CarsDirect.com 400 race facts

Thursday, March 2, 2000 | 9:35 a.m.

WHAT: CarsDirect.com 400, NASCAR Winston Cup Series race No. 3 of 34

WHERE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile banked, paved speedway

WHEN: Sunday

DISTANCE: 400.5 Miles (267 Laps)

POSTED AWARDS: $4,122,916

FIELD: Field consists of the fastest 36 cars through time trials. Also, seven provisional starting positions based on 1999 owner points, for maximum 43-car field. The 43rd position is reserved for a past Winston Cup champion, if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.

TV: ABC (live), 11:30 a.m. airtime. Announcers: Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons and Ray Evernham. Pit Reporters: Jerry Punch, Bill Weber and John Kernan

RADIO: MRN Radio (1340 AM), 11 a.m. airtime. Announcers: Allen Bestwick and Barney Hall. Pit Reporters: Jim Phillips, Winston Kelley and Marty Snider

RECORDS: Qualifying: Bobby Labonte, 3/6/99, 170.643 mph (31.645 seconds).

Race: Mark Martin, 3/1/98, 146.554 mph (2 hrs., 43 mins., 58 seconds)

THE TRACK: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval. The track has 12-degree banking in the turns, 9-degree banking on the frontstretch and 3-degree banking on the backstretch. Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the inaugural Las Vegas 400 in 1998.

1999 REVIEW: Jeff Burton won this event, with his brother Ward finishing a close second. It was the first time brothers had finished first and second in a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race since Terry and Bobby Labonte swept first and second (respectively) at Talladega on Oct. 12, 1997. Jeff Burton led 111 of the 267 laps.

1999 TOP 10 IN THE LAS VEGAS 400:

1. Jeff Burton

2. Ward Burton

3. Jeff Gordon

4. Mike Skinner

5. Bobby Labonte

6. Ernie Irvan

7. Dale Earnhardt

8. Terry Labonte

9. Rusty Wallace

10. Mark Martin

PAST LAS VEGAS RACE AND POLE WINNERS:

1999 CARSDIRECT.COM 400 STATISTICS:

Bud Pole: Bobby Labonte

Time of Race: 2 hrs., 54 mins., 43 secs.

Average Speed: 137.537 mph

Margin of Victory: 1.074 seconds

Caution Flags: 5 for 22 Laps

Lap Leaders: Bobby Labonte 1-16, Jeremy Mayfield 17-27, B. Labonte 28-32, Mayfield 33, B. Labonte 34-37, Terry Labonte 38-44, Ward Burton 45-56, Mayfield 57, John Andretti 58-63, Ernie Irvan 64-68, Sterling Marlin 69-70, W. Burton 71-91, Jeff Burton 92-101, W. Burton 102, J. Burton 103, W. Burton 104-118, Mayfield 119-127, J. Burton 128-184, Mark Martin 185-201, J. Burton 202-232, W. Burton 233-241, Jeff Gordon 242, W. Burton 243-254, J. Burton 255-256, W. Burton 257, J. Burton 258-267.

RECAPPING ROCKINGHAM:

* Rusty Wallace won the 27th Bud Pole Award of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career. It was his second Bud Pole at Rockingham. It was his first Bud Pole since he won the pole in Dover -- Sept. 24, 1999.

* Bobby Labonte collected his 13th career victory and his first win of the 2000 season on Sunday. His win marked the first time Labonte scored a win at North Carolina Speedway.

* Labonte climbed from sixth to second in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series point standings, only five points behind leader Dale Jarrett.

* Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the highest-finishing rookie driver. He started seventh and finished 19th. With this finish, Earnhardt, Jr., moved ahead by one point over Matt Kenseth in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.

* Dale Earnhardt jumped from 21st to seventh in the point standings, gaining 14 positions in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series point standings.

* Out of the 43-car field, Robert Pressley was the only car not running at the end of the race (due to ignition problems). NOTES ABOUT THE RACE:

* If a Ford driver wins this race, it will mark Ford's 500th victory in NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing.

* The Winston No Bull 5 drivers for this event are: Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. This is the first time Elliott has been eligible for this bonus.

* The NASCAR Winston Leader Bonus will be worth $20,000 in Las Vegas to the winner of the race if he is leading the point standings at the conclusion of the race.

* The purse in this race is $4,122,916, making it one of the richest races on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

* Rick Mast has been running at the finish in the last 36 races, a streak that began at Daytona in February 1999.

* Going into this weekend's race, Jeff Gordon is 22nd in the point standings. He has a total of 200 points.

2000 Winston Cup Winners:

Rookie of the Year Standings:

Bud Pole Winners:

Top 10 Lap Leaders:

Top 10 Point Leaders:

Manufacturer's Standings:

archive