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2001 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Race details
Race 5 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
	The 2001 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 program cover, featuring Bill Elliott and Ward Burton.
Date	March 18, 2001
Official name	45th Annual Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Location	Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway
Course	Permanent racing facility; 1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance	293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km)
Scheduled Distance	293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km)
Average speed	126.557 miles per hour (203.674 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Jeff Gordon;
Time	Set by 2001 owner's points
Most laps led
Driver	Steve Park
Laps	164
Winner
No. 88	Dale Jarrett
Television in the United States
Network	FOX
Announcers	Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio	Motor Racing Network

The 2001 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 18, 2001, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 293 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to hold off the field on the final restart with seven to go to take his 25th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.^[1]^[2]^[3] To fill out the top three, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Steve Park and Penske Racing South driver Jeremy Mayfield would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Entry list

(R) denotes rookie driver.

#	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
2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing South	Ford	Miller Lite
4	Robby Gordon	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
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	Eel River Racing
28	Ricky Rudd	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	Texaco / Havoline
29	Kevin Harvick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	GM Goodwrench
31	Mike Skinner	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	Lowe's
32	Ricky Craven	PPI Motorsports	Ford	Tide
33	Joe Nemechek	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	Hot Wheels
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 / Route 66
71	Dave Marcis	Marcis Auto Racing	Chevrolet	Realtree
77	Robert Pressley	Jasper Motorsports	Ford	Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	UPS
90	Hut Stricklin	Donlavey Racing	Ford	Hills Brothers 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	Roush Racing
99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford	Citgo Supergard
Official entry list

Practice

First practice

The first practice session was held on Saturday, March 17, at 7:45 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 45 minutes.^[4] Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.787 and an average speed of 165.203 miles per hour (265.868 km/h).^[5]

Pos.	#	Driver	Team	Make	Time	Speed
1	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford	29.787	165.203
2	20	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	29.802	165.009
3	29	Kevin Harvick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	29.843	164.782
Full first practice results

Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 17, after the preliminary 2001 SunCom 200 NASCAR Busch Series race. The session would last for one hour.^[4] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.899 and an average speed of 164.474 miles per hour (264.695 km/h).^[6]

Pos.	#	Driver	Team	Make	Time	Speed
1	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	29.899	164.474
2	1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	30.021	163.805
3	92	Stacy Compton	Melling Racing	Dodge	30.033	163.740
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 17, at 10:40 AM EST.^[4] However, due to intense fog, qualifying was cancelled and the lineup was set by the current 2001 owner's points. Per the NASCAR rules at the time, the first 35 spots were determined by the owner's points standings. Then, the next few positions were given to cars who had won the year before, but had not qualified in the top 35. The rest of the starting lineup was then determined by who had attempted to qualify for the previous four races by order of owner's points. As a result, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would earn the pole.^[7]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis, Andy Houston, and Rick Mast.

Full starting lineup

Pos.	#	Driver	Team	Make
1	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
2	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford
3	29	Kevin Harvick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
4	10	Johnny Benson Jr.	MBV Motorsports	Pontiac
5	40	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge
6	15	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet
7	9	Bill Elliott	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge
8	25	Jerry Nadeau	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
9	2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing South	Ford
10	28	Ricky Rudd	Robert Yates Racing	Ford
11	36	Ken Schrader	MB2 Motorsports	Pontiac
12	55	Bobby Hamilton	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet
13	1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet
14	20	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac
15	31	Mike Skinner	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
16	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet
17	77	Robert Pressley	Jasper Motorsports	Ford
18	5	Terry Labonte	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
19	21	Elliott Sadler	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
20	32	Ricky Craven	PPI Motorsports	Ford
21	22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge
22	33	Joe Nemechek	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet
23	26	Jimmy Spencer	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford
24	14	Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Pontiac
25	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford
26	18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac
27	97	Kurt Busch (R)	Roush Racing	Ford
28	66	Todd Bodine	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford
29	92	Stacy Compton	Melling Racing	Dodge
30	17	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing	Ford
31	11	Brett Bodine	Brett Bodine Racing	Ford
32	19	Casey Atwood (R)	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge
33	93	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge
34	43	John Andretti	Petty Enterprises	Dodge
35	7	Mike Wallace	Ultra Motorsports	Ford
Winners in 2000 who had not otherwise qualified
36	99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford
37	12	Jeremy Mayfield	Penske Racing South	Ford
Cars that attempted all previous races by owner's points
38	4	Robby Gordon	Morgan–McClure Motorsports	Chevrolet
39	44	Buckshot Jones	Petty Enterprises	Dodge
40	01	Jason Leffler (R)	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge
41	27	Kenny Wallace	Eel River Racing	Pontiac
42	90	Hut Stricklin	Donlavey Racing	Ford
43	45	Kyle Petty	Petty Enterprises	Dodge
Failed to qualify
44	71	Dave Marcis	Marcis Auto Racing	Chevrolet
45	96	Andy Houston (R)	PPI Motorsports	Ford
46	50	Rick Mast	Midwest Transit Racing	Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race results

