THE NEXT Winston Cup RACE
NEWS, STATS and INFO
THE RACE: Mall.com 400
Winston Cup Race #5 of 34 for the 2000 season
Updated: often, leading up to the race
- Race: Sunday, March 19, 2000 in Darlington, SC
- TV: ESPN 12:30pm/et
- Purse: $2,249,008
- Entry List: Entry List for the: Mall.com 400 from NOL
- 1999 Race Winner: Jeff Burton
- Spring Race Speed Record: Dale Earnhardt, 1994, 132.432mph
- Track/Race Length: 1.366 mile oval, 293 laps, 400.24 miles
- Practice: Friday, Mar 17th 11:00am-12:15pm/et; 1:00-1:45pm/et; Saturday, Mar 18th, 9:30-11:00am/et
- Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, Mar 18th, after the BGN race, TV-ESPN2 Same Day Tape 6:30-7:30pm/et
- Qualifying Draw: Friday, Mar 17th at 10:30am/et
- Qualfying Order: Mall.com 400 qualifying order and at That’s Racin’
- First Round Qualifying: 1 lap for positions 1-25, Friday, Mar 17th at 3:30pm/et, TV-ESPN2 live and live via MRN radio/internet(link below)
- Second-Round Qualifying: 1 lap for positions 26th on back, Saturday, Mar 18th at 11:30am/et
- Track/Race Qualifying Record: Ward Burton, 173.797mph, March 1996
- Last Year’s Pole Sitter: Jeff Gordon, 173.167mph
- Pit Road Speed: 45mph
- NASCAR Online will have live lap-by-lap coverage of Winston Cup qualifying via the web
Track Specs:
Track: Banking: Turns 1/2 – 25 degrees; Turns 3/4 – 23 degrees; Straights – 2 degrees.
Straights: Frontstretch 1,229 feet; Back – 1,229 feet. Repaved in 1995(TNN)Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees
Straightaways: Banking: 5 degrees; Straights: Frontstretch – 1471 feet; Backstretch – 1380 feet. - Track Homepage: Darlington Raceway(fixed)
- Scanner Frequencies: are linked on my Racing Links Page/ Scanners Section
- Goodyear Tire Notes – Darlington(3-16-2000)
RACE BONUS INFO
- The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $40,000 at Darlington for leading the points and winning the race.(Dale Jarrett last won the award, $10,000 at Daytona) The $340,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if he is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finisher in the point standings(3-12-2000)
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WEATHER, TV/RADIO COVERAGE, LOCAL NEWS
Perfect Paranoia
about television coverage of racing
Radio Coverage:
Motor Racing Network(MRN)
including RealAudio coverage
MRN Affiliate List for your local station
Satellite/Backhaul Listing’s:
Satellite/Backhaul Listing’s: Stutzman Computer Service/Sales – Racing Feed Locations
Local Newspaper and other Sites that cover the Darlington, SC Area:
The State
The Myrtle Beach Sun News
GoUpstate – Spartanburg Herald Journal
Charleston Post-Courier
WEATHER FORECASTS:
Weather forecast for Darlington, SC by The Weather Channel
TRACK INFO FOR THE FANS:
Darlington Review
Darlington Pre-Race Story – Speedway
Illustrated with Gary DeHart
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- Some Darlington Stats: 34 of the 93 races have been won from the front row – 37%. 84 of the 93 Darlington races have been won from the Top 10 – 90%. See more at TNN(3-17-2000)
- NASCAR – Darlington Preview(WRAL)(3-18-2000)
- ODDS: Darlington Vegas Stardust NASCAR Odds(WRAL)(3-18-2000)
- From the TNN Site: Mall.com 400 Race Stats by their stat guru Bill Sloboda(3-17-2000)
- Darlington Race Fact Sheet (RaceWire)(3-16-2000)
- CBS: Mall.com 400 preview(3-14-2000)
- CNN/SI: Darlington Raceway Facts(3-14-2000)
- The Darlington Starting: 19 of all the 93 Darlington races have been won by the pole starter(20%). 84 of the 93 Darlington races have been won from the Top 10(90%)(3-12-2000)
QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTS news and links
- Ward Wins: Ward Burton wins at Darlington, his first win since he won the fall 1995 Rockingham event, a stretch of 131 races. The win puts the #22 Bill Davis Racing team in the 2000 Winners Circle Program and into The 2000 Winston. It was the first Cup win at Darlington by a Pontiac since first 1963 race when Joe Weatherly. See results at NOL and Racin’ Network(3-19-2000)
- Happy Hour is over at Darlington. #6-Mark Martin was the fastest at 166.607mph. #42-Kenny Irwin, #40-Sterling Marlin and #13-Robby Gordon scraped the wall during the practice but none will need to go to a backup car(SpeedVision). Speeds can be seen at NOL, That’s Racin’ and Racin’ Network(3-18-2000)
