The 2001 Sharpie 500 was the 24th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 25, 2001, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would control the late stages of the race to win his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third and final victory of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the podium, Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 24 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Sharpie 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | August 25, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 41st Annual Sharpie 500 | ||
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
| Average speed | 85.106 miles per hour (136.965 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 15.515 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 199 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
| Booth Announcers | Doug Rice, Mark Garrow | ||
| Turn Announcers | Chuck Carland | ||
Background
edit
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
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, August 24, at 11:30 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[4] Jeff Green, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.276 and an average speed of 125.609 miles per hour (202.148 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.276 | 125.609 |
| 2 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.336 | 125.117 |
| 3 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 15.406 | 124.549 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, August 24, at 5:45 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[4] Elliott Sadler, driving for Wood Brothers Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.929 and an average speed of 120.460 miles per hour (193.862 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 15.929 | 120.460 |
| 2 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.961 | 120.218 |
| 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 15.981 | 120.068 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, August 24, 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 Green, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.515 and an average speed of 123.674 miles per hour (199.034 km/h).[8]
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (August 25, 2001). "Stewart holds on for Bristol win". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 15, 2001. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (August 26, 2001). "Stewart finally wins at Bristol". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 40. Retrieved July 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Marty (August 27, 2001). "Stewart wins Sharpie 500". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Bristol 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. August 24, 2001. Archived from the original on August 28, 2001. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ "Speeds from Friday's final practice". ThatsRacin. August 24, 2001. Archived from the original on December 15, 2001. Retrieved July 22, 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 (August 24, 2001). "Childress puts pair out front at Bristol". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ "2001 Sharpie 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved July 21, 2022.