A reminder to what was

It's been 10 years since Dale Earnhardt recorded his last victory, an amazing charge from mid-pack to the front with only a handful of laps remaining to win the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Much has been written about that race, the help Earnhardt received from Andy Petree Racing teammates Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek as he sliced and diced his way to the front, eventually passing his own teammate, Mike Skinner, and John Andretti to win one of the most competitive races in the track's history.

So how much has the sport changed since that day in October? There certainly has been a changing of the guard. Only 10 drivers from that race are still active as full-time Cup drivers in 2010, and seven others have made at least one series start this season.

And yet some things haven't changed significantly. Jack Roush fielded five cars in that race, with Rick Hendrick adding three. Other multi-car team owners included Richard Childress and Roger Penske.

In addition, race runner-up Wallace, now 46, hasn't made a start in NASCAR's premier series since 2008, but he remains involved in the Nationwide Series. Skinner, who finished sixth, is active in the Truck Series at age 53.

But looking at current drivers who participated that day, four scored top-10 finishes. Nemechek, who was 36 at the time, wound up third. He'd go on to win at Rockingham for Petree the following season, then add victories for Hendrick in 2003 and Nelson Bowers' MB2 in '04.

A 28-year-old Jeff Gordon, who had won three championships and 52 races to that point, finished fourth. Ten years ago, it seemed an afterthought that Gordon would become the third driver to eclipse 100 victories and perhaps surpass Richard Petty and Earnhardt in titles. He still may, but since his 2001 championship, Gordon's been unable to solve the Chase format. And he's been stuck on 82 victories for the entire 2010 campaign.

Mark Martin was still driving for Roush in 2000 when he finished seventh at Talladega. He was coming off a streak of seven consecutive years of finishing in the top five in points. Ten years later, he's still searching for that elusive Cup championship, although winning five races in 2009 -- and a strong run at Martinsville on Sunday -- shows he's still a formidable force.

Matt Kenseth was a 28-year-old driver in his first full season with Roush when he somehow avoided disaster despite getting his left tires into the grass on the backstretch at 190-plus mph at the end of the race. He won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte that spring, earning him rookie of the year honors.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who faded to 14th, also was a rookie that season, winning at Texas and Richmond in his father's equipment. Now 35, he has a total of 18 victories under his belt, although there are some who would say he hasn't lived up to the potential -- or the hype -- predicted of him back then.

Another 2000 rookie, Dave Blaney, was driving for Bill Davis Racing that day and finished 28th. Since then, Blaney has recorded three top-five finishes but hasn't visited Victory Lane.

Joe Gibbs teammates Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart had yet to win their championships, although Labonte -- with four victories that year -- was well on his way. However, after winning twice in 2003, Labonte's been stuck on 21 victories throughout his 40s, and has hopped from team to team with more permanent plans in place for 2011.

For Stewart, 2000 was his high-water season for victories with six. He'd score titles in 2002 and '05, then leave Gibbs for the opportunity to run his own operation -- a decision that has resulted in a combined six victories in two seasons.

Elliott Sadler was in his second full season as a 25-year-old in 2000, racing for the Wood Brothers. He'd win at Bristol for them in 2001, then add victories at Texas and Fontana in '04 for Robert Yates Racing.

And Jeff Burton was a Roush employee 10 years ago. Despite finishing 29th that day, Burton had an excellent 2000, winding third in the points as the result of four victories and 22 top-10s. Now 43, Burton has 21 career victories and is one of the elder statesmen of the sport.

Also still active in some form or fashion, Terry Labonte (40th at Richmond), Mike Bliss (14 starts in 2010 and nearly won the Nationwide race at Gateway), Bill Elliott, Steve Park (who returned to Cup at Pocono this summer), Michael Waltrip, Ken Schrader (who at 55, made his first Cup start in two years at Martinsville) and Andretti.

A number of current television commentators drove in that race. Rusty Wallace finished eighth, Dale Jarrett was 15th and Darrell Waltrip wound up 35th. Ricky Craven, Jimmy Spencer and Johnny Benson also were in the field. And Brett Bodine, who drives the pace car each weekend, wheeled his own car to a 26th-place finish.

A look back at the 2000 field also shows the evolution of ownership during the past decade. Gone but not forgotten are Eel River Racing, Joe Bessey, Bill Davis, Melling Racing, Jasper Motorsports, Midwest Transit, Tyler Jet, Jim Smith, Travis Carter and owner/driver teams for Elliott, Bodine and 59-year-old Dave Marcis, who led his 2,699th career lap that day.