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NASCAR- Burton Wins Rain Shortened WC Event

6 March 2000

Lightning, and rain struck for the third time in the last year and helped 
Jeff Burton to win the CarsDirect.com 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

         Pelting rain forced a conclusion to the CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR 
Winston Cup Series race after  just 148 of the scheduled 267 laps. At the 
time, Burton was once again the leader to score his first win of the 2000 
season.

         "Well, I'm glad it had the same results," said Burton, who has now 
won the last two NASCAR Winston Cup Series races at Las Vegas. "Our Exide 
Ford was really good on the long runs, although we did lose a little there 
at the end and Tony Stewart started catching us. If the race had restarted, 
we would have had to be better or he would have caught us."

         "We were hoping the race wouldn't restart, but we weren't sure 
because there was a lot of daylight left and they've got lights here at the 
track."

         "NASCAR did everything it could to restart the race, and that's 
what it should have done. If had restarted, we felt good about what we had 
in the car, although I do think we would have had to be just a little better."

         The race went under caution for the first time on lap 21 when the 
day's first shower began. Twenty laps later, the race was red-flagged.  The 
green flag flew again on lap 45 and 15 laps later Burton, who had started 
11th, took the lead for the first time when he passed Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 
Budweiser Chevrolet in Turn 1.

         He would lead 35 circuits, giving up his advantage when he pitted 
under green on lap 95 for four fresh tires.

         When the series of green-flag stops ended on lap 103, Burton was 
back in the lead with Bill Elliott second in the McDonald's Ford, Mark 
Martin third in the Valvoline Ford, Stewart fourth in the Home Depot 
Pontiac and Bobby Labonte fifth in the Interstate Batteries Pontiac.

         By lap 112, Martin had moved into the lead when he passed Burton 
and held on until lap 135, when Burton took over. Then, on lap 136, Stewart 
went around Martin for second place and appeared to have the fastest car on 
the track.

         But on lap 144, the second caution period of the race began when 
rain fell again. The caution lasted just four laps before the race was 
red-flagged and then later officially called off as the wet weather persisted.

         When the race ended, the running order was Burton, Stewart, 
Martin, Elliott, Labonte, Johnny Benson, Dale Jarrett , Dale Earnhardt, Joe 
Nemechek and Earnhardt Jr.

         Labonte moved into the lead in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series point 
standings with 490 points, just four more than Jarrett, the defending 
NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion who had led in points since his victory 
in the season-opening Daytona 500. Burton climbed from 14th to fifth in the 
points.