The 2001 Kmart 400 was the 14th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 33rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 10, 2001, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would manage to hold off the field on the final restart with four to go to win his 55th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season. The win was also Hendrick Motorsports' 100th NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory.[1][2][3] To fill out the podium, Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, and Sterling Marlin, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, would finish second and third, respectively.

2001 Kmart 400
Race details
Race 14 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2001 Kmart 400 program cover.
The 2001 Kmart 400 program cover.
Date June 10, 2001
Official name 33rd Annual Kmart 400
Location Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2 mi (3.2 km)
Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 134.203 miles per hour (215.979 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 38.247
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 143
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network FX
Announcers Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Michigan International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge Cingular Wireless, Special Olympics
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Lite
02 Ryan Newman (i) Penske Racing South Ford Alltel
4 Kevin Lepage Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford NationsRent
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge, Muhammad Ali
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford RedCell, Ralphs
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford Mobil 1
14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW, Delphi
26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Kmart
27 Kenny Wallace Eel River Racing Pontiac Sauer's, Duke's Mayonnaise
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford Tide
33 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Oakwood Homes
36 Ken Schrader MBV Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge Coors Light
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Sparkle
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Sprint PCS
50 Rick Mast Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet Midwest Transit
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Kmart Blue Light Special
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
84 Shawna Robinson Michael Kranefuss Racing Ford Aaron's
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford Hills Bros. Coffee
92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge Kodiak
93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge Amoco Ultimate
96 Andy Houston (R) PPI Motorsports Ford McDonald's
97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo Supergard
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, June 8, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for two hours.[4] Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.467 and an average speed of 187.173 mph (301.226 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 02 Ryan Newman (i) Penske Racing South Ford 38.467 187.173
2 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 38.469 187.164
3 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 38.473 187.144
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, June 9, at 9:00 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[4] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.913 and an average speed of 185.028 mph (297.774 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.913 185.028
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 39.104 184.124
3 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.133 183.988
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 9, at 10:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[4] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.462 and an average speed of 182.454 mph (293.631 km/h).[7]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 39.462 182.454
2 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 39.534 182.122
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 39.566 181.974
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, June 8, at 3:10 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.[8]

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 38.247 and an average speed of 188.250 miles per hour (302.959 km/h).[9]

Five drivers would fail to qualify: Mike Wallace, Rick Mast, Andy Houston, Stacy Compton, and Kenny Wallace.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.247 188.250
2 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 38.249 188.240
3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.361 187.691
4 93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge 38.365 187.671
5 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 38.372 187.637
6 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 38.405 187.476
7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 38.409 187.456
8 29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.412 187.441
9 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford 38.433 187.339
10 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 38.480 187.110
11 97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford 38.509 186.969
12 02 Ryan Newman (i) Penske Racing South Ford 38.514 186.945
13 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 38.529 186.872
14 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 38.533 186.853
15 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 38.594 186.557
16 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 38.595 186.553
17 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.614 186.461
18 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 38.639 186.340
19 33 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 38.645 186.311
20 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 38.653 186.273
21 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 38.663 186.225
22 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 38.720 185.950
23 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 38.730 185.902
24 44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge 38.750 185.806
25 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 38.753 185.792
26 4 Kevin Lepage Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 38.778 185.672
27 14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 38.778 185.672
28 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 38.780 185.663
29 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 38.784 185.644
30 66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 38.789 185.620
31 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 38.808 185.529
32 84 Shawna Robinson Michael Kranefuss Racing Ford 38.808 185.529
33 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 38.809 185.524
34 19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge 38.822 185.462
35 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 38.825 185.448
36 01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 38.845 185.352
Provisionals
37 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 39.111 184.091
38 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 39.335 183.043
39 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 38.980 184.710
40 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 38.950 184.852
41 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.096 184.162
42 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.864 185.261
43 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 38.851 185.323
Failed to qualify
44 7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford 38.920 184.995
45 50 Rick Mast Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet 38.945 184.876
46 96 Andy Houston (R) PPI Motorsports Ford 39.005 184.592
47 92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge 39.312 183.150
48 27 Kenny Wallace Eel River Racing Pontiac 39.379 182.830
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[10] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 143 running 185 $240,137
2 2 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 3 running 175 $123,257
3 29 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 200 28 running 170 $95,280
4 9 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford 200 0 running 160 $98,814
5 12 02 Ryan Newman (i) Penske Racing South Ford 200 0 running 0 $47,315
6 23 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 200 0 running 150 $57,140
7 13 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 146 $91,286
8 4 93 Dave Blaney Bill Davis Racing Dodge 200 0 running 142 $47,965
9 6 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 200 0 running 138 $71,638
10 8 29 Kevin Harvick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 134 $94,042
11 14 26 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 130 $62,735
12 10 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 200 11 running 132 $53,400
13 25 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 124 $92,317
14 33 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 0 running 121 $57,701
15 31 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 200 10 running 123 $54,040
16 20 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 199 0 running 115 $83,041
17 17 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 0 $38,390
18 21 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 199 0 running 109 $83,117
19 36 01 Jason Leffler (R) Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge 199 0 running 106 $54,080
20 3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 103 $78,014
21 43 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 100 $52,115
22 38 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 97 $48,440
23 16 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 199 0 running 94 $66,333
24 19 33 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 91 $68,060
25 37 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 198 0 running 88 $57,490
26 42 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 85 $71,970
27 22 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 198 0 running 82 $35,990
28 41 25 Jerry Nadeau Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 79 $46,840
29 35 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 198 0 running 76 $45,640
30 34 19 Casey Atwood (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge 198 0 running 73 $39,065
31 26 4 Kevin Lepage Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 70 $37,915
32 27 14 Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 197 0 running 67 $35,340
33 28 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 197 0 running 64 $35,265
34 32 84 Shawna Robinson Michael Kranefuss Racing Ford 197 0 running 61 $35,190
35 5 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 196 0 running 58 $35,115
36 24 44 Buckshot Jones Petty Enterprises Dodge 188 1 engine 60 $43,065
37 15 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 186 0 crash 52 $70,042
38 40 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 184 0 engine 49 $68,040
39 7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 171 4 engine 51 $69,593
40 39 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 156 0 running 43 $52,835
41 18 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 118 0 running 40 $79,940
42 30 66 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 38 0 crash 37 $34,760
43 11 97 Kurt Busch (R) Roush Racing Ford 16 0 crash 34 $42,069
Failed to qualify
44 7 Mike Wallace Ultra Motorsports Ford
45 50 Rick Mast Midwest Transit Racing Chevrolet
46 96 Andy Houston (R) PPI Motorsports Ford
47 92 Stacy Compton Melling Racing Dodge
48 27 Kenny Wallace Eel River Racing Pontiac
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Utter, Jim (June 10, 2001). "Win is Gordon's 55th, Hendrick's 100th". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Packman, Tim (June 10, 2001). "Gordon beats Rudd to the line at Michigan". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 17, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kmart special for Gordon". Arizona Republic. June 11, 2001. p. 27. Retrieved June 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Michigan 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. June 8, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Saturday morning practice speeds". ThatsRacin. June 9, 2001. Archived from the original on August 7, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Saturday's 'Happy Hour' speeds". ThatsRacin. June 9, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Fryer, Jenna (June 8, 2001). "Gordon takes pole, Robinson makes field". ThatsRacin. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 23, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  10. ^ "2001 Kmart 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
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2001 MBNA Platinum 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2001 season
Next race:
2001 Pocono 500