2001 Pocono 500
15th race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
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The 2001 Pocono 500 was the 15th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 20th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 17, 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. At race's end, Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would take over the final stages of the race to win his 21st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. The win also broke a 88-race winless streak for Rudd.[1][2][3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
|
The 2001 Pocono 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | June 17, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 20th Annual Pocono 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 134.389 miles per hour (216.278 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 52.785 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 86 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Pocono is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports or NASCAR.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, June 15, 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 53.027 and an average speed of 169.725 mph (273.146 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.027 | 169.725 |
| 2 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 53.431 | 168.442 |
| 3 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 53.495 | 168.240 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, June 16, at 9:00 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[4] Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.434 and an average speed of 165.338 mph (266.086 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 54.434 | 165.338 |
| 2 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 54.499 | 165.141 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.533 | 165.038 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session was held on Saturday, June 16, at 11:15 AM EST. The session would last for one hour.[4] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.627 and an average speed of 164.754 mph (265.146 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.627 | 164.754 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 54.730 | 164.444 |
| 3 | 7 | Ted Musgrave | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 54.972 | 163.720 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, June 15, 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]
Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 52.785 and an average speed of 170.503 mph (274.398 km/h).
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin[9] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 39 | running | 180 | $189,542 |
| 2 | 14 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 86 | running | 180 | $148,897 |
| 3 | 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 62 | running | 170 | $119,947 |
| 4 | 2 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 160 | $92,350 |
| 5 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $102,016 |
| 6 | 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $59,715 |
| 7 | 4 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $64,340 |
| 8 | 18 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 2 | running | 147 | $94,467 |
| 9 | 3 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $60,960 |
| 10 | 8 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $91,886 |
| 11 | 29 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $43,490 |
| 12 | 26 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 127 | $73,714 |
| 13 | 41 | 97 | Kurt Busch (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $48,940 |
| 14 | 42 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $53,651 |
| 15 | 19 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $83,567 |
| 16 | 16 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 115 | $80,580 |
| 17 | 27 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 112 | $51,230 |
| 18 | 38 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 109 | $59,415 |
| 19 | 39 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 106 | $46,390 |
| 20 | 6 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 199 | 11 | running | 108 | $73,288 |
| 21 | 36 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 100 | $37,440 |
| 22 | 25 | 50 | Rick Mast | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 97 | $33,740 |
| 23 | 22 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Melling Racing | Dodge | 198 | 0 | running | 94 | $36,915 |
| 24 | 7 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 91 | $44,665 |
| 25 | 12 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 88 | $37,290 |
| 26 | 43 | 33 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 85 | $64,410 |
| 27 | 23 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 198 | 0 | running | 82 | $60,613 |
| 28 | 24 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 79 | $32,740 |
| 29 | 15 | 7 | Ted Musgrave | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 76 | $43,565 |
| 30 | 17 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 73 | $42,915 |
| 31 | 40 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 70 | $67,495 |
| 32 | 30 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 190 | 0 | running | 67 | $58,358 |
| 33 | 37 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 64 | $39,915 |
| 34 | 32 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 185 | 0 | engine | 61 | $31,715 |
| 35 | 35 | 14 | Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 176 | 0 | running | 58 | $31,540 |
| 36 | 9 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske Racing South | Ford | 176 | 0 | running | 55 | $70,624 |
| 37 | 11 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | running | 52 | $31,175 |
| 38 | 13 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 157 | 0 | engine | 49 | $31,050 |
| 39 | 20 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 150 | 0 | running | 46 | $65,952 |
| 40 | 21 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 113 | 0 | crash | 43 | $63,910 |
| 41 | 33 | 01 | Jason Leffler (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 100 | 0 | crash | 40 | $38,650 |
| 42 | 28 | 44 | Buckshot Jones | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 78 | 0 | crash | 37 | $38,575 |
| 43 | 34 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 34 | 0 | engine | 34 | $30,751 |
| Official race results | ||||||||||