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2001 Pontiac Excitement 400
Race details
Race 11 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
	The 2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover, with artwork by Garry Hill.
Date	May 5, 2001
Official name	47th Annual Pontiac Excitement 400
Location	Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway
Course	Permanent racing facility; 0.75 mi (1.21 km)
Distance	400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Scheduled Distance	400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Average speed	95.872 miles per hour (154.291 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Mark Martin;
Time	21.667
Most laps led
Driver	Rusty Wallace
Laps	276
Winner
No. 20	Tony Stewart
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 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 47th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 5, 2001, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would hold off the field on the final restart with two to go to win his 10th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.^[1]^[2] To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

The layout of Richmond International Raceway, the venue where the race was at.

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

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	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
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
13	Hermie Sadler	SCORE Motorsports	Chevrolet	Virginia Lottery
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	GEICO Direct
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	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
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	Rubbermaid / Sharpie
99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford	Citgo Supergard
Official entry list

Practice

First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, May 4, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for two hours.^[3] Steve Park, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.580 and an average speed of 125.116 miles per hour (201.355 km/h).^[4]

Pos.	#	Driver	Team	Make	Time	Speed
1	1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	21.580	125.116
2	33	Joe Nemechek	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	21.593	125.041
3	2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing	Ford	21.638	124.780
Full first practice results

Second and final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 4, at 5:50 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.^[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.114 and an average speed of 122.095 miles per hour (196.493 km/h).^[5]

Pos.	#	Driver	Team	Make	Time	Speed
1	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	22.114	122.095
2	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford	22.145	121.924
3	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	22.169	121.792
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 4, at 3:30 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.^[3] 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.^[6]

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.667 and an average speed of 124.613 miles per hour (200.545 km/h).^[7]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Buckshot Jones, Hermie Sadler, and Hut Stricklin.

Full qualifying results

Pos.	#	Driver	Team	Make	Time	Speed
1	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford	21.667	124.613
2	2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing South	Ford	21.670	124.596
3	28	Ricky Rudd	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	21.688	124.493
4	1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	21.763	124.064
5	26	Jimmy Spencer	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	21.764	124.058
6	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	21.781	123.961
7	20	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	21.799	123.859
8	9	Bill Elliott	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	21.815	123.768
9	18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	21.825	123.711
10	22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	21.828	123.694
11	10	Johnny Benson Jr.	MBV Motorsports	Pontiac	21.831	123.677
12	15	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	21.862	123.502
13	32	Ricky Craven	PPI Motorsports	Ford	21.874	123.434
14	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	21.878	123.412
15	40	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge	21.907	123.248
16	45	Kyle Petty	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	21.920	123.175
17	99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford	21.921	123.170
18	11	Brett Bodine	Brett Bodine Racing	Ford	21.931	123.113
19	17	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing	Ford	21.949	123.012
20	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	21.957	122.968
21	36	Ken Schrader	MB2 Motorsports	Pontiac	21.961	122.945
22	50	Rick Mast	Midwest Transit Racing	Chevrolet	21.976	122.861
23	77	Robert Pressley	Jasper Motorsports	Ford	21.979	122.845
24	31	Mike Skinner	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	21.985	122.811
25	27	Kenny Wallace	Eel River Racing	Pontiac	21.988	122.794
26	55	Bobby Hamilton	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	21.992	122.772
27	4	Kevin Lepage	Morgan–McClure Motorsports	Chevrolet	22.006	122.694
28	01	Jason Leffler (R)	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge	22.029	122.566
29	25	Jerry Nadeau	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	22.030	122.560
30	5	Terry Labonte	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	22.040	122.505
31	97	Kurt Busch (R)	Roush Racing	Ford	22.044	122.482
32	29	Kevin Harvick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	22.059	122.399
33	7	Mike Wallace	Ultra Motorsports	Ford	22.080	122.283
34	96	Andy Houston (R)	PPI Motorsports	Ford	22.081	122.277
35	12	Jeremy Mayfield	Penske Racing South	Ford	22.093	122.211
36	21	Elliott Sadler	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	22.096	122.194
Provisionals
37	33	Joe Nemechek	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	22.100	122.172
38	93	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	22.134	121.984
39	43	John Andretti	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	22.170	121.786
40	92	Stacy Compton	Melling Racing	Dodge	22.159	121.847
41	14	Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Pontiac	22.120	122.061
42	19	Casey Atwood (R)	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	22.139	121.957
43	66	Todd Bodine	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	22.217	121.529
Failed to qualify
44	44	Buckshot Jones	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	22.228	121.468
45	13	Hermie Sadler	SCORE Motorsports	Chevrolet	22.327	120.930
46	90	Hut Stricklin	Donlavey Racing	Ford	22.357	120.768
Official qualifying results

