|| *Comments on the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400:* View the most recent comment <#29> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Anonymous posted: 04.18.2005 - 2:05 am Rate this comment: (2) (2) Wow a Jr win that no one has commented on saying he cheated to win. So let me say, Jr rules! Come on, ONE PERSON show me some definitive proof of Jr cheating to get a win. Dale Earnhardt Jr rules!!!! 2. Brett posted: 02.21.2006 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Geoff Bodine returns less than three months after his famous CTS crash at Daytona. 3. Darrell posted: 03.05.2006 - 1:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Last race for LJ Racing. 4. Dale Earnhardt in Heaven posted: 03.21.2006 - 2:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) that's my boy!!!! 5. J. Kircher posted: 04.04.2006 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) During the last round of pit stops Tony Stewart came in with the lead and almost left with it, but collided with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as they raced off the pitlane. Stewart repitted to fix the right front fender damage, Jr. stayed out to collect his second career Cup win. Suprisingly it was a rookie who was the first repeat winner of the year after starting with 10 different winners. Geoffrey Bodine did have a great comeback from his spectacular accident in the season-opening Truck race at Daytona by qualifying 4th. Bodine ran well, but past halfway he gave up his seat to his brother Todd, who was sidelined earlier from a crash. I remember there being a brave crew member for Robby Gordon. He changed a right front tire while Gordon's brakes were on fire. 6. HomeDepot20TS posted: 05.28.2006 - 1:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was Earnhardt that hit Stewart with the right front, cutting down the left rear and costing Stewart what would've been his first win of 2000, most likely. 7. Miller4Prez64 posted: 07.31.2006 - 1:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins at Richmond to become the first repeat winner of 2000. 8. biffle16 posted: 05.29.2007 - 1:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Labonte's worst finish of his championship season. 9. Steve posted: 07.23.2007 - 6:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) You're right, and 26th is impressive for a driver's worst finish of a full season. It's no wonder Labonte was Champion in 2000. 10. Phoenix posted: 02.14.2008 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I seem to remember that Todd Bodine had an excellent car in this race and was flying to the front, only to have a flat right front send him into the wall. Or I could be completely delusional. 11. myself posted: 02.28.2008 - 11:06 am Rate this comment: (2) (4) Earnhardt Jr. is this generation's Kyle Petty, but I'll give credit, he can run Richmond. Much like Kyle could run Rockingham. 12. Anonymous posted: 12.27.2010 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry Labonte's best finish of 2000. 13. BiffreyIndiana posted: 02.20.2011 - 12:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (5) "Dale Earnhardt Jr rules!!!!" Yeah, lol. It's amazing what he's been able to accomplish in the awesome Hendrick equipment. 14. Madison posted: 04.02.2011 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the first race of 2000 where there was a repeat winner. 10 different drivers won the first 10 races. 15. Rob McKeever posted: 04.29.2011 - 1:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We were in Europe for this race, so don't remember watching it other than YouTube well after the fact, but see that the 8 passed the 3 for the lead for the final lead change. Who would've thought that would be the last chance for that to happen? 16. Rob McKeever posted: 04.29.2011 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, from the MRN classics reair of this race today... Todd Bodine replaced Geoff Bodine midway through the race after Todd had already crashed out. It was Geoff's first race back since his major crash. Todd earned his older brother a top 15 finish. 17. Anonymous posted: 01.02.2012 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While this was the last race for LJ Racing team owner Joe Falk eventually returned to the Cup series in 2011, his first race back with T.J. Bell at the wheel of his car was the Southern 500- 11 years and one day after this event. 18. RaceFanX posted: 08.20.2012 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #75 Wally Dallenbach, Jr.- Redcell Batteries #6 Mark Martin- Valvoline MaxLife / Cummins #13 Robby Gordon- Burger King / Flintstones Viva Rock Vegas Bobby Labonte caught a little air in this one. Going three-wide with Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon the #24 got into the #88 and caused Jarrett's car to slide in front of the #18 while on the front of Gordon's car. Labonte hit Jarrett and got the front wheels off the ground because of the contact. It went from bad to worse for Bobby afterward when he was blackflagged for his team leaving tires on pit road after repairing his car (the incident did not bring out a caution). The wreck cost Labonte the points lead and handed it to Mark Martin. It didn't last long, Martin blew a tire and crashed out shortly thereafter. With Martin gone Labonte regained the points lead. 19. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 05.15.2014 - 1:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner of the #90 was Junie Donlavey 20. b4il3y posted: 06.14.2014 - 4:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Todd Bodine took over for Geoff because of his injury at Daytona. He made made up 3 laps during the race for the driver change. Could've won the race if he was not laps down. 21. mister83 posted: 06.28.2015 - 1:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart led his first laps of the ENTIRE SEASON in this race. Shocking, right? 22. mister83 posted: 06.28.2015 - 1:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) Also all three Bodines were in this race, and Geoff (only a few months after his vicious wreck in the Daytona truck race) was the highest finisher of the three. 23. 88Chris posted: 10.22.2015 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is your 1st repeat winner of 2000-Dale Earnhardt,Jr.! 24. We need more Onion posted: 03.26.2016 - 11:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) " Also all three Bodines were in this race, and Geoff (only a few months after his vicious wreck in the Daytona truck race) was the highest finisher of the three. " It was actually Todd who drove the #60 for the majority of the race and he made up all 3 laps he lost with the driver change. On restarts, he simply pulled away from the leaders. 25. nascarman posted: 03.26.2016 - 1:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It would be great to have a way to denote relief drivers on these pages. The information is available even going back to the 60s. 26. Maverick posted: 10.21.2016 - 8:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 11 races into the season, Ward Burton was only 3 points out of the points lead. Great start to the year for him! 27. Josh posted: 04.09.2018 - 2:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Petty's last start prior to son Adam's death. Kyle didn't drive the 44 for a few weeks after Adam died. He came back and ran a few races in it before taking over Adam's #45 team and letting Steve Grissom finish out the year in the 44. 28. Mile501 posted: 02.17.2021 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This has been alluded to in other comments, but that #60 car was very impressive in this race, no matter which Bodine brother was behind the wheel. Geoffrey contended for the lead early, then made (in his words) a "rookie mistake" by pitting before pit road was open and falling back in the pack. Later, due to the pain he was in, he had to get out of the car, but the team didn't time it right and he came in as the field got 1 to go for a restart. So Todd Bodine joined the race in his brother's place and lost nearly 3 laps, made all of them up the hard way, and was just a carlength or two away from a top 10 finish at the end (yes, the battle for about 10th-15th was that close). The #60 was quite possibly the best car in the field that night, even if they didn't lead a lap. A few other notes: Ricky Craven almost led the race in his #50 car after an early 2-tire stop, but his night ultimately ended in the wall. Mark Martin led laps 143-144 due to a miscommunication. He thought he had led earlier, but a NASCAR official told him he had not. So he asked Rusty if he could lead a lap, and Rusty let him. After that, the #6 team was told that they had in fact led lap 133, and so the whole exchange was unnecessary. Rusty Wallace had the dominant car but got shuffled back due to differing pit cycles towards the end of the race and never could make it back to the front. 29. Jimmie'sJohnson posted: 03.06.2021 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just rewatched this race for the first time in 21 years. I had forgot just what a great race it was. Man 26 year old Jr had so much promise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: