The 2001 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fourth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 4, 2001, in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would make a late-race comeback from the back to win his 53rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing and Sterling Marlin of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 UAW-DaimlerChrysler program cover. | |||
| Date | March 4, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 4th Annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 | ||
| Location | North Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 135.546 miles per hour (218.140 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 31.376 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 54 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada outside the Las Vegas city limits and about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, March 2, at 1:20 PM PST, and would last for one hour and 40 minutes.[2] Michael Waltrip of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.477 and an average speed of 171.554 miles per hour (276.089 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 31.477 | 171.554 |
| 2 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.490 | 171.483 |
| 3 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.501 | 171.423 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 3, at 1:45 PM PST, and would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[2] Casey Atwood of Evernham Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.706 and an average speed of 165.107 miles per hour (265.714 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Casey Atwood | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 32.706 | 165.107 |
| 2 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 32.765 | 164.810 |
| 3 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 32.800 | 164.634 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, March 2, at 2:15 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.[2] 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.[5]
Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 31.376 and an average speed of 172.106 miles per hour (276.978 km/h).[6]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Kyle Petty, Brendan Gaughan, Andy Houston, and Rick Mast.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
edit| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
 1
|
1 | Sterling Marlin | 468 |
| 5
|
2 | Jeff Gordon | 433 (–35) |
|
3 | Michael Waltrip | 415 (–53) |
| 8
|
4 | Dale Jarrett | 411 (–57) |
|
|
5 | Steve Park | 401 (–67) |
| 7
|
6 | Johnny Benson Jr. | 394 (–74) |
 1
|
7 | Bill Elliott | 380 (–88) |
| 1
|
8 | Robert Pressley | 363 (–105) |
| 7
|
9 | Tony Stewart | 347 (–121) |
| 1
|
10 | Elliott Sadler | 347 (–121) |
References
edit- ^ Utter, Jim (2001-03-04). "Gordon comes out of nowhere, wins". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2001-12-19. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Las Vegas Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2001-10-21. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2001-10-08. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ "NASCAR- 2001 Las Vegas Practice 2 results". NASCAR. Archived from the original on 2001-12-13. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2001-08-01. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ "rpm.espn.com: Jarrett rolls to the pole in Las Vegas". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ "2001 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-02-21.