The 2001 Virginia 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 52nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 8, 2001, Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. Within the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to pass teammate Ricky Rudd to earn his 27th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the top three, Rudd and Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Virginia 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | April 8, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 52nd Annual Virginia 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 70.799 miles per hour (113.940 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 20.126 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | |
| Laps | 130 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| 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
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, April 6, at 11:15 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 10 minutes.[4] Robert Pressley, driving for Jasper Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.055 and an average speed of 94.420 miles per hour (151.954 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 20.055 | 94.420 |
| 2 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.108 | 94.171 |
| 3 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 20.119 | 94.120 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
edithe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 7, at 11:30 EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[4] Jerry Nadeau, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.440 and an average speed of 92.642 miles per hour (149.093 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.440 | 92.642 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.468 | 92.515 |
| 3 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 20.469 | 92.511 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, April 6, 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 20.126 and an average speed of 94.087 miles per hour (151.418 km/h).[8]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Jason Leffler, Hermie Sadler, and Hut Stricklin.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
edit| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 | Dale Jarrett | 1,236 |
|
|
2 | Jeff Gordon | 1,113 (–123) |
|
|
3 | Johnny Benson Jr. | 1,049 (–187) |
 1
|
4 | Sterling Marlin | 1,049 (–187) |
 1
|
5 | Steve Park | 1,039 (–197) |
|
|
6 | Rusty Wallace | 1,008 (–228) |
|
|
7 | Bobby Hamilton | 995 (–241) |
| 3
|
8 | Ricky Rudd | 970 (–266) |
|
|
9 | Bill Elliott | 943 (–293) |
| 2
|
10 | Elliott Sadler | 924 (–312) |
References
edit- ^ Poole, David (April 8, 2001). "Jarrett wins again with fresh tires". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on October 6, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Marty (April 9, 2001). "Rudd loses heartbreaker to Jarrett at Martinsville". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on October 8, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (April 9, 2001). "Jarrett uses late move to capture Virginia 500". The Tampa Tribune. p. 21. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Martinsville 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on December 15, 2003. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 6, 2001. Archived from the original on August 8, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday's `Happy Hour' speeds". That's Racin'. April 7, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved October 5, 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.
- ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (April 6, 2001). "Gordon wins pole for Virginia 500". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
