The 2001 Dodge/Save Mart 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 13th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 24, 2001, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Sears Point Raceway, a permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 112 laps to complete. In the final stages of the race, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would take an advantage of an angry Robby Gordon, who was focused on lapping Kevin Harvick, and slip by to win his 11th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second of the season. Robby Gordon, who was driving for Ultra Motorsports, would earn a second-place finish. To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish third.
Background
Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International Raceway. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is long; the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to . The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout. In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of .
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMake1Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet01Dorsey SchroederChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord4Kevin LepageMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet04Jason Leffler (R)Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Robby GordonUltra MotorsportsFord8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet9Bill ElliottEvernham MotorsportsDodge10Johnny Benson Jr.MBV MotorsportsPontiac11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord12Jeremy MayfieldPenske Racing SouthFord14Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)A. J. Foyt EnterprisesPontiac15Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet17Matt KensethRoush RacingFord18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac19Casey Atwood (R)Evernham MotorsportsDodge20Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac21Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingDodge24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord27Kenny WallaceEel River RacingPontiac28Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord29Kevin Harvick (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet31Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet32Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsFord33Scott PruettAndy Petree RacingChevrolet36Ken SchraderMBV MotorsportsPontiac40Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge43John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesDodge44Buckshot JonesPetty EnterprisesDodge45Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge55Bobby HamiltonAndy Petree RacingChevrolet66Todd BodineHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord68Anthony LazzaroTWC MotorsportsChevrolet77Boris SaidJasper MotorsportsFord87Ron FellowsNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Brian SimoDonlavey RacingFord92Stacy ComptonMelling RacingDodge93Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge96Andy Houston (R)PPI MotorsportsFord97Kurt Busch (R)Roush RacingFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice The first practice session was held on Friday, June 22, at 10:30 AM PST. The session would last for two hours and 30 minutes. Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:16.648 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1:16.64893.93622Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord1:17.06693.426387Ron FellowsNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.08193.408Full first practice results
Second practice The second practice session was held on Saturday, June 23, at 9:30 AM PST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Ron Fellows, driving for NEMCO Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.421 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed187Ron FellowsNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.42192.998224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.66592.70637Robby GordonUltra MotorsportsFord1:17.68592.682Full second practice results
Final practice The final practice session was held on Saturday, June 23, after the preliminary NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series race. Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.124 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.12493.356287Ron FellowsNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.34893.08632Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord1:17.60992.773Full final practice results
Qualifying Qualifying was held on Friday, June 22, at 2:00 PM PST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a lap time. 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.
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:16.842 and an average speed of .
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Andy Houston, Kenny Wallace, Anthony Lazzaro, and Jason Leffler.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1:16.84293.69922Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord1:17.07493.417320Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac1:17.38793.039418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac1:17.51192.890522Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingDodge1:17