The 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with the Looney Tunes was the 28th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 8, 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. In a wild finish, Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would battle with Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick in the final laps of the race. Harvick would send Rudd up on the track with 17 to go, but Rudd was eventually able to save the car. Rudd would then later payback Harvick with 7 to go, moving Harvick to win his 22nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] The win was also Robert Yates Racing's 50th victory as an organization.[3] To fill out the podium, Harvick would finish second, and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. would finish third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 program cover, featuring several Looney Tunes sponsored cars. | |||
| Date | September 8, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 44th Annual Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with The Looney Tunes | ||
| 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 | 95.146 miles per hour (153.123 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 21.617 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 276 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Ricky Rudd | 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
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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, September 7, at 11:30 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[4] Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.696 and an average speed of 124.447 miles per hour (200.278 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.696 | 124.447 |
| 2 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.700 | 124.424 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 21.712 | 124.355 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, September 7, at 5:45 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[4] Jeff Green, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.005 and an average speed of 122.699 miles per hour (197.465 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.005 | 122.699 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 22.104 | 122.150 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 22.115 | 122.089 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, September 7, 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.[7]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.617 and an average speed of 124.902 miles per hour (201.010 km/h).[8]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Andy Houston, Hut Stricklin, Hermie Sadler, and Carl Long.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
editReferences
edit- ^ Utter, Jim (September 8, 2001). "Cheap shots vs. love taps". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on December 19, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Red-hot Rudd teaches rookie a lesson". The Daily News Leader. September 10, 2001. p. 11. Retrieved July 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Marty (September 10, 2001). "Rudd beats Harvick, claims Yates' 50th win". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 13, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Richmond 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Friday's early Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. September 7, 2001. Archived from the original on December 19, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Friday's final practice speeds". ThatsRacin. September 7, 2001. Archived from the original on October 8, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 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.
- ^ Utter, Jim (September 7, 2001). "Gordon starts out front, Wallace 2nd". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved July 22, 2022.