The 2001 Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 on at Daytona International Speedway February 18 and ended with the New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway on November 23. Jeff Gordon won his fourth championship in seven years with 5112 points. He won the most races and most poles among drivers during the season.
The season began on a tragic note, with a two-car collision at the Daytona 500 claiming the life of Dale Earnhardt. This began a period of emphasis on safety enhancements and improvements that continue to the present. As the season went on, more and more drivers adopted one of two safety devices- the HANS device or the Hutchens Device, and by October 2001, the use of at least one of those devices were required by NASCAR.[1] It was the first year for a unified television contract with FOX, NBC, and TNT. Dodge returned to the sport for the first time since the 1985 season.
Teams Competing (Full Time)[]
# - indicates a Rookie of the Year contender
(#) - indicates the number of races if the driver did not run the full season with the team.
† - indicates the #3 was renumbered to the #29 following the death of Dale Earnhardt
Schedule[]
| Round | Date | Race Name | Track | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 11, 2001 | Budweiser Shootout | Daytona International Speedway | FOX | |
| February 15, 2001 | Gatorade 125s | Daytona International Speedway | FOX SportsNet | |
| 1 | February 18, 2001 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | FOX |
| 2 | February 25, 2001 | Dura Lube 400 | North Carolina Speedway | FX |
| 3 | March 4, 2001 | UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 # | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | FOX |
| 4 | March 11, 2001 | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | FOX |
| 5 | March 18, 2001 | Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 | Darlington Raceway | FOX |
| 6 | March 25, 2001 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | FOX |
| 7 | April 1, 2001 | Harrah's 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | FOX |
| 8 | April 8, 2001 | Virginia 500 | Martinsville Speedway | FOX |
| 9 | April 22, 2001 | Talladega 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | FOX |
| 10 | April 29, 2001 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | California Speedway | FOX |
| 11 | May 5, 2001 | Pontiac Excitement 400 | Richmond International Raceway | FX |
| May 19, 2001 | The Winston | Lowe's Motor Speedway | FX | |
| 12 | May 27, 2001 | Coca-Cola 600 # | Lowe's Motor Speedway | FOX |
| 13 | June 3, 2001 | MBNA Platinum 400 | Dover Downs International Speedway | FX |
| 14 | June 10, 2001 | Kmart 400 | Michigan Speedway | FOX |
| 15 | June 17, 2001 | Pocono 500 | Pocono Raceway | FOX |
| 16 | June 24, 2001 | Dodge / Save Mart 350 | Sears Point Raceway | FOX |
| 17 | July 7, 2001 | Pepsi 400 # | Daytona International Speedway | NBC |
| 18 | July 15, 2001 | Tropicana 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | NBC |
| 19 | July 22, 2001 | New England 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway | TNT |
| 20 | July 29, 2001 | Pennsylvania 500 Presented by Pep Boys | Pocono Raceway | TNT |
| 21 | August 5, 2001 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | NBC |
| 22 | August 12, 2001 | Global Crossing at the Glen | Watkins Glen International | NBC |
| 23 | August 19, 2001 | Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer | Michigan Speedway | TNT |
| 24 | August 25, 2001 | Sharpie 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | TNT |
| 25 | September 2, 2001 | Mountain Dew Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | TNT |
| 26 | September 8, 2001 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 # | Richmond International Raceway | TNT |
| 27 | September 23, 2001 | MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400 | Dover Downs International Speedway | NBC |
| 28 | September 30, 2001 | Protection One 400 | Kansas Speedway | NBC |
| 29 | October 7, 2001 | UAW-GM Quality 500 | Lowe's Motor Speedway | TNT |
| 30 | October 15, 2001 | Old Dominion 500 | Martinsville Speedway | TNT |
| 31 | October 21, 2001 | EA Sports 500 # | Talladega Superspeedway | NBC |
| 32 | October 28, 2001 | Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil | Phoenix International Raceway | NBC |
| 33 | November 4, 2001 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | North Carolina Speedway | TNT |
| 34 | November 11, 2001 | Pennzoil Freedom 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | NBC |
| 35 | November 18, 2001 | NAPA 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | NBC |
| 36 | November 23, 2001 | New Hampshire 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway | NBC |