Race results

Fin^[8]	St	#	Driver	Team	Make	Laps	Led	Status	Pts	Winnings
1	7	20	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	400	93	running	180	$150,175
2	6	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	400	0	running	170	$133,827
3	2	2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing South	Ford	400	276	running	175	$117,740
4	4	1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	400	0	running	160	$95,493
5	3	28	Ricky Rudd	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	400	27	running	160	$93,297
6	11	10	Johnny Benson Jr.	MBV Motorsports	Pontiac	400	0	running	150	$57,350
7	14	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	400	1	running	151	$75,348
8	19	17	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing	Ford	400	0	running	142	$52,475
9	21	36	Ken Schrader	MB2 Motorsports	Pontiac	400	0	running	138	$61,235
10	9	18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	400	0	running	134	$98,152
11	15	40	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge	400	0	running	130	$62,995
12	42	19	Casey Atwood (R)	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	400	0	running	127	$38,950
13	1	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford	400	3	running	129	$87,126
14	17	99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford	400	0	running	121	$84,521
15	20	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	400	0	running	118	$85,712
16	5	26	Jimmy Spencer	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	399	0	running	115	$55,911
17	32	29	Kevin Harvick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	399	0	running	112	$82,427
18	31	97	Kurt Busch (R)	Roush Racing	Ford	399	0	running	109	$48,650
19	37	33	Joe Nemechek	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	399	0	running	106	$68,195
20	22	50	Rick Mast	Midwest Transit Racing	Chevrolet	398	0	running	103	$39,575
21	10	22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	398	0	running	100	$72,185
22	16	45	Kyle Petty	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	398	0	running	97	$35,725
23	36	21	Elliott Sadler	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	398	0	running	94	$61,215
24	24	31	Mike Skinner	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	398	0	running	91	$70,699
25	33	7	Mike Wallace	Ultra Motorsports	Ford	397	0	running	88	$49,600
26	28	01	Jason Leffler (R)	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates	Dodge	397	0	running	85	$46,400
27	27	4	Kevin Lepage	Morgan–McClure Motorsports	Chevrolet	397	0	running	82	$37,675
28	26	55	Bobby Hamilton	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	396	0	running	79	$45,450
29	40	92	Stacy Compton	Melling Racing	Dodge	396	0	running	76	$37,225
30	43	66	Todd Bodine	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	396	0	running	73	$37,600
31	41	14	Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Pontiac	394	0	running	70	$36,550
32	23	77	Robert Pressley	Jasper Motorsports	Ford	393	0	running	67	$42,000
33	38	93	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	388	0	crash	64	$33,950
34	39	43	John Andretti	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	387	0	running	61	$68,927
35	12	15	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	364	0	running	58	$43,850
36	35	12	Jeremy Mayfield	Penske Racing South	Ford	359	0	running	55	$73,084
37	8	9	Bill Elliott	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	342	0	running	52	$58,473
38	30	5	Terry Labonte	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	329	0	rear end	49	$66,430
39	18	11	Brett Bodine	Brett Bodine Racing	Ford	327	0	running	46	$33,625
40	25	27	Kenny Wallace	Eel River Racing	Pontiac	322	0	engine	43	$33,550
41	29	25	Jerry Nadeau	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	257	0	crash	40	$41,500
42	34	96	Andy Houston (R)	PPI Motorsports	Ford	206	0	engine	37	$33,455
43	13	32	Ricky Craven	PPI Motorsports	Ford	165	0	crash	34	$33,654
Failed to qualify
44		44	Buckshot Jones	Petty Enterprises	Dodge
45		13	Hermie Sadler	SCORE Motorsports	Chevrolet
46		90	Hut Stricklin	Donlavey Racing	Ford
Official race results

Standings after the race

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Dale Jarrett	1,559
	2	Jeff Gordon	1,545 (–14)
1	3	Rusty Wallace	1,497 (–62)
1	4	Johnny Benson Jr.	1,480 (–79)
	5	Sterling Marlin	1,421 (–138)
	6	Ricky Rudd	1,411 (–148)
2	7	Tony Stewart	1,392 (–167)
	8	Steve Park	1,387 (–172)
2	9	Bobby Hamilton	1,309 (–250)
	10	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	1,302 (–257)

References

^ Pearce, Al (May 6, 2001). "Stewart stands tall". Daily Press. p. 4. Retrieved June 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Clarke, Liz (May 6, 2001). "Stewart Takes Richmond". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2001 Richmond 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". ThatsRacin. May 4, 2001. Archived from the original on October 8, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". ThatsRacin. May 4, 2001. Archived from the original on December 15, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 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 (May 4, 2001). "Pole run like old times for Martin". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ "2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.