The2001 New England 300was the 19thstock car raceof the2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Seriesand the ninth iteration of theevent.The race was held on Sunday, July 22, 2001, inLoudon, New Hampshire,atNew Hampshire International Speedway,a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. On the final restart with five to go,Dale Jarrett,driving forRobert Yates Racing,would perform a bump-and-run on teammateRicky Ruddto pull away and win his 29th careerNASCAR Winston Cup Serieswin and his fourth and final win of the season. Rudd was credited with a third-place finish.[1][2][3]To fill out the podium,Jeff Gordon,driving forHendrick Motorsports,would finish second.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 36 in the2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 New England 300 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 22, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 9th Annual New England 300 | ||
| Location | Loudon, New Hampshire,New Hampshire International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.058 mi (1.704 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Average speed | 102.131 miles per hour (164.364 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 101,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.905 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 126 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates 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 | ||
Background
edit
New Hampshire International Speedwayis a 1.058-mile (1.703 km)oval speedwaylocated inLoudon, New Hampshirewhich has hostedNASCARracing annually since the early 1990s, as well as anIndyCarweekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated bySpeedway Motorsports.
Entry list
edit- (R)denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, July 20, at 10:55 AMEST.The session would last for two hours.[4]Ken Schrader,driving forMB2 Motorsports,would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.918 and an average speed of 131.710 miles per hour (211.967 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.918 | 131.710 |
| 2 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.935 | 131.633 |
| 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.937 | 131.624 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, July 21, at 9:45 AMEST.The session would last for 45 minutes.[4]Johnny Benson Jr.,driving forMBV Motorsports,would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.416 and an average speed of 129.481 miles per hour (208.379 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.416 | 129.481 |
| 2 | 29 | Kevin Harvick(R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.540 | 128.937 |
| 3 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.596 | 128.693 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 21, at 11:00 AMEST.The session would last for 45 minutes.[4]Johnny Benson Jr.,driving forMBV Motorsports,would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.362 and an average speed of 129.719 miles per hour (208.762 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.362 | 129.719 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.460 | 129.287 |
| 3 | 29 | Kevin Harvick(R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.483 | 129.186 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, July 20, at 2:15 PMEST.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]
Jeff Gordon,driving forHendrick Motorsports,would win the pole, setting a time of 28.905 and an average speed of 131.770 miles per hour (212.063 km/h).[9]
Mike Blisswas the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
edit| Fin[10] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 92 | running | 180 | $238,027 |
| 2 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 126 | running | 180 | $147,427 |
| 3 | 14 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 62 | running | 170 | $105,097 |
| 4 | 13 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 160 | $86,160 |
| 5 | 25 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 155 | $77,800 |
| 6 | 5 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 300 | 2 | running | 155 | $77,043 |
| 7 | 35 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 146 | $97,977 |
| 8 | 24 | 29 | Kevin Harvick(R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 3 | running | 147 | $92,077 |
| 9 | 29 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 138 | $78,473 |
| 10 | 22 | 7 | Mike Wallace | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 134 | $70,770 |
| 11 | 10 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 1 | running | 135 | $90,296 |
| 12 | 27 | 19 | Casey Atwood(R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 300 | 13 | running | 132 | $47,250 |
| 13 | 39 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 124 | $53,061 |
| 14 | 19 | 50 | Rick Mast | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 121 | $42,550 |
| 15 | 6 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 118 | $49,150 |
| 16 | 21 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 115 | $54,550 |
| 17 | 37 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 300 | 1 | running | 117 | $58,315 |
| 18 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 109 | $88,626 |
| 19 | 7 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 106 | $56,400 |
| 20 | 31 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 103 | $81,110 |
| 21 | 12 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 100 | $70,523 |
| 22 | 8 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 97 | $53,025 |
| 23 | 17 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 94 | $79,302 |
| 24 | 43 | 44 | Buckshot Jones | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 91 | $52,025 |
| 25 | 36 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 88 | $76,999 |
| 26 | 26 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 85 | $40,525 |
| 27 | 41 | 01 | Jason Leffler(R) | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 82 | $51,350 |
| 28 | 18 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 79 | $50,200 |
| 29 | 4 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 76 | $51,550 |
| 30 | 42 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 73 | $42,925 |
| 31 | 40 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Melling Racing | Dodge | 298 | 0 | running | 70 | $39,800 |
| 32 | 30 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 67 | $72,405 |
| 33 | 38 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 291 | 0 | crash | 64 | $47,550 |
| 34 | 11 | 14 | Ron Hornaday Jr.(R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 258 | 0 | running | 61 | $39,425 |
| 35 | 16 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 255 | 0 | ignition | 58 | $39,300 |
| 36 | 15 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 232 | 0 | crash | 55 | $47,175 |
| 37 | 34 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 228 | 0 | running | 52 | $39,050 |
| 38 | 20 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 224 | 0 | engine | 49 | $38,925 |
| 39 | 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske Racing South | Ford | 211 | 0 | running | 46 | $79,659 |
| 40 | 33 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 165 | 0 | crash | 43 | $56,800 |
| 41 | 28 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 | crash | 40 | $67,020 |
| 42 | 32 | 97 | Kurt Busch(R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | overheating | 37 | $46,700 |
| 43 | 23 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 11 | 0 | engine | 34 | $83,791 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 27 | Mike Bliss | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^Poole, David (July 22, 2001)."Tight race ends with points chase tied".ThatsRacin.The Charlotte Observer. Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2001.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^Shaughnessy, Dan (July 22, 2001)."Thoughts of tragedies not totally exhausted".The Boston Globe.p. 46.RetrievedJuly 4,2022– viaNewspapers.
- ^Rodman, Dave (July 25, 2001)."Jarrett gets around Rudd, wins at Loudon".NASCAR.Turner Sports Interactive. Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2002.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^abcd"Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 New Hampshire 1 Race Info Page".Jayski's Silly Season Site.Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2002.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^"Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds".ThatsRacin.July 20, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon December 19, 2001.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^"Saturday's early practice speeds".ThatsRacin.July 21, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon October 8, 2001.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^"Saturday's final practice speeds".ThatsRacin.July 21, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon August 5, 2001.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^"Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page".Jayski's Silly Season Site.Archived fromthe originalon February 5, 2005.RetrievedMarch 3,2022.
- ^Poole, David (July 20, 2001)."Gordon rebounds with a pole-winning run".ThatsRacin.The Charlotte Observer.Archived fromthe originalon December 19, 2001.RetrievedJuly 4,2022.
- ^"2001 New England 300 - The Third Turn".thethirdturn.Retrieved2022-07-04.