# indicates a Winston No Bull 5 Race.
Results[]
| Round | Race | Pole Winner | Winner | Make | Cautions | Caution Laps | Average Speed | Number of Lead Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Budweiser Shootout | Ken Schrader | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 0 | 0 | 181.036 | 19 | |
| 2001 Gatorade 125 (Race #1) | Bill Elliott | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | 3 | 8 | 147.493 | 10 | |
| 2001 Gatorade 125 (Race #2) | Stacy Compton | Mike Skinner | Chevrolet | 1 | 4 | 162.338 | 11 | |
| 1 | 2001 Daytona 500 | Bill Elliott | Michael Waltrip | Chevrolet | 3 | 14 | 161.783 | 49 |
| 2 | 2001 Dura Lube 400 | Jeff Gordon | Steve Park | Chevrolet | 4 | 52 | 111.877 | 20 |
| 3 | 2001 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 | Dale Jarrett | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 6 | 25 | 135.546 | 20 |
| 4 | 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 | Dale Jarrett | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 8 | 42 | 143.273 | 25 |
| 5 | 2001 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 | N/A | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 7 | 38 | 126.557 | 12 |
| 6 | 2001 Food City 500 | Mark Martin | Elliott Sadler | Ford | 13 | 87 | 86.949 | 18 |
| 7 | 2001 Harrah's 500 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 10 | 44 | 141.804 | 18 |
| 8 | 2001 Virginia 500 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 12 | 98 | 70.799 | 15 |
| 9 | 2001 Talladega 500 | Stacy Compton | Bobby Hamilton | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | 184.003 | 37 |
| 10 | 2001 NAPA Auto Parts 500 | Bobby Labonte | Rusty Wallace | Ford | 6 | 29 | 143.118 | 23 |
| 11 | 2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 | Mark Martin | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 8 | 58 | 95.872 | 12 |
| 2001 The Winston | Rusty Wallace | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | 185.022 | 8 | |
| 12 | 2001 Coca-Cola 600 | Ryan Newman | Jeff Burton | Ford | 6 | 45 | 138.107 | 28 |
| 13 | 2001 MBNA Platinum 400 | N/A | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 5 | 31 | 120.361 | 16 |
| 14 | 2001 Kmart 400 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 8 | 34 | 134.203 | 17 |
| 15 | 2001 Pocono 500 | Ricky Rudd | Ricky Rudd | Ford | 7 | 26 | 134.389 | 13 |
| 16 | 2001 Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Jeff Gordon | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 5 | 16 | 75.889 | 10 |
| 17 | 2001 Pepsi 400 | Sterling Marlin | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | 3 | 15 | 157.601 | 14 |
| 18 | 2001 Tropicana 400 | Todd Bodine | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 10 | 56 | 121.200 | 14 |
| 19 | 2001 New England 300 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 10 | 51 | 102.131 | 10 |
| 20 | 2001 Pennsylvania 500 | Todd Bodine | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 6 | 24 | 134.590 | 20 |
| 21 | 2001 Brickyard 400 | Jimmy Spencer | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 7 | 28 | 130.790 | 18 |
| 22 | 2001 Global Crossing at the Glen | Dale Jarrett | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 5 | 13 | 89.081 | 13 |
| 23 | 2001 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer | Ricky Craven | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | 3 | 18 | 140.513 | 16 |
| 24 | 2001 Sharpie 500 | Jeff Green | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 16 | 93 | 85.106 | 11 |
| 25 | 2001 Mountain Dew Southern 500 | Kurt Busch | Ward Burton | Dodge | 11 | 51 | 122.773 | 19 |
| 26 | 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 | Jeff Gordon | Ricky Rudd | Ford | 12 | 80 | 95.146 | 8 |
| 27 | 2001 MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400 | Dale Jarrett | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | 11 | 71 | 101.559 | 13 |
| 28 | 2001 Protection One 400 | Jason Leffler | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 13 | 70 | 110.576 | 19 |
| 29 | 2001 UAW-GM Quality 500 | Jimmy Spencer | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | 8 | 40 | 139.006 | 19 |
| 30 | 2001 Old Dominion 500 | Todd Bodine | Ricky Craven | Ford | 13 | 81 | 75.750 | 19 |
| 31 | 2001 EA Sports 500 | Stacy Compton | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | 3 | 16 | 164.185 | 32 |
| 32 | 2001 Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil | Casey Atwood | Jeff Burton | Ford | 7 | 45 | 102.613 | 15 |
| 33 | 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Kenny Wallace | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 2 | 16 | 128.941 | 15 |
| 34 | 2001 Pennzoil Freedom 400 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott | Dodge | 6 | 41 | 117.449 | 19 |
| 35 | 2001 NAPA 500 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 5 | 28 | 151.756 | 23 |
| 36 | 2001 New Hampshire 300 | N/A | Robby Gordon | Chevrolet | 7 | 43 | 103.594 | 10 |
Final Points Standings[]
| Pos. | Driver | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | Points | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 36 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 6 | 5112 | |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | 36 | 3 | 15 | 22 | 0 | 4763 | -349 |
| 3 | Sterling Marlin | 36 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 1 | 4741 | -371 |
| 4 | Ricky Rudd | 36 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 1 | 4706 | -406 |
| 5 | Dale Jarrett | 36 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 4 | 4612 | -500 |
| 6 | Bobby Labonte | 36 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 1 | 4561 | -551 |
| 7 | Rusty Wallace | 36 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 4481 | -631 |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 36 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 4460 | -652 |
