2001 Daytona 500

The 2001 Daytona 500, the 43rd running of the event, was the first race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule. It was held on February 18, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, consisting of 200 laps and 500 miles on the 2.5-mile (4 km) asphalt tri-oval.

2001 Daytona 500
Race details[1][2]
Race 1 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Date February 18, 2001 (2001-02-18)
Official name Daytona 500 by Dodge
Location Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida, US
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.02336 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather Warm with temperatures reading up to 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 29.92 miles per hour (48.15 km/h)
Average speed 161.783 miles per hour (260.365 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Evernham Motorsports
Time 49.029
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing
Duel 2 Winner Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing
Most laps led
Driver Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing
Laps 53
Winner
No. 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds
Nielsen Ratings 10.0
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Joe Moore and Barney Hall
Turn Announcers Kurt Becker (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Eli Gold (3 & 4)

Bill Elliott won the pole and Michael Waltrip, in his first race in the No. 15 car for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won the race. This was the first Winston Cup victory of his career, coming in his 463rd start, the longest wait for a first win. His teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Rusty Wallace finished third.

On the final lap, a major accident occurred involving Dale Earnhardt Sr, Ken Schrader, and Sterling Marlin. Earnhardt's car crashed head-on into the retaining wall, killing Earnhardt instantly. Three cars were involved in the crash. The race was also marred by an 18-car pile-up on lap 173 that began when Ward Burton made contact with Robby Gordon, sending Tony Stewart flipping twice down the backstretch. After Earnhardt's death - as well as other notable deaths of other drivers in other NASCAR national touring series in previous seasons - NASCAR, implemented rigorous safety improvements in later seasons.

Entry list

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates
Dodge
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Robby Gordon Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford
7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing Ford
14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Racing Pontiac
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac
19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
27 Kenny Wallace Eel River Racing Pontiac
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford
33 Joe Nemechek Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet
36 Ken Schrader MBV Motorsports Pontiac
37 Derrike Cope Qwest Motor Racing Pontiac
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates
Dodge
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge
44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge
50 Rick Mast Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet
51 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Ford
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet
66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
72 Dwayne Leik Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford
80 Morgan Shepherd Hover Motorsports Ford
84 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet
85 Carl Long Mansion Motorsports Ford
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford
92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge
93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge
96 Andy Houston (R) PPI Motorsports Ford
97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford

Race summary

Polesitter Bill Elliott led the field to the green flag, but he only led one lap before Sterling Marlin (the winner of the first 125-mile qualifying race three days earlier) passed him for the lead. On lap 29, Rusty Wallace drove into his pit after his right front tire had suddenly gone flat. NASCAR determined that he had exceeded the pit road speed limit on his way in and he was consequently issued a 15-second penalty. As a result, he went a lap down and attempted to make up for it by skipping the first scheduled pit stop. The first caution came out on lap 48 when Jeff Purvis bounced off the wall between turns 3 & 4. The race restarted and stayed under a long green-flag run that lasted 105 laps, in which Ward Burton led the most. On lap 87, Dale Earnhardt and rookie Kurt Busch made door-to-door contact coming out of turn 4 while battling for fifth place. Earnhardt promptly flipped Busch the bird at 185 mph or, as described by lap-by-lap commentator Mike Joy, he simply was saying "Kurt, you're number 1".[3]

The second caution came out on lap 157 when Busch, trying to pass Joe Nemechek, hit the front stretch wall and slid across the track right through the infield and onto pit road. On lap 167, Steve Park took the lead, only to be passed by his teammate Michael Waltrip on the next lap.

