History of NASCAR from 2000 to 2005

NASCAR intended to exploit the colossal growth of the 1990's as they entered the new millennium. However, nobody expected the capacity of change that occurred over the next 10 years.

The opening season of the decade began with much promise, but a trio of tragedies put a dark cloud over the 2000 season. Fourth generation driver Adam Petty was killed in a practice crash at New Hampshire in May. Two months later, Kenny Irwin, Jr. suffered a fatal crash at the same track. In October, Tony Roper died due to injuries sustained in a Craftsman Truck Series crash at Texas.

The 2000 season ended with Bobby Labonte winning the title, denying Dale Earnhardt of an eighth championship.

The 2001 marked a new era of broadcasting for NASCAR. FOX and NBC landed a multi-billion dollar television contract. Since the early 1980's, ESPN covered a bulk of the races, along with CBS, ABC, and TNN. ESPN returned to the NASCAR broadcast lineup in 2007.

Three-time champion Darrell Waltrip retired from driving following the 2000 season. His career ended with 84 victories. Following his driving career, he became a broadcaster for FOX along with Mike Joy and former crew chief Larry McReynolds.

The 2001 Daytona 500 was the first race televised by FOX. Michael Waltrip, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., held off his teammate Dale Earhardt, Jr. for the victory. The euphoria of victory was short-lived as Dale Earnhardt suffered a fatal crash on the final turn of the race. He was running third when he attempted to block Sterling Marlin. His car shot into the wall, and collected Ken Schrader.

The fatal crash of NASCAR's biggest star impacted the NASCAR community as no other death in the sport's history. Fans and drivers spent the remainder of the season honoring the fallen champion, as they would hold three fingers on a silent third lap of every race.

Richard Childress tabbed 25-year-old Kevin Harvick as Earnhardt's replacement, and changed the No. 3 to No. 29. He reversed the paint scheme from primarily black to primarily white. Harvick won at Atlanta, edging out Gordon just a month later. It was three races since the tragic passing. At Daytona in July, Earnhardt, Jr. won at the very track to took his father's life.

One week following the death, Earnhardt's protégé Steve Park, also a DEI driver, won at Rockingham. It was the first of the three most emotional races of the season.

Earnhardt's death brought about several safety innovations. NASCAR mandated the use of the HANS device for all drivers.

The Dodge brand returned to NASCAR after more than a two-decade hiatus. Sterling Marlin's win at Michigan in August of 2001 became Dodge's first win since 1977.

The New Hampshire race in September of 2001 was delayed until Thanksgiving Day weekend in wake of the tragic 9-1-1 terrorist attacks. Robby Gordon won the race after nudging Jeff Gordon for the lead. Jeff Gordon clinched his fourth title in 2001, joining Richard Petty and Earnhardt in the elite group.

In 2002, Tony Stewart clinched his first championship by edging out veteran Mark Martin by a mere 38 points. He also won the 2005 championship.

The 2003 season marked the final season in which R.J. Reynolds and the Winston brand would serve as NASCAR's title sponsor. Nextel, a communications company, replaced Winston. The series became the Nextel Cup in 2004. Nextel eventually merged with Sprint, and the series became the Sprint Cup in 2008.

Bill France, Jr. handed the company's reigns to his son Brian France in 2003. France, Jr would pass away in June of 2007.

The younger France proceeded to give the sport a facelift. He introduced the "Lucky Dog" rule in September of 2003, which gives the first car a lap down a free pass to the lead lap. Previously, drivers would have to race the leaders back to the caution flag. This new rule was mandated to avoid any perilous situations that may occur with drivers flying through the field trying to gain a lap.

France abandoned the season-long format of determining the champion after Matt Kenseth cruised to the 2003 title despite winning only one race. He formulated the Chase for the Cup, which reset the standings following the 26^th race of the year. Only the top 10 drivers were eligible for the 10-race chase.

Kurt Busch won the inaugural Chase for the Cup by eight points over Jimmie Johnson.

The 2004 season also marked the end of the road for the North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham. The traditional Labor Day race at Darlington was moved to Fontana, California much to the chagrin of most fans. The race at Darlington would transfer to Mother's Day weekend in 2005.

Many remember the early 2000's as the young gun era. Twenty-something drivers began replacing veteran drivers in victory lane. Among the young guns were Earnhardt, Jr, Matt Kenseth, Harvick, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Denny Hamlin.

Meanwhile, several veterans stepped away from full-time competition such as Rusty Wallace (2005), Dale Jarrett (2008), Sterling Marlin (2007), Bill Elliott (2003), and Terry Labonte (2004). Elliott and Labonte continued to drive a limited schedule for several years.

Resource: NASCAR Chronicle