2001 Pontiac Excitement 400
The 2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 47th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 5, 2001, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would hold off the field on the final restart with two to go to win his 10th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover, with artwork by Garry Hill. | |||
| Date | May 5, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 47th Annual Pontiac Excitement 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 95.872 miles per hour (154.291 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Racing | ||
| Time | 21.667 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 276 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs 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
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, May 4, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3] Steve Park, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.580 and an average speed of 125.116 miles per hour (201.355 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.580 | 125.116 |
| 2 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.593 | 125.041 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.638 | 124.780 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 4, at 5:50 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.114 and an average speed of 122.095 miles per hour (196.493 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.114 | 122.095 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.145 | 121.924 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.169 | 121.792 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, May 4, at 3:30 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.[3] 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.[6]
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.667 and an average speed of 124.613 miles per hour (200.545 km/h).[7]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Buckshot Jones, Hermie Sadler, and Hut Stricklin.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | Dale Jarrett | 1,559 |
|
2 | Jeff Gordon | 1,545 (–14) |
 1 |
3 | Rusty Wallace | 1,497 (–62) |
 1 |
4 | Johnny Benson Jr. | 1,480 (–79) |
|
5 | Sterling Marlin | 1,421 (–138) |
|
6 | Ricky Rudd | 1,411 (–148) |
| 2 |
7 | Tony Stewart | 1,392 (–167) |
|
8 | Steve Park | 1,387 (–172) |
| 2 |
9 | Bobby Hamilton | 1,309 (–250) |
|
10 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 1,302 (–257) |
References
- Pearce, Al (May 6, 2001). "Stewart stands tall". Daily Press. p. 4. Retrieved June 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Clarke, Liz (May 6, 2001). "Stewart Takes Richmond". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Richmond 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- "Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. May 4, 2001. Archived from the original on October 8, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- "Happy Hour practice speeds". ThatsRacin. May 4, 2001. Archived from the original on December 15, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 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.
- Poole, David (May 4, 2001). "Pole run like old times for Martin". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- "2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.