The 2000 edition of the Motorola Cup consisted of 10-events (Daytona, Sebring, Phoenix International Raceway, Homestead-Miami, Mid-Ohio, Road America, Toronto Exhibition Place, Mosport, Watkins Glen and Virginia International Raceway) for showroom stock cars. With a few exceptions the races were mainly 3-hours in length. The cars were relatively unchanged from their road going versions – modifications were mandated primarily for safety – roll cages, window nets, etc. They also used spec DOT-approved tires produced by Hoosier. Based on performance potential the cars were divided into four groups:

  • Super Grand Sport: The quickest of all groups, this class was introduced in 2000 for the fastest mass produced vehicles. Cars competing in this group included the Chevrolet Corvette C5, Dodge Viper, Saleen Mustang SR, Porsche 911 Turbo, etc.
  • Grand Sport: Was an existing class that included cars such as Pontiac Firebird, BMW M3, Acura NSX, Ford Mustang Cobra R and Porsche 993.
  • Sport Touring: Another new class was the result of combining the former Sport and Touring into one group. Popular vehicles found in this group were the BMW Z3 Coupe, Acura Integra Type R, BMW 328 and Lexus GS 400.
  • C2K: The previous year this category was called Compact but renamed C2K for 2000. It included the Honda Civic Si, Acura Integra GSR, Hyundai Tiburon and Mazda Miata.

Close competitive racing with cars that fans could relate to contributed to the popularity of the series. It also provided an environment for automotive manufacturers to test and showcase their products.

To encourage participation and competition, the prize money was distributed based on class size – more cars competing in a class meant that more money was allocated to that group. The series prize fund was also bolstered by a Contingency Awards Program.

The penultimate round of the 2000 Motorola Cup season took place at Watkins Glen. It was a support event to the new Grand Am series and shared the weekend with US Formula 3, Formula 2000 and the American City Racing League series.

Joe Varde and David Amick had some problems at the 'Inner Loop' during practice but it was a different story for the race. The duo won the event driving the No. 50 Viper. Varde also finished first in the Super Grand Sport Driver's Championship with Amick a close second.
Bob Endicott and Mike Van Sicklen had a spectacular race. The pair not only won the Sport Touring class but also beat the quicker Grand Sport entries. The Acura Integra Type R drivers finished one lap in front of the second place Sport Touring team of Andy Lally and Howie Liebengood.
On lap-46, the No. 9 Lexus GS400 lost control at the entrance of 'The Boot' and clipped the tire wall, which caused the car to roll and land on its roof. Fortunately, no other competitors were involved in the incident.
The Honda of America Race Team entered the Watkins Glen weekend with a good chance of clinching the C2K Manufacturer’s Championship for Honda. As long as they could finish ahead of the Hyundai Tiburon team, they would secure the title. The No. 00 driven by John Schmitt and Michael Galati achieved this goal by leading a Honda sweep of the podium.
Heading into the Watkins Glen event, the Shanaman’s were in contention for the Driver’s and Manufacturer’s Championships. They were tied for wins with the Mical Motorsports Porsche which were their rivals for the Driver’s crown and were in a fierce battle with Ford for the Manufacturer’s title. At Watkins Glen the No. 40 car took the Grand Sport win.
The Watkins Glen weekend was a bright spot for the Phoenix American Motorsports team after a season of bad luck. Co-drivers John Heinricy and Stu Hayner started at the back of the grid but were making good progress midway through the race when they encountered wheel issues. With the problem solved Heinricy charged back to finish just 3-seconds behind the winning Viper.
Leading the Sport Touring class Driver’s standings was Howie Liebengood. At Watkins Glen, he shared the driving duties with open wheel racer Andy Lally. The pair finished second in class at the Glen – their record in the last five races was five podiums and three wins.
The Grand Sport Mical Motorsports Porsche 911 driven by Al Wortzman and Mike McCalmont finished second. Their main rival for the Driver’s title, Brett Shanaman won but they left Watkins Glen with a 17-point advantage. The pair would only need an eleventh place finish in the final round at Virginia International Raceway to win the championship.
During the 2000 season, the TF Racing team struggled with the reliability of the Ford Mustang Saleen SR. The cars often qualified well - at Watkins Glen the No. 44 of Terry Borcheller and Michael DeFontes started second. The car completed the race without mechanical difficulties and finished third in Super Grand Sport.
The No. 69 HART Honda Civic Si was piloted by Peter Halsmer and Bryan Johnson. This pair qualified second in the C2K class and finished behind their teammates in the race. These results were enough for Johnson to secure the Driver’s Championship in his first year of professional racing.
The Mariusz Kowalski and Toto Lassally Acura Integra GSR slides through the 'Heel of the Boot'. The pair continued and finished sixth in the C2K class and thirty-sixth overall.
Wayne and Will Nonnamaker took delivery of the first of their two Acuras just 4-weeks before the season opener at Daytona. The 2000 season was spent developing these cars. After some banging and bumping at Watkins Glen the brothers drove their Acura Integra GSR to a fifth place finish in C2K.
Pontiac and Ford were tied with 87-points for the Grand Sport Manufacturer’s Championship. The No. 17 Mustang of David Brown and John Kohler was the highest finishing Ford in fourth place. This allowed Pontiac to take a 5-point lead in the title chase.
The Phoenix American Motorsport Pontiac Firebird captured the pole position in Grand Sport. Stu Hayner and Mike Weinberg drove the car. They finished fifth in class and fourteenth overall at Watkins Glen.
Doug Goad and Devon Powell qualified third in the Super Grand Sport category. However, the Chevrolet Corvette duo encountered problems during the race and finished forty-eighth overall and twelfth in class.

