131.738313Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet27.332131.7143296Andy HoustonPPI MotorsportsFord27.368131.5403321Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord27.395131.4113466Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord27.406131.3583594Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord27.411131.3343688Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord27.413131.325Provisionals3720Tony Stewart (R)Joe Gibbs RacingPontiac27.603130.421385Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.428131.2533933Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet27.424131.2724025Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.476131.0234101Ted MusgraveTeam SABCOChevrolet27.423131.277427Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet27.644130.2274360Rich BickleJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet27.462131.090Failed to qualify449Stacy Compton (R)Melling RacingFord27.586130.5014544Steve GrissomPetty EnterprisesPontiac27.803129.4824613Robby GordonTeam MenardFord27.945128.8244771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet28.133127.9644890Hut StricklinDonlavey RacingFord28.446126.556Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results