| 9 | Kevin Harvick | 35 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 4406 | -706 |
| 10 | Jeff Burton | 36 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 4394 | -718 |
| 11 | Johnny Benson, Jr. | 36 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 4152 | -960 |
| 12 | Mark Martin | 36 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 4095 | -1017 |
| 13 | Matt Kenseth | 36 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 3982 | -1130 |
| 14 | Ward Burton | 36 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3846 | -1266 |
| 15 | Bill Elliott | 36 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 3824 | -1288 |
| 16 | Jimmy Spencer | 36 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 3782 | -1330 |
| 17 | Jerry Nadeau | 36 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 3675 | -1437 |
| 18 | Bobby Hamilton | 36 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3575 | -1537 |
| 19 | Ken Schrader | 36 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3480 | -1632 |
| 20 | Elliott Sadler | 36 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3471 | -1641 |
| 21 | Ricky Craven | 36 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3379 | -1733 |
| 22 | Dave Blaney | 36 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3303 | -1809 |
| 23 | Terry Labonte | 36 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3280 | -1832 |
| 24 | Michael Waltrip | 36 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3159 | -1953 |
| 25 | Robert Pressley | 34 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3156 | -1956 |
| 26 | Casey Atwood | 35 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3132 | -1980 |
| 27 | Kurt Busch | 35 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3081 | -2031 |
| 28 | Joe Nemechek | 31 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2994 | -2118 |
| 29 | Todd Bodine | 35 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2960 | -2152 |
| 30 | Brett Bodine | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2948 | -2164 |
| 31 | John Andretti | 35 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2943 | -2169 |
| 32 | Steve Park | 24 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 2859 | -2253 |
| 33 | Stacy Compton | 34 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2752 | -2360 |
| 34 | Mike Wallace | 29 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2693 | -2419 |
| 35 | Jeremy Mayfield | 28 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2651 | -2461 |
| 36 | Kevin Lepage | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2461 | -2651 |
| 37 | Jason Leffler | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2413 | -2699 |
| 38 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2305 | -2807 |
| 39 | Kenny Wallace | 24 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2054 | -3058 |
| 40 | Mike Skinner | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2029 | -3083 |
| 41 | Buckshot Jones | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1939 | -3173 |
| 42 | Hut Stricklin | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1770 | -3342 |
| 43 | Kyle Petty | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1673 | -3439 |
| 44 | Robby Gordon | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1552 | -3560 |
| 45 | Rick Mast | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1187 | -3925 |
| 46 | Andy Houston | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1123 | -3989 |
| 47 | Bobby Hamilton, Jr. | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 748 | -4364 |
| 48 | Jeff Green | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 539 | -4573 |
| 49 | Ryan Newman | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 497 | -4615 |
| 50 | Boris Said | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 272 | -4840 |
Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.
Rookie of the Year[]
Kevin Harvick won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award for 2001.
| Position | Driver | Points | Race Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 320 | 2 |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | 243 | 0 |
| 3 | Casey Atwood | 232 | 0 |
| 4 | Jason Leffler | 200 | 0 |
| 5 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | 196 | 0 |
| 6 | Andy Houston | 151 | 0 |
Manufacturer Championship[]
With 16 wins, Chevrolet won the manufacturer's championship.[2]
| Position | Make | Points | Race Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet | 248 | 16 |
| 2 | Ford | 217 | 11 |
| 3 | Pontiac | 169 | 5 |
| 4 | Dodge | 158 | 4 |
Other Season Awards[]
- Most Popular Driver: Dale Earnhardt
- True Value Man-Of-The-Year Award: Jeff Gordon
- Gatorade Front Runner Award: Jeff Gordon
- Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Rick Wetzel, Hendrick Motorsports
- 76 Oil Contingency Award: Sterling Marlin
- 76 Gasoline Contingency Award: Jeff Gordon
- Plasti-Kote Quality Finish Award: Robby Loomis, Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon's Crew Chief)
- Bud Pole Award: Jeff Gordon
- Goodyear Tire Award: Jeff Gordon
- Union-76 World Pit Crew Championship: #17 Roush Racing Ford Pit Crew, led by Robbie Reiser[3]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.si.com/more-sports/2011/08/04/impact-ofhansdevice#:~:text=After%20much%20debate%2C%20NASCAR%20finally,in%20safety%20in%20auto%20racing.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090918122005/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2001/data/standings_manufacturer.html
- ↑ The Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guide 2002. 2002. UMI Publications.
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