The 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 33rd stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 4, 2001, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Nemechek, driving for Andy Petree Racing, managed to dominate the late stages of the race to win his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2][3] The other podium finishers were Kenny Wallace, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and Johnny Benson Jr., driving for MBV Motorsports, who placed second and third respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 33 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | November 4, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 37th Annual Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
| Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Average speed | 128.941 miles per hour (207.510 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Time | 23.668 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | |
| Laps | 196 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
editNorth Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.[4]
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, November 2, at 11:20 AM EST. The session lasted for two hours.[5] Casey Atwood, driving for Evernham Motorsports, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.848 and an average speed of 153.522 miles per hour (247.070 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.848 | 153.522 |
| 2 | 1 | Kenny Wallace | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.865 | 153.413 |
| 3 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.882 | 153.304 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second session was held on Saturday, November 3, at 10:15 AM EST. The session lasted for 45 minutes.[5] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.455 and an average speed of 149.773 miles per hour (241.036 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.455 | 149.773 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 24.618 | 148.720 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 24.662 | 148.662 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, November 3, at 12:00 PM EST. The session lasted 45 minutes.[5] Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.475 and an average speed of 149.589 miles per hour (240.740 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.475 | 149.589 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 24.573 | 148.993 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.601 | 148.823 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, November 2, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver had two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two counted as their official qualifying lap.[5] Positions 1-36 were be decided on time, while positions 37-43 were be based on provisionals. Six spots were awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh was awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needed the provisional, the next team in the owner points would be awarded a provisional.[9]
Kenny Wallace, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won the pole, setting a time of 23.668 and an average speed of 154.690 miles per hour (248.949 km/h).[10]
Rick Mast was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
edit| Fin[11] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 196 | running | 185 | $157,535 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Kenny Wallace | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 393 | 101 | running | 175 | $113,233 |
| 3 | 39 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | running | 165 | $75,350 |
| 4 | 31 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 160 | $103,252 |
| 5 | 4 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 155 | $65,350 |
| 6 | 25 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 393 | 0 | running | 150 | $80,560 |
| 7 | 10 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 17 | running | 151 | $61,075 |
| 8 | 37 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 142 | $75,572 |
| 9 | 19 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 33 | running | 143 | $92,102 |
| 10 | 40 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 134 | $57,375 |
| 11 | 18 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 392 | 0 | running | 130 | $62,685 |
| 12 | 2 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 127 | $50,420 |
| 13 | 41 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 124 | $56,211 |
| 14 | 6 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 121 | $41,700 |
| 15 | 21 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 118 | $75,223 |
| 16 | 15 | 7 | Kevin Lepage | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 115 | $54,590 |
| 17 | 33 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 112 | $43,675 |
| 18 | 38 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 109 | $82,646 |
| 19 | 12 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 106 | $47,900 |
| 20 | 3 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 103 | $44,550 |
| 21 | 14 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 391 | 1 | running | 105 | $46,450 |
| 22 | 5 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 97 | $46,850 |
| 23 | 30 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 94 | $56,550 |
| 24 | 28 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 91 | $80,490 |
| 25 | 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 88 | $81,577 |
| 26 | 17 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 390 | 0 | running | 85 | $46,850 |
| 27 | 23 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 82 | $80,777 |
| 28 | 42 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 79 | $69,780 |
| 29 | 16 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 76 | $69,402 |
| 30 | 35 | 01 | Jason Leffler (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 73 | $42,750 |
| 31 | 32 | 14 | Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 389 | 0 | running | 70 | $34,100 |
| 32 | 20 | 12 | Mike Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 67 | $63,259 |
| 33 | 7 | 71 | Dick Trickle | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | running | 64 | $33,850 |
| 34 | 9 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 61 | $78,076 |
| 35 | 34 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 388 | 0 | running | 58 | $33,600 |
| 36 | 26 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Melling Racing | Dodge | 388 | 0 | running | 55 | $33,550 |
| 37 | 27 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 388 | 0 | running | 52 | $65,824 |
| 38 | 36 | 44 | Buckshot Jones | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 385 | 0 | running | 49 | $41,440 |
| 39 | 11 | 97 | Kurt Busch (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 333 | 45 | engine | 51 | $41,390 |
| 40 | 24 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 314 | 0 | running | 43 | $58,038 |
| 41 | 43 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 270 | 0 | handling | 40 | $33,265 |
| 42 | 29 | 85 | Carl Long | Mansion Motorsports | Dodge | 170 | 0 | crash | 37 | $38,185 |
| 43 | 22 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 7 | 0 | crash | 34 | $32,479 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 90 | Rick Mast | Donlavey Racing | Ford | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Poole, David (November 4, 2001). "Nemechek wins at Rockingham for his 2nd Cup victory". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 19, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ Hinton, Ed (November 5, 2001). "Nemechek cruises". South Florida Sun Sentinel. p. 52. Retrieved August 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Packman, Tim (November 5, 2001). "Nemechek earns long-awaited second win". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 4, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc". Fasttrackracing.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Rockingham 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR - 2001 Rockingham 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR. Archived from the original on December 4, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Speeds from Saturday's first practice". ThatsRacin. November 3, 2001. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday's final practice speeds". ThatsRacin. November 3, 2001. Archived from the original on November 20, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 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.
- ^ Poole, David (November 2, 2001). "Kenny Wallace wins the pole at Rockingham". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 2, 2022.