FN.NO.CLDRIVERLAPSCARS
150SGSD. Amick/Varde66Dodge Viper
237SGSHeinricy/Hayner66Chevrolet Corvette
344SGSDeFontes/Borcheller66Ford Saleen SR
419SGSSpenard/ Dumoulin66Porsche 911 Turbo
522SGSCulver/Fitzgerald66Chevrolet Corvette
653SGSL. Amick/Parker Jr66Dodge Viper
765SGSSchultheis/Gilbert66Porsche 993 Supercup
843SGSNonnamaker/Pate65Chevrolet Corvette
964STVan Sicklen/Endicott65Acura Integra Type R
1040GSArgetsinger/B Shanaman65Pontiac Firebird
1116GSWortzman/McCalmont65Porsche 993
1213GSBlack/Danaher65Pontiac Firebird
1317GSBrown/Kohler65Ford Mustang Cobra R
1432GSWeinberg/Hayner65Pontiac Firebird
1546GSSachs/Snipes65Ford Mustang Cobra R
1649STLiebengood/Lally64BMW 328
1772STTrask/Patch64BMW Z3 Coupe
1839GSKahn/Yarosz/Stewart64Pontiac Firebird
1956STGargiulo/Schwartzott64Acura Integra Type R
2076GSLynch Jr/G. Thompson64Mazda RX-7 Turbo
2184GSS Shanaman/Hall64Pontiac Firebird
2233GSBartone/Lester64Pontiac Firebird
2300C2KSchmitt/Galati64Honda Civic Si
2469C2KHalsmer/Johnson64Honda Civic Si
2534STVillamil/Connolly64BMW Z3 Coupe
2682SGSNegri/Clark64Porsche 993 Supercup
2770STRobertson/Pfeifer63BMW Z3 Coupe
2860STPawley/Henderson63Toyota Supra
2927C2KFenton/Beede63Honda Civic Si
3095C2KHimes/Moorcones63Mazda Miata
3106SGSWilton/Courtade63Porsche 993
3241C2KWa Nonnamaker/Wi Nonnamaker63Acura GSR
33***74GSHouk/Mountain64Ford Mustang Cobra R
3445GSBaughman/Mitchell II63Pontiac Firebird
3587GSMeindl/Fix II63Ford Mustang
3621C2KKowalski/Lassally63Acura Integra GSR
37185STEllinger/Baker63Mercedes Benz
3890STPiscelli/Bunting62Lexus GS400
3975GSSchuler/Duke62Ford Mustang Cobra R
4005STLowman/Zarcadoolas62Porsche 944 S2
4151C2KBaglier/Luffy62Mazda MX6
4267C2KJ Kiel/Quinette62Honda Civic Si
4320SGSHornkohl/McAndrew61Dodge Viper
44186STMerril/Arzola61Mercedes Benz
4529C2KSpeakman/Johnson60Nissan 240 SX
4635GSZiegelman/Lima/Masessa59Pontiac Firebird
4761GSMcQuiston/Bakes58Audi S4
4811SGSPowell/Goad57Chevrolet Corvette
4942C2KStarita/Heffron57Acura GSR
5062GSPeter/Kopperl54Pontiac Firebird
5148C2KMagner/Del Vecchio51Chev Cavalier Z24
5279GSJ Seafuse/B Seafuse49Ford Mustang Cobra R
5366GSCole/Richards46Mazda RX-7
549STGoldsborough/Fairbanks46Lexus GS400
5524STPotter/Keravich III42Acura Integra R
5663STR Moser/J Moser42Acura Integra R
576C2KHebert/Cullen41Hyundai Tiburon
5812STLinder35Acura Integra Type R
598C2KMcCullough/Cullen33Hyundai Tiburon
6057STWinchester/Thornley26Acura Integra Type R
6173GSShep/Theetge24Acura NSX
6293GSLacourte/Heggs10Chevrolet Camaro
6310GSBourassa/Stewart9Audi S4
6403STBleustein/Gabel1Porsche 944 S2
6555GSJoseph/Elias/ Gilbert0Ford Mustang Cobra R

*** Car #74 (Grand Sport) Penalized 1-lap by Chief Steward for passing the pace car under yellow.


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