- Dallenbach 2nd Round: For a few moments on Saturday, Wally Dallenbach and his #75 Galaxy Motorsports team thought they had a track-record lap at better than 174 mph during 2nd round qualifying. Two backup clocks, however, showed that Dallenbach’s actual speed was 165.687mph which was only 47th fastest and the team missed the race(That’s Racin’)(3-18-2000)
- 2nd Round qualifying is over. #15-Derrike Cope was the fastest at 167.430mph, but not fast enough to crack the top 36 or make the race. Six teams made 2nd round attempts, only #32-Scott Pruett went faster then his first round time, the other five who made the 2nd round attempt(#’s 50,75,90,9,15) all went slower. Those missing the race: #75-Dallenbach(39th in owners points); #32-Pruett(43rd); #15-Cope(44th); #90-Berrier(46th); and #50-Craven(49th). #66-DW and Kyle Petty use their last provisional until Martinsville, unless they can get in the top 25 in owners points(DW is 40th and Petty is 26th). Starting Grids will be up shorty at NOL and the Racin’ Network(3-18-2000)
- #17 Engine: Matt Kenseth missed almost all of the morning practice after engine troubles, but his team then hurried to put in a new engine for qualifying since Kenseth was the second car out. Kenseth posted a 170.212 mph lap, good enough for 16th(Total Sports)(3-18-2000)
- Sat AM Practice at Darlington. Speeds are slow, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr was the fastest at 166.073mph. That speed would had been the 2nd slowest in 1st round qualifying on Friday. See the speeds at NOL and Racin’ Network(3-18-2000)
- 1st round qualifying is over at Darlington. #24-Jeff Gordon wins the pole with a run of 172.662mph, just beating #16-Kevin Lepage at 172.203mph. Provisionals are now based on current 2000 Owners Points. The five teams that would miss the race if things stayed the same would be: #75-Dallenbach(39th in owners points); #32-Pruett(43rd); #15-Cope(44th); #90-Berrier(46th); and #50-Craven(49th). #66-Darrell Waltrip is 40th in owners points but would make is by using a past champions provisional, which would leave him and the team out of provisionals until Martinsville(the 8th race). #14-Dick Trickle qualified 12th and the AJ Foyt team will make it’s first race since the Daytona 500. #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr is the highest qualifying rookie at 10th. He is the only driver to start all five Cup races this season in the top 10. For the results of 1st round see NASCAR Online, That’s Racin’ and Racin’ Network(3-17-2000)
- 2nd Practice at Darlington is over. #24-Jeff Gordon was the fastest at 171.064mph. Slowest was #32-Scott Pruett at 165.799mph. See the speeds at: Racin’ Network and NASCAR Online(3-17-2000)
- AM Practice at Darlington is over. #99-Jeff Burton was the fastest at 170.023mph. Slowest was #66-Darrell Waltrip at 163.380mph, looks like #17-Matt Kenseth never got up to speed. See the speeds at: Racin’ Network, That’s Racin’ and NASCAR Online(3-17-2000)
- Entry List: is up at NOL, see link above. 48 cars/drivers are listed. #50-Ricky Craven is listed to return to action, the #15-Derrike Cope car is entered. No #91 LJ Racing/Joe Falk owned Chevy(3-14-2000)
- How to break a tie? When drivers are tied for a starting spot during qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For provisionals standings see the Jayski Provisional Status page(2-20-2000)
- Links: Practice speeds, qualifying and results can be found at these sites:
NASCAR Online,
TRACK/RACE NEWS
- Darlington more $$: The newly renamed Mall.com 400 at Darlington Raceway will offer more than $2.2 million in prize money, up from $1.8 million a year ago. The winner of the March 19 event will receive a first prize of more than $100,000(SpeedNet)(2-25-2000)