Fin	St	#	Driver	Team	Make	Laps	Led	Status	Pts	Winnings
1	2	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	293	16	running	180	$214,612
2	13	1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	293	164	running	180	$105,173
3	37	12	Jeremy Mayfield	Penske Racing South	Ford	293	0	running	165	$98,049
4	23	26	Jimmy Spencer	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	293	2	running	165	$83,640
5	5	40	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge	293	13	running	160	$68,998
6	34	43	John Andretti	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	293	0	running	150	$86,402
7	4	10	Johnny Benson Jr.	MBV Motorsports	Pontiac	293	25	running	151	$50,670
8	10	28	Ricky Rudd	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	293	0	running	142	$71,187
9	12	55	Bobby Hamilton	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	293	0	running	138	$47,460
10	9	2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing South	Ford	293	0	running	134	$82,170
11	26	18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	293	0	running	130	$90,927
12	21	22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	293	0	running	127	$70,930
13	11	36	Ken Schrader	MB2 Motorsports	Pontiac	293	0	running	124	$51,751
14	3	29	Kevin Harvick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	293	0	running	121	$81,487
15	17	77	Robert Pressley	Jasper Motorsports	Ford	293	0	running	118	$51,870
16	14	20	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	293	0	running	115	$53,735
17	19	21	Elliott Sadler	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	293	0	running	112	$47,265
18	36	99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford	292	0	running	109	$78,216
19	30	17	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing	Ford	292	0	running	106	$43,640
20	8	25	Jerry Nadeau	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	292	0	running	103	$47,170
21	25	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford	292	1	running	105	$76,606
22	33	93	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	292	0	running	97	$34,740
23	7	9	Bill Elliott	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	292	0	running	94	$59,148
24	22	33	Joe Nemechek	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	291	0	running	91	$62,380
25	6	15	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	291	0	running	88	$41,795
26	32	19	Casey Atwood (R)	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	291	0	running	85	$30,685
27	20	32	Ricky Craven	PPI Motorsports	Ford	290	0	running	82	$30,500
28	42	90	Hut Stricklin	Donlavey Racing	Ford	290	0	running	79	$30,345
29	38	4	Robby Gordon	Morgan–McClure Motorsports	Chevrolet	288	0	running	76	$33,140
30	27	97	Kurt Busch (R)	Roush Racing	Ford	288	0	running	73	$41,010
31	41	27	Kenny Wallace	Eel River Racing	Pontiac	287	0	running	70	$29,855
32	35	7	Mike Wallace	Ultra Motorsports	Ford	287	0	running	67	$37,725
33	28	66	Todd Bodine	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	285	0	running	64	$29,545
34	16	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	285	0	running	61	$64,138
35	43	45	Kyle Petty	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	285	0	running	58	$29,285
36	31	11	Brett Bodine	Brett Bodine Racing	Ford	284	0	running	55	$29,155
37	15	31	Mike Skinner	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	281	0	crash	52	$61,374
38	18	5	Terry Labonte	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	280	0	crash	49	$61,655
39	40	01	Jason Leffler (R)	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge	263	0	handling	46	$36,800
40	1	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	228	72	engine	48	$85,052
41	39	44	Buckshot Jones	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	214	0	engine	40	$36,500
42	24	14	Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Pontiac	149	0	crash	37	$28,375
43	29	92	Stacy Compton	Melling Racing	Dodge	113	0	crash	34	$28,267
Failed to qualify
44		71	Dave Marcis	Marcis Auto Racing	Chevrolet
45		96	Andy Houston (R)	PPI Motorsports	Ford
46		50	Rick Mast	Midwest Transit Racing	Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

	Pos	Driver	Points
1	1	Dale Jarrett	756
2	2	Sterling Marlin	691 (–65)
	3	Johnny Benson Jr.	691 (–65)
3	4	Jeff Gordon	661 (–95)
8	5	Steve Park	615 (–141)
3	6	Ricky Rudd	609 (–147)
1	7	Rusty Wallace	606 (–150)
3	8	Michael Waltrip	597 (–159)
3	9	Bill Elliott	589 (–167)
	10	Ken Schrader	585 (–171)

References

^ Poole, David (March 18, 2001). "Jarrett's Ford first at Darlington". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ Thomas, Stephen (March 19, 2001). "Jarrett conquers Darlington, takes points lead". NASCAR. CNN. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ Iacobelli, Pete (March 19, 2001). "Jarrett rallies down stretch to win Dodge Dealers 400". The Tampa Tribune. p. 20. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Darlington 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 14, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ "Saturday morning practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 16, 2001. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ "Saturday's `Happy Hour' practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 16, 2001. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ Poole, David (March 17, 2001). "Fog scuttles Winston Cup qualifying". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2022.