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NASCAR WCUP: Driver eligibility for the 2000 'Winston' announced

16 March 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The field for the 2000 The Winston, as currently defined in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Media Guide, included only Sterling Marlin as a winner from the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup season. Geoffrey Bodine should also have been listed as an eligible driver from the 1996 season.

The rules for The Winston state that the field will consist of at least 20 drivers. There are currently 20 eligible drivers. With a winner advancing from the Winston Open and the No Bull Sprint, the field would consist of 22 drivers. The standard procedure would be to drop the winners from the 1996 season to reduce the field to 20. However, since the rules were changed after the start of the 2000 season, the 1996 winners will remain in the field.

Should a driver who is not currently eligible for The Winston win a race between now and The Winston, that driver would become eligible for The Winston knocking both Marlin and Bodine out of the field.

The Winston is NASCAR's all-star race. The 2000 event is set for Saturday, May 20th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. This year's event will be the 16th running of The Winston.

The Winston 2000 Eligibility List (As of March 15, 2000)

Driver				Race Won	

Jeff Gordon			Daytona 500		
Mark Martin			Dura Lube 400, Rockingham	
Jeff Burton			Las Vegas 400	
Terry Labonte			Primestar 500, Texas	
Rusty Wallace			Food City 500, Bristol	
John Andretti			Goody's 500, Martinsville	
Dale Earnhardt		        DieHard 500, Talladega		
Dale Jarrett			Pontiac 400, Richmond		
Bobby Labonte		        MBNA Platinum 400, Dover		
Tony Stewart			Exide 400, Richmond
Joe Nemechek			Dura Lube 300, Loudon					

QUALIFIED DRIVERS
(Not Otherwise Exempt)
Kenny Irwin (Felix Sabates, Owner exemption)

PREVIOUS NASCAR WINSTON CUP CHAMPIONS
(Not Otherwise Exempt)
Drivers Year(s) won
Bill Elliott 1988
Darrell Waltrip 1981-82, 1985

PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE WINSTON
(Last five years, Not Otherwise Exempt)
Drivers Year(s) won
Michael Waltrip 1996


WINNING DRIVERS FROM PREVIOUS SEASONS
(Not Otherwise Exempt)
Drivers Race won
Ricky Rudd 1998 NAPA 500, Martinsville
Jeremy Mayfield 1998 Pocono 500, Pocono
Bobby Hamilton 1998 Goody's 500, Martinsville
Sterling Marlin 1996 Winston 500, Talladega
Geoffrey Bodine 1996 Bud at the Glen, Watkins Glen

THE WINSTON OPEN WINNER

NO BULL SPRINT WINNER

Total Qualified drivers: 22

Text provided by Denny Darnell

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