2001 NAPA 500
The 2001 NAPA 500 was the 35th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 18, 2001, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. On the final lap of the race, Jerry Nadeau, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would run out of fuel heading into turn 3, leading to Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte stealing the victory away from Nadeau.[1][2][3] The win was Labonte's 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Sterling Marlin, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, and Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 35 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 NAPA 500 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | November 18, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 42nd Annual NAPA 500 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.54 mi (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Average speed | 151.756 miles per hour (244.228 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Time | 28.868 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Laps | 171 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Meanwhile, fourth-place finisher, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon, would clinch the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship after a dominant 2001 season, earning his fourth and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship.[4]
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, November 16, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[5] Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.275 and an average speed of 189.377 miles per hour (304.773 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.275 | 189.377 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.276 | 189.370 |
| 3 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.332 | 189.009 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, November 17, at 10:00 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[5] Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.125 and an average speed of 184.033 miles per hour (296.172 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 30.125 | 184.033 |
| 2 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 30.180 | 183.698 |
| 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 30.196 | 183.600 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, November 17, at 11:15 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[5] Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.373 and an average speed of 182.531 miles per hour (293.755 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 30.373 | 182.531 |
| 2 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 30.468 | 181.961 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 30.472 | 181.938 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, November 16, 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.[5] 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.[9]
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would win the pole, setting a time of 28.868 and an average speed of 192.047 miles per hour (309.070 km/h).[10]
Eight drivers would fail to qualify: Mark Green, Robby Gordon, Jason Leffler, Kurt Busch, Rick Mast, Ron Hornaday Jr., Dave Marcis, and Frank Kimmel.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- Poole, David (November 18, 2001). "Nadeau runs dry and Labonte takes it". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 4, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- Harris, Mike (November 19, 2001). "Gordon gets fourth title: Labonte gets victory Sunday". The Daily Advocate. p. 7. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Smith, Marty (November 19, 2001). "Labonte hands Nadeau bitter defeat at Atlanta". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 13, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- Poole, David (November 18, 2001). "Gordon locks up title No. 4". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Atlanta 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "Friday's practice speeds". ThatsRacin. November 16, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "Saturday's early practice speeds". ThatsRacin. November 17, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "Speeds from Saturday's final practice". ThatsRacin. November 17, 2001. Archived from the original on December 4, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "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.
- Harris, Mike. "Earnhardt Jr. wins Atlanta pole". ThatsRacin. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- "2001 NAPA 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 3, 2022.