2001 Pepsi 400

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This is about the Summer 2001 race at Daytona. For the race at Michigan, see 2001 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer.

Contents

2001 Pepsi 400
Race details
Race 17 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2001 Pepsi 400 program cover and logo.jpg
2001 Pepsi 400 program cover
Date July 7, 2001 (2001-07-07)
Location Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.02 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.27 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); wind speeds approaching 11.10 miles per hour (17.86 km/h) [1]
Average speed 157.601 mph (253.634 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
 Chip Ganassi Racing
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Laps 116
Winner
No. 8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. [2]
Nielsen Ratings 6.1/13
(25 million viewers) [3]
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Joe Moore, Barney Hall
Turn Announcers Kurt Becker (1 & 2), Dave Moody (Backstretch) and Kevin O'Neal (3 & 4)

The 2001 Pepsi 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on July 7, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida as the 17th of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. It was the first race held at Daytona since the 2001 Daytona 500, in which Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap. Sterling Marlin of Chip Ganassi Racing won the pole position. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. won the race, while DEI teammate Michael Waltrip and Elliott Sadler finished second and third, respectively.

Entry List

(R) denotes rookie driver

No.DriverTeamManufacturer
01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford
4 Kevin Lepage Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford
7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Inc.Chevrolet
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge
10 Johnny Benson MBV Motorsports Pontiac
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske RacingFord
14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt Inc.Chevrolet
17 Matt Kenseth Roush RacingFord
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac
19 Casey Atwood (R)Evernham MotorsportsDodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs RacingPontiac
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
27 Mike Bliss Eel River Racing Pontiac
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford
29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress RacingChevrolet
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford
33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet
36 Ken Schrader MBV MotorsportsPontiac
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge
44 Buckshot Jones Petty EnterprisesDodge
45 Kyle Petty Petty EnterprisesDodge
49 Andy Hillenburg BAM Racing Pontiac
50 Rick Mast Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet
51 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Ford
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree RacingChevrolet
66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter MotorsportsFord
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates RacingFord
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford
92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge
93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis RacingDodge
96 Andy Houston (R)PPI MotorsportsFord
97 Kurt Busch (R)Roush RacingFord
99 Jeff Burton Roush RacingFord

Qualifying

Qualifying was scheduled for July 5, [2] but was rained out; rain also delayed the start of qualifying the next day. [4] On the ten-year anniversary of his first career pole position, Sterling Marlin clinched the pole with a lap speed of 183.778 miles per hour (295.762 km/h). Dodge drivers claimed the first four spots, with Ward Burton (183.597 mph (295.471 km/h)), Stacy Compton (182.678 mph (293.992 km/h)) and Casey Atwood (182.597 mph (293.861 km/h)). Chevrolet driver and Cup points leader Jeff Gordon qualified fifth at 182.312 mph (293.403 km/h). [5] Buckshot Jones, Ron Hornaday Jr., Hut Stricklin, Mike Bliss and Andy Hillenburg failed to qualify. [6]

Race

The Rev. Hal Marchman gave the traditional invocation, Edwin McCain sang the National Anthem, and Pop singer Britney Spears gave the command to start the engines. [2] Ward Burton took the lead from Sterling Marlin on lap one, but relinquished it to Marlin on lap three. After Kevin Harvick, Marlin and Michael Waltrip shared the lead from laps 10 to 26, [6] Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 27, leading 22 laps. [7] Matt Kenseth and Todd Bodine would lead for a combined seven laps, before Earnhardt reclaimed the lead and led 33 more laps. The first caution of the race flew on lap 89, when Andy Houston crashed in turn 4. Robert Pressley took the lead on lap 90, which Earnhardt reclaimed the following lap. [6] With 18 laps to go, cars entered pit road for final stops, but ten cars (Mike Skinner, Pressley, Sterling Marlin, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Terry Labonte, Bobby Hamilton, Kevin Harvick, John Andretti, Mark Martin, Dave Marcis, Jason Leffler) were involved in a crash in turn 4. [6] Earnhardt would surrender the lead again to Johnny Benson Jr., who had made a late-race gamble to pull ahead. Dale Jr had to deal with lap traffic on the restart, but the Caution flew for the final time when Jeff Gordon's oil line cut. The race restarted with six laps to go with Johnny Benson still leading. But with five laps remaining, Earnhardt took back the lead, [7] and with drafting assistance from Waltrip, claimed the victory. [8] Elliott Sadler, Ward Burton and Bobby Labonte finished in the top five. [6] Tony Stewart crossed the line in sixth, but officially classified in 26th, [9] had his finishing spot taken by Jerry Nadeau; Rusty Wallace, Jeff Burton, Brett Bodine and Mike Wallace rounded out the top ten. [6]

Post-race

To celebrate, Earnhardt climbed onto his car's roof, and shared an embrace with Waltrip (who had been unable to celebrate his victory in the 500 that February because of Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash) before diving into his pit crew. [8]