On lap 173, a huge crash eliminated 18 cars in a spectacular fashion. This began when Robby Gordon, coming onto the back straightaway, turned Ward Burton in the outside lane. Burton then hit Tony Stewart, who turned back across the middle of the racetrack, collecting most of the field behind him. Stewart took the worst ride of any driver in that crash, as his car turned against the wall after being hit by Burton, caught a pocket of air, got pushed airborne over Robby Gordon and flipped over twice, and then landed on top of Jason Leffler before coasting to a stop in the infield. Bobby Labonte's hood broke off and got attached to Stewart's car, causing his engine to catch fire. Stewart's vehicle was described as something similar to Richard Petty's rollover crash in the 1988 race. Mark Martin collided first with the outside wall and then got hit by at least two other cars, destroying the rear end of his. Martin managed to limp his car back to pit road and abandon it. Also involved in this crash were Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, Andy Houston, Buckshot Jones, Dale Jarrett (the defending Daytona 500 winner), Jeff Burton, Elliott Sadler, Kenny Wallace, John Andretti, and Jerry Nadeau. Only a few drivers, including Earnhardt; Elliott; Ron Hornaday Jr.; and Ken Schrader, were able to avoid the crash with intact cars. The race was red-flagged for extensive cleanup. When the red flag was over, the race restarted on lap 180, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the lead. Marlin led the next three laps before Waltrip took over again.

With less than two laps remaining, Darrell Waltrip in the Fox Sports booth commented that "Sterling [Marlin] ha[d] beat the front end off of that...that ole Dodge just trying to get around Dale [Earnhardt]." As the white flag waved for the final lap, both Earnhardt and his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were right behind Waltrip. Earnhardt Jr. was in second place in front of his father. Heading into turn 3, Earnhardt, holding third-place, ran in the middle lane of the pack. Marlin, who was behind him on his left, ran in the inside one. R. Wallace drove his navy blue No. 2 Penske Racing Ford directly behind Earnhardt, and Schrader ran in the outside lane driving his yellow No. 36 Pontiac. Just as the field headed into turn 4, Marlin's car made contact with the left rear on Earnhardt's car, causing the black No. 3 to slide off the track's steep banking onto the flat apron. Trying to correct at speed, Earnhardt sharply turned it up the track toward the outside retaining wall. Although it briefly looked as if he was going to avoid hitting the retaining wall, Earnhardt went right into Schrader's path and Schrader rammed into him behind the passenger door causing Earnhardt's car to snap, rapidly changing its angle toward the wall. As Schrader came into contact, Earnhardt crashed into the wall nose-first at an estimated speed of 155–160 mph. Both cars slid down the steep banking off the track and into the infield grass. While this two-car wreck was in progress, drivers were allowed to race to the finish under green flag conditions.

Seconds later, Waltrip (after 462 races without a win) claimed his first Winston Cup victory, with his teammate Earnhardt, Jr. 0.124 seconds behind to finish second. The yellow and checkered flags came out simultaneously as Waltrip crossed the line, locking the rest of the field in their positions at that moment.[4] R. Wallace finished third, Ricky Rudd finished fourth, Elliott (the polesitter) finished fifth, R. Wallace's brother Mike finished sixth, Marlin (who got loose after making contact with Earnhardt) finished seventh, Bobby Hamilton finished eighth, Jeremy Mayfield finished ninth, and outside polesitter Stacy Compton came across the line tenth. Nemechek finished 11th on the lead lap. Earnhardt and Schrader were credited finishing 12th and 13th despite not finishing the race. After crossing the finish line behind his teammate, Earnhardt, Jr. stopped at the site of his father's wreck at turn 3. Earnhardt was extricated from his car and was transported by ambulance to the nearby Halifax Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 5:16 pm EST, reportedly surrounded by his wife Teresa, his team owner and closest friend Richard Childress, and his son Earnhardt, Jr. The official announcement of Earnhardt's death was made at about 7:00 pm EST by NASCAR president Mike Helton. The death of the seven-time Winston Cup Champion largely overshadowed Waltrip's first Winston Cup victory as well as the 18-car crash on lap 173.