- Darlington Pit Road UPDATE 3: hearing that Darlington Raceway will go to one pit road in 2000, if not for the spring race, by the Southern 500. At present there are 28 front stretch, 15 back stretch pit stalls. That will leave Bristol as the only Cup track with two pit roads(12-12-1999) — UPDATE: hearing construction is happening right now, so pit road should be ready for the Spring race(12-13-1999) — UPDATE 2: A seat in Pearson Tower, Darlington Raceways Turn Four tower grandstand, will be in bigger demand now that NASCARs original superspeedway is putting all of pit road on the front stretch. They are adding seven pit stalls on the front end of pit road going into Turn One, and eight stalls will be added on the Turn Four end. Thre changes will be ready for the BGN and CUP races at Darlington in March 2000. Drivers will face entering and exiting pit road from new locations(Darlington Raceway Site)(12-28-1999) — UPDATE 3:
Final touches were added last weekend to the new pit road. Some painting of wallas and lines need to done, but it is mostly done and will be ready for testing the first week of March. Seven pit stalls were added to the Turn One end of the existing pit road, with eight more spaces added at the Turn Four end. Drivers will be entering and exiting the pits at new locations, adding to the excitement at Darlington(SpeedVision)(2-24-2000)
- New Darlington Sponsor: Darlington Raceway has a somewhat non-traditional partner to be the title sponsor of its March 19 Winston Cup Series race: Mall.com, an Internet mall developer based in Austin, Texas. The race will be called the Mall.com 400.(News and Observer) also see the page at Mall.com(2-11-2000)
- How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
- Past track news: posted in the past at Past Track News – Darlington
DRIVER/TEAM NEWS
- Top 10’s: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #28-Ricky Rudd are the only drivers who have qualified in the top 10 for all three CUP races in 2000. On top of that Ricky Rudd has quailified on the front row for three straight races with the pole at Vegas and 2nd at Daytona and the Rock(3-4-2000)
- #91 News: Todd Bodine will be driving for the #91 LJ Racing team at Atlanta and Texas. Bodine recently tested at Atlanta. Andy Hillenburg is scheduled drive the car at Talladega in April. Sponsorship is still needed for the LJ Racing team. KMC Telecom who sponsored the team at Daytona may be back in a one race deal or as an associate(many sources including Catchfence, Victory Lane and others)(3-2-2000)
- See the 2000 Team Chart which has links to past news for each team
PAINT SCHEME NEWS
- WCW Scheme: Wally Dallenbach will run the WCW(World Championship Wrestling) paint scheme on the #75 Cartoon Network/Red Cell Batteries/Turner Broadcasting Ford for the following races: Las Vegas on March 5th, Atlanta March 12th, The Pepsi 400 at Daytona on July 1st, Bristol on August 26th and Talladega on October 15th. See the car in the Paint Schemes Gallery(1-25-2000)
- More Paint Scheme news can be found on Jayski’s Paint Scheme Gallery, choose current news
STATS and STUFF
- Some notes: Chevrolet drivers have led 384 of the 1,066 laps completed in 2000 while Ford has led 357 laps and Pontiac has led 325. Rookie-of-the Year contender Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the only driver to score four top-10 starts in the first four races in 2000(3-15-2000)
- Martin: #6-Mark Martin is the only driver to lead all four CUP races in 2000, in fact Martin has led the last eight CUP races dating back to last year at Rockingham(3-12-2000)
- Consecutive Starts: Terry Labonte has 640 consecutive Winston Cup starts, Dale Earnhardt is next with 617(3-12-2000)
- No Top Fives Since…. It has been a while since some drivers have had even a whiff of success on the Winston Cup circuit. Here are those with the longest streak of races without a top-five finish:
Driver Races Finish Track Date
Since
Brett Bodine 171 2nd Indianapolis 8-6-94
Rick Mast 101 4th Martinsville 9-22-96
Kyle Petty 75 3rd Dover 9-21-97
Chad Little 64 2nd Texas 4-5-98
Johnny Benson 63 5th Texas 4-5-98
Hut Stricklin 60 2nd Darlington 9-1-96
Robert Pressley 55 3rd Texas 4-5-98
Darrell Waltrip 54 5th California 5-3-98
Ken Schrader 46 4th Richmond 9-12-98
Derrike Cope 46 5th Atlanta 11-16-97
Dick Trickle 43 5th Rockingham 10-27-97
Steve Grissom 40 4th New Hampshire 9-14-97
Ricky Craven 38 3rd Rockingham 10-27-97
Ted Musgrave 37 5th Phoenix 10-25-98
Dave Marcis has not had a top 10 since April 10, 1994 in
the Food City 500 at Bristol, he finished 10th.