After the race, Tony Stewart, who ignored orders to return to pit road due to passing Dave Blaney [10] below the track's yellow line, knocked a tape recorder away from a Winston-Salem Journal reporter [11] and kicked it under a hauler, and attempted to confront Cup director Gary Nelson, but was restrained by owner Joe Gibbs and crew chief Greg Zipadelli. [9] Stewart argued that he had been forced below the yellow line by Johnny Benson, Bobby Labonte and Jeremy Mayfield. Stewart was later fined $10,000, had his probation (dating back to spinning out Jeff Gordon at Bristol Motor Speedway) extended and was penalized 65 points. [12]

Race Results

Pos.Car #DriverMakeTeam
18 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc.
215 Michael Waltrip ChevroletDale Earnhardt Inc.
321 Elliott Sadler Ford Wood Brothers Racing
422 Ward Burton Dodge Bill Davis Racing
518 Bobby Labonte Pontiac Joe Gibbs Racing
625 Jerry Nadeau Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
72 Rusty Wallace Ford Penske Racing
899 Jeff Burton Ford Roush Racing
911 Brett Bodine Ford Brett Bodine Racing
107 Mike Wallace Ford Ultra Motorsports
1188 Dale Jarrett Ford Robert Yates Racing
1266 Todd Bodine Ford Haas-Carter Motorsports
1310 Johnny Benson Pontiac MBV Motorsports
1428 Ricky Rudd FordRobert Yates Racing
1536 Ken Schrader PontiacMBV Motorsports
1617 Matt Kenseth FordRoush Racing
1712 Jeremy Mayfield FordPenske Racing
186 Mark Martin FordRoush Racing
1926 Jimmy Spencer FordHaas-Carter Motorsports
201 Steve Park ChevroletDale Earnhardt Inc.
2193 Dave Blaney DodgeBill Davis Racing
2243 John Andretti Dodge Petty Enterprises
2377 Robert Pressley Ford Jasper Motorsports
2401 Jason Leffler (R)Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
2529 Kevin Harvick (R)Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
2620 Tony Stewart PontiacJoe Gibbs Racing
2733 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Andy Petree Racing
2819 Casey Atwood (R)Dodge Evernham Motorsports
2945 Kyle Petty DodgePetty Enterprises
3097 Kurt Busch (R)FordRoush Racing
314 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Motorsports
3292 Stacy Compton Dodge Melling Racing
3332 Ricky Craven Ford PPI Motorsports
3450 Rick Mast Chevrolet Midwest Transit Racing
359 Bill Elliott DodgeEvernham Motorsports
3671 Dave Marcis Chevrolet Marcis Auto Racing
3724 Jeff Gordon ChevroletHendrick Motorsports
3855 Bobby Hamilton ChevroletAndy Petree Racing
3940 Sterling Marlin ChevroletChip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
405 Terry Labonte ChevroletHendrick Motorsports
4131 Mike Skinner ChevroletRichard Childress Racing
4251 Jeff Purvis Ford Phoenix Racing
4396 Andy Houston (R)FordPPI Motorsports

Failed to Qualify

Standings after the race

PosDriverPoints
1 Jeff Gordon 2403
2 Dale Jarrett 2355
3 Ricky Rudd 2327
4 Tony Stewart 2207
5 Rusty Wallace 2184
6 Sterling Marlin 2159
7 Bobby Labonte 2061
8 Johnny Benson Jr. 2051
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2010
10 Kevin Harvick 1987

Broadcasting

The 2001 Pepsi 400 was broadcast by NBC, [7] as the first race broadcast by the network under a new centralized NASCAR contract which gave a consortium of NBC Sports and Turner Sports rights to broadcast the second half of the season. [13]

25 million viewers watched the race, setting a viewership record for night races. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ Weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 "THE RACE: Pepsi 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site . Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  3. ↑ "TV RATINGS 2001". Jayski's Silly Season Site . Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ Coble, Don (July 7, 2001). "Marlin starts on pole for rain-cleansed Pepsi 400". Athens Banner-Herald . Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  5. ↑ Associated Press (July 7, 2001). "Marlin Wins the Pole for Pepsi 400 at Daytona". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2001 Pepsi 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "From Tragedy To Triumph: Junior Exorcises The Demons of Daytona in 2001". Bleacher Report. July 1, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Thomas, Stephan (July 7, 2001). "Junior achievement". CNN Sports Illustrated . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Stewart's grandfather died before race". CNN Sports Illustrated . July 9, 2001. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ Lipsyte, Robert (July 9, 2001). "AUTO RACING; 'The Call' Is Answered in Earnhardt's Pepsi 400 Victory". The New York Times . Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  11. ↑ "PLUS: AUTO RACING; Further Probation For Irate Stewart". The New York Times . July 12, 2001. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Severe punishment". CNN Sports Illustrated . July 7, 2001. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  13. ↑ Sherman, Ed. "New TV Contracts Place NASCAR In Driver's Seat". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  14. ↑ Madden, Mark (July 14, 2001). "Madden: Earnhardt win a quick-fix". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
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