Results

Pos Grid Car No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps Led Time/Retired
1 1915Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet200273:05:26
2 68Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet20013+0.124
3 122Rusty WallacePenske RacingFord2000Lead lap under caution
4 3028Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord2000Lead lap under caution
5 19Bill Elliott (W)Evernham MotorsportsDodge2001Lead lap under caution
6 277Mike WallaceUltra MotorsportsFord2000Lead lap under caution
7 340Sterling Marlin (W)Chip Ganassi RacingDodge20039Lead lap under caution
8 3555Bobby HamiltonAndy Petree RacingChevrolet2000Lead lap under caution
9 3812Jeremy MayfieldPenske RacingFord2000Lead lap under caution
10 292Stacy ComptonMelling RacingDodge2000Lead lap under caution
11 3233Joe NemechekAndy Petree RacingChevrolet2000Lead lap under caution
12 73Dale Earnhardt (W)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet19917Contact T4 (fatal)
13 1436Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac1990Contact T4
14 3977Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord1990+1 lap
15 4311Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord1991+1 lap
16 2845Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge1990+1 lap
17 4214Ron Hornaday, Jr. (R)A. J. Foyt RacingPontiac1990+1 lap
18 4021Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord1990+1 lap
19 899Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord1990+1 lap
20 2119Casey Atwood (R)Evernham MotorsportsDodge1980+2 laps
21 1617Matt KensethRoush RacingFord1960+4 laps
22 3188Dale Jarrett (W)Robert Yates RacingFord1861Contact BS
23 1832Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsFord1850+15 laps
24 345Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1840Contact BS
25 2327Kenny WallaceEel River RacingPontiac1840Contact BS
26 431Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet18324+17 laps
27 1126Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord1830+17 laps
28 3310Johnny Benson, Jr.MBV MotorsportsPontiac1810Engine
29 2944Buckshot Jones (R)Petty EnterprisesDodge1810Contact BS
30 1324Jeff Gordon (W)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet17811Contact BS
31 251Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet1772+23 laps
32 525Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1760Contact BS
33 226Mark MartinRoush RacingFord1751Contact BS
34 1501Jason Leffler (R)Chip Ganassi RacingDodge1740Contact BS
35 1022Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingDodge17353Contact BS
36 2420Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac1730Contact BS
37 414Robby GordonMorgan-McClure MotorsportsChevrolet1730Contact BS
38 996Andy Houston (R)PPI MotorsportsFord1730Contact BS
39 3643John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesDodge1730Contact BS
40 3718Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac1733Contact BS
41 2697Kurt Busch (R)Roush RacingFord1690+31 laps
42 2093Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge1350Engine
43 1751Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingFord470Contact FS
Failed to qualify
71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet
66Todd BodineHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord
90Hut StricklinDonlavey RacingFord
50Rick MastMidwest Transit RacingChevrolet
37Derrike Cope (W)Quest Motor RacingPontiac
84Norm Benning (R)Norm Benning RacingChevrolet
85Carl Long (R)Mansion MotorsportsFord
80Morgan ShepherdHover MotorsportsFord
72Dwayne Leik (R)Marcis Auto RacingChevrolet
Sources:[5]

Media

The 2001 Daytona 500 marked the first Cup Series race under NASCAR's new centralized television contracts, which shifted responsibility for NASCAR's media rights from the track owners (which led to events being inconsistently scattered across multiple networks, including long-time rightsholder CBS) to NASCAR itself. NASCAR entered into six-year deals with two broadcasters, Fox Sports and NBC Sports (with NBC sub-licensing cable rights to TNT, and Fox using its then-sister cable network FX), to serve as rightsholders for each respective half of the season in the Winston Cup Series and Busch Series. Fox and NBC alternated rights to the two Daytona race weekends annually.[6]

Mike Joy joined Fox from CBS to continue as lead announcer. Former driver Darrell Waltrip and crew chief Larry McReynolds would join Joy in the booth as analysts. Joy, Waltrip, and McReynolds would consistently remain Fox's on-air team until 2016, when McReynolds became the rules and technical analyst, replaced in the booth by recently retired Jeff Gordon. Darrell Waltrip retired from broadcasting in June 2019, leaving Joy and Gordon as a two-man booth for the 2020 season.[7][8][9]

References

  1. "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  2. "Weather Information for the 2001 Daytona 500". The Old Farmer's Almanac. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. Lap114
  4. Official results of 2001 Daytona 500 on Racing-Reference.info
  5. "2001 Daytona 500 - Racing-Reference.info". Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  6. "The dark day Dale Earnhardt made time stand still at Daytona". Fox Sports. 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  7. "Fox broadcasters look back at 2001 Daytona 500 on Fox". Awful Announcing. 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  8. "For the first time in 47 years, Darrell Waltrip doesn't know what's next". ESPN.com. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  9. "Fox Shifting To Two-Man NASCAR Booth With Joy, Gordon". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
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