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Martinsville 500 preview
| NASCAR Winston Cup Series -- Martinsville
500 |
| When:Sunday, Oct. 1 -- 1 p.m. ET on
ESPN |
| Where:Martinsville Speedway |
| Distance: 500 laps/263 miles |
| Posted Awards: $2,145,007 |
| The Field: |
| Field consists of the fastest 36 cars through
time trials. Also, seven provisional starting positions
based on 2000 owner points, for maximum 43-car field. The
43rd position is reserved for a past NWCS champion, if
needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.
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| The Schedule: |
| Friday, Sept. 29 |
| 11am Practice until 1:30pm |
| 1:30pm Qualifying (pos. 1-25, one lap) |
| Saturday, Sept. 30 |
| 11:15am Qualifying (pos. 26-36, two
laps) |
| Sunday, Oct. 1 |
| 1pm Start of the Martinsville 500 |
| Track facts |
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Martinsville Speedway is a .526-mile paved oval hosting the
45th Annual NAPA AutoCare 500. The track has 12-degree
banking in all four turns and the length of the front and
back straights is 800 feet.
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| Martinsville 500 Notes |
- The NASCAR Winston Cup Series Leader Bonus is worth
$40,000 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
- There have been 14 races won from the pole position
- most recently by Bobby Hamilton in the 1998 Goody's 500.
- Lee Petty holds the record for the driver that
started the farthest back at Martinsville to win a race. He
started 24th in the 1959 Virginia 500.
- The 1999 fall race at Martinsville Speedway marked
the first time there had been one pit road.
- From 1993-1996, Rusty Wallace collected four
consecutive wins at Martinsville.
- Four drivers collected their first NASCAR Winston
Cup Series start at Martinsville: Dale Jarrett (4/29/84 -
started 24th and finished 14th), Mike Skinner (4/27/86 -
started 27th and finished 22nd), Stacy Compton (4/21/96 -
started ninth and finished 33rd; his best NWC career start)
and Mike Bliss (9/27/98 - started 25th and finished 25th).
- This race last year, current NASCAR Winston Cup
Series point leader Bobby Labonte started 25th and finished
eighth, leading 120 laps of the 500-lap event.
- Both Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett have yet to
collect wins at Martinsville Speedway. However, Dale
Earnhardt is second among active drivers with six wins at
Martinsville (Darrell Waltrip leads with 11).
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| Other Notes |
- Since the end of April, Bobby Labonte has been in
control of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series point lead. This
past weekend he extended his lead to 249 points over
second-place Dale Earnhardt.
- Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett both experienced
problems in this past weekend's race at Dover, causing a bit
of a shake-up in the point standings. Burton dropped from
second to fourth (268 behind Labonte, one point out of
third) and Earnhardt moved from fourth to second (249 behind
Labonte).
- If Labonte finishes sixth or better in each of the
remaining seven races, he will clinch the 2000 NASCAR
Winston Cup Series Championship, regardless of any other
driver's performance.
- The top four in the point standings are separated
by 268 points. At this time a year ago, the top four were
separated by 284 points.
- In 1992 with six races remaining, the late Alan
Kulwicki overcame a 278-point deficit and came from fourth
in the standings to win the championship in the closest
points race in the history of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
He beat Bill Elliott by 10 points.
- Tied with Tony Stewart is Ricky Rudd, winless in
2000 but with 9 top-five finishes and 15 top 10s. In 1991,
Rudd finished second (career-best) in the NASCAR Winston Cup
Series point standings behind eventual champion Dale
Earnhardt.
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