Marcis has had no top fives since a 3rd at
Watkins Glen on August 10, 1987.
Regular Drivers Without a Career Top Five
Driver Races
David Green 76
Elliott Sadler 40
Cup drivers(not including 2000 rookies)
(data compiled from UMI Press Guides, Winston Cup Updates)(3-12-2000)
- No Wins Ever…. Some regular drivers in Winston Cup who have never won a Cup race and how many starts they have:
Driver Races Run
Michael Waltrip 432
Rick Mast 312
Ted Musgrave 283
Hut Stricklin 264*
Dick Trickle 261*
Wally Dallenbach 199
Chad Little 193
Kenny Wallace 189
Robert Pressley 140
Steve Grissom 135*
Johnny Benson 132
Ricky Craven 129
Mike Skinner 114
David Green 76*
Kenny Irwin 74
Jerry Nadeau 73
Kevin Lepage 68
Steve Park 60
Elliott Sadler 40
(3-12-2000)(UMI Press Guides Stats)
QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTS news and links
NASCAR Online,
TRACK/RACE NEWS
Final touches were added last weekend to the new pit road. Some painting of wallas and lines need to done, but it is mostly done and will be ready for testing the first week of March. Seven pit stalls were added to the Turn One end of the existing pit road, with eight more spaces added at the Turn Four end. Drivers will be entering and exiting the pits at new locations, adding to the excitement at Darlington(SpeedVision)(2-24-2000)
DRIVER/TEAM NEWS
PAINT SCHEME NEWS
STATS and STUFF
Driver Races Finish Track Date
Since
Brett Bodine 171 2nd Indianapolis 8-6-94
Rick Mast 101 4th Martinsville 9-22-96
Kyle Petty 75 3rd Dover 9-21-97
Chad Little 64 2nd Texas 4-5-98
Johnny Benson 63 5th Texas 4-5-98
Hut Stricklin 60 2nd Darlington 9-1-96
Robert Pressley 55 3rd Texas 4-5-98
Darrell Waltrip 54 5th California 5-3-98
Ken Schrader 46 4th Richmond 9-12-98
Derrike Cope 46 5th Atlanta 11-16-97
Dick Trickle 43 5th Rockingham 10-27-97
Steve Grissom 40 4th New Hampshire 9-14-97
Ricky Craven 38 3rd Rockingham 10-27-97
Ted Musgrave 37 5th Phoenix 10-25-98
Dave Marcis has not had a top 10 since April 10, 1994 in
the Food City 500 at Bristol, he finished 10th.
Marcis has had no top fives since a 3rd at
Watkins Glen on August 10, 1987.
Regular Drivers Without a Career Top Five
Driver Races
David Green 76
Elliott Sadler 40
Cup drivers(not including 2000 rookies)
(data compiled from UMI Press Guides, Winston Cup Updates)(3-12-2000)
Driver Races Run Last Win Track Dave Marcis 469 2/21/82 Richmond Brett Bodine 299 4/22/90 North Wilkesboro Ken Schrader 273 6/2/91 Dover Derrike Cope 272 6/3/90 Dover Darrell Waltrip 226 9/6/92 Darlington Jimmy Spencer 172 7/24/94 Talladega Bill Elliott 165 9/4/94 Darlington Kyle Petty 147 6/4/95 Dover Ward Burton 131 10/22/95 Rockingham Sterling Marlin 118 7/6/96 Daytona Geoffrey Bodine 106 8/11/96 Watkins Glen Bobby Hamilton 63 4/20/98 Martinsville Ricky Rudd 44 9/27/98 Martinsville (3-12-2000)(UMI Press Guides Stats)
Starting Position Race Driver 43 1950 Southern 500, Darlington Johnny Mantz 43 1953 Raliegh, NC Fonty Flock 38 provisional 1999 Jiffy Lube 300, Loudon Jeff Burton 38 1988 Firecracker 400, Daytona Bill Elliott 37 provisional 1999 NAPA 500, Atlanta Bobby Labonte 37 1995 Miller 500, Dover Kyle Petty 35 2000 Cracker Barrel 500, Atlanta Dale Earnhardt (3-13-2000)
| Winston Cup Disabled List for the race and won’t race there |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Car# | Injury | Return Date | Sub |
| Geoffrey Bodine | 60 | Broken Bones, Concussion, Back | ?? | Ted Musgrave |