California Speedway (4/28/00) -- Stenzo used a combination of speed, strategy, and patience to hit paydirt and claim his second win of the year! Starting from 9th position, Stenzo quickly raced to the front, but managed to lead only 4 laps before getting passed and falling back in the lead pack. He then tangled with another car entering turn 1 and grazed the wall, wrinkling the right front fender of his Marlboro Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The damage forced him further back in the field, when, on lap 44, he pitted to repair the fender and take on 4 fresh tires. He returned to the track one lap down, but patiently made up positions as the others cycled through their pit stops. With only 25 laps to go, a caution flag flew, which allowed Stenzo to pit again for right side tires and a chassis adjustment, while all the others elected to stay on the track. When the race resumed, Stenzo was in 19th place, but wasted no time marching back toward the front, shooting past 18 cars and reclaiming the lead for the final 4 circuits, to earn his second win and 7th top 5 finish of the season.

Bob started from the 11th spot, but for the second week in a row, quickly found trouble on the first lap, when he got caught up with another car and slid his car sideways up the track, fighting successfully to prevent ever hitting the wall. When he finally regained control, he found that the rest of the field had pulled away and left him in the back of the pack. He learned his lesson well from last week, however, as he stayed patient and gradually worked his way back into the top 10, where he finished 6th, marking his 3rd top 10 finish this year.

Coyote started 7th, and raced among the top 10 competitors all day, patiently holding his ground throughout the entire event. He did manage to shuffle his way into the lead for a total of 2 laps, but fell back late in the race to finish 8th, marking his fifth top 10 finish of the season. Even though he didn't win, the defending series champion was all smiles after the race, when he proclaimed, “I'm back! After all the bad luck I've had so far this year, I just wanted a solid top 10 finish. I wasn't necessarily trying to win, I just tried to finish where I started, which I was able to do today.” (Well, almost.)

After a string of wins that would make even King Richard (Petty) envious, series points leader Speed rejoined the ranks of mortals this weekend. After brushing the wall while qualifying, he was forced to start from the 22nd position. It didn't take long, however, before he had muscled his way toward the front, but got tangled up with the leaders attempting a dangerous pass, wrecking his car and falling deep in the pack. He eventually fell a lap down late in the event, where, like Coyote, he finished where he started, in 22nd place. This marks only the third time this season he has finished out of the top 10, but the second time he's finished 22nd or worse. With the win, Stenzo gained 83 points on Speed, reducing the points lead from 151 to 68 points.