2001 Pennsylvania 500

2001 Pennsylvania 500 presented by Pep Boys
Race details
Race 20 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2001 Pennsylvania 500 program cover.
The 2001 Pennsylvania 500 program cover.
Date July 29, 2001
Official name 29th Annual Pennsylvania 500 presented by Pep Boys
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 134.59 miles per hour (216.60 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Haas-Carter Motorsports
Time 52.840
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 121
Winner
No. 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 2001 Pennsylvania 500 presented by Pep Boys was the 20th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 29, 2001, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would pass eventual second-place driver, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish third.

Background

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge Cingular Wireless, Special Olympics
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Lite
4 Kevin Lepage Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford NationsRent
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford RedCell, Ralphs
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford Mobil 1
14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries, MBNA
19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW, Delphi
26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Kmart
27 Rick Mast Eel River Racing Pontiac Sauer's, Duke's Mayonnaise
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford Tide
33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Oakwood Homes
36 Ken Schrader MBV Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge Original Coors
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Sparkle
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Sprint PCS
49 Andy Hillenburg BAM Racing Pontiac BAM Racing
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Kmart Blue Light Special
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford Mansion Motorsports
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford Hills Bros. Coffee
92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge Kodiak
93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge Amoco Ultimate
97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo Supergard
Official entry list

Practice

First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, July 27, at 11:30 AM EST. The session would last for two hours and 30 minutes.[4] Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.163 and an average speed of 169.291 miles per hour (272.447 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.163 169.291
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.213 169.068
3 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 53.318 168.799
Full first practice results

Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 28, at 10:45 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[4] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.341 and an average speed of 165.621 miles per hour (266.541 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.341 165.621
2 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 54.454 165.277
3 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 54.680 164.594
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 16, at 12:15 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[4] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.859 and an average speed of 164.057 miles per hour (264.024 km/h).[7]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.859 164.057
2 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 54.991 163.663
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 55.002 163.630
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, July 27, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[4] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[8]

Todd Bodine, driving for Haas-Carter Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 52.840 and an average speed of 170.325 miles per hour (274.112 km/h).[9]

Two drivers would fail to qualify: Andy Hillenburg and Carl Long.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 52.840 170.325
2 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 52.856 170.274
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.059 169.622
4 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 53.100 162.492
5 19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge 53.101 169.488
6 29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.163 169.291
7 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 53.200 169.173
8 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.203 169.163
9 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 53.291 168.884
10 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 53.303 168.846
11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 53.327 168.770
12 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 53.329 168.764
13 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 53.429 168.448
14 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 53.439 168.416
15 93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge 53.466 168.331
16 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 53.483 168.278
17 92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge 53.488 168.262
18 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 53.491 168.253
19 4 Kevin Lepage Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 53.536 168.111
20 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 53.567 168.014
21 01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 53.579 167.976
22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 53.586 167.954
23 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 53.593 167.932
24 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 53.602 167.904
25 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford 53.699 167.601
26 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 53.757 167.420
27 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 53.758 167.417
28 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 53.892 167.001
29 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 53.896 166.988
30 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 53.946 166.833
31 14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 53.965 166.775
32 7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford 53.979 166.731
33 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 54.021 166.602
34 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 54.041 166.540
35 97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford 54.200 166.052
36 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 54.273 165.828
Provisionals
37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 54.754 164.372
38 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 54.308 165.721
39 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.366 165.545
40 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.613 164.796
41 44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge 54.476 165.210
42 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 54.452 165.283
43 27 Rick Mast Eel River Racing Pontiac 54.433 165.341
Failed to qualify
44 49 Andy Hillenburg BAM Racing Pontiac 54.877 164.003
45 85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford 55.640 161.754
Official qualifying results

Race results

Fin[10] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 4 running 180 $189,427
2 12 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 31 running 175 $119,923
3 13 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 165 $91,800
4 14 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 200 1 running 165 $90,948
5 9 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 200 8 running 160 $68,895
6 22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 200 0 running 150 $88,555
7 3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 4 running 151 $86,116
8 8 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 121 running 152 $96,992
9 16 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 138 $63,025
10 20 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 134 $50,465
11 2 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 23 running 135 $73,612
12 7 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 200 1 running 132 $58,435
13 38 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 0 running 124 $65,908
14 24 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 200 3 running 126 $46,840
15 5 19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge 200 0 running 118 $41,915
16 10 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 200 0 running 115 $54,776
17 4 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 0 running 112 $50,405
18 25 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford 200 0 running 109 $76,799
19 23 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 0 running 106 $43,765
20 6 29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 103 $83,667
21 21 01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 200 0 running 100 $48,090
22 15 93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge 200 0 running 97 $36,415
23 26 33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 94 $64,360
24 39 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 91 $43,765
25 32 7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford 198 0 running 88 $43,940
26 33 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 198 0 running 85 $53,390
27 28 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 198 0 running 82 $70,267
28 36 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 79 $64,414
29 29 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 197 0 running 76 $39,915
30 31 14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 197 0 running 73 $31,765
31 42 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 196 0 running 70 $32,115
32 17 92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge 195 0 running 67 $31,465
33 27 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 194 0 running 64 $31,265
34 40 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 192 0 running 61 $63,770
35 43 27 Rick Mast Eel River Racing Pontiac 192 0 running 58 $30,440
36 18 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 188 1 running 60 $76,061
37 35 97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford 187 0 running 52 $38,225
38 34 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 184 0 crash 49 $63,310
39 41 44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge 183 0 running 46 $38,125
40 30 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 177 0 running 43 $30,050
41 37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 152 1 crash 45 $75,027
42 19 4 Kevin Lepage Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 148 0 crash 37 $29,950
43 1 66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 128 2 handling 39 $37,876
Failed to qualify
44 49 Andy Hillenburg BAM Racing Pontiac
45 85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

  1. ^ Utter, Jim (July 29, 2001). "Labonte liked chances toward end of 500". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ^ Fleischman, Bill (July 30, 2001). "'Tunnelvision' helps Labonte win at Pocono". Lancaster New Era. p. 17. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Rodman, Dave (July 30, 2001). "Labonte takes first win of 2001". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 22, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Pocono 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. July 27, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds (first session)". ThatsRacin. July 28, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  7. ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". ThatsRacin. July 28, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  8. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "Todd Bodine wins NASCAR pole". UPI. July 27, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "2002 Pocono 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
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