The 2001 Global Crossing at the Glen was the 22nd stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 16th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 12, 2001, at the shortened layout of Watkins Glen International, a 2.454 miles (3.949 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 90 laps to complete. For the final two restarts, Hendrick Motorsports, driver Jeff Gordon would fend off against eventual second-place finisher, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton to win a close race.[1][2] The win was Gordon's 57th career victory and his fifth of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske Racing South, would finish third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Global Crossing at The Glen program cover, featuring Steve Park. | |||
| Date | August 12, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 16th Annual Global Crossing at The Glen | ||
| Location | Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen International | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.454 mi (3.949 km) | ||
| Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Average speed | 89.081 miles per hour (143.362 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 1:11.884 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 30 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.
Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, August 10, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3] Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.714 and an average speed of 122.989 miles per hour (197.932 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:11.714 | 122.989 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 1:11.843 | 122.768 |
| 3 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.959 | 122.570 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, August 11, at 10:45 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.859 and an average speed of 121.056 miles per hour (194.821 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.859 | 121.056 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:12.939 | 120.923 |
| 3 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.948 | 120.908 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, August 11, at 12:10 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes.[3] Ron Fellows, driving for NEMCO Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:13.004 and an average speed of 120.815 miles per hour (194.433 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.004 | 120.815 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:13.144 | 120.584 |
| 3 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.144 | 120.584 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, August 10, at 3:05 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.[7]
Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:11.884 and an average speed of 122.698 miles per hour (197.463 km/h).[8]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Mike Wallace and Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ Packman, Tim (August 13, 2001). "Gordon grabs victory at The Glen". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on October 19, 2001. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Gordon races to record". The Record. August 13, 2001. p. 32. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Watkins Glen Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on October 21, 2001. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. August 10, 2001. Archived from the original on October 8, 2001. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday's early practice speeds". ThatsRacin. August 11, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday's final practice speeds". ThatsRacin. August 11, 2001. Archived from the original on August 22, 2001. Retrieved July 15, 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 (August 10, 2001). "Father knows best, pole winner says". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on October 8, 2001. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "2001 Global Crossing at the Glen - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved July 14, 2022.