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.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 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
edit
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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe 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
editThe 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
editThe 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
editQualifying 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
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Kmart special for Gordon". Arizona Republic. June 11, 2001. p. 27. Retrieved June 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. June 8, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday morning practice speeds". ThatsRacin. June 9, 2001. Archived from the original on August 7, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday's 'Happy Hour' speeds". ThatsRacin. June 9, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2001 Kmart 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved June 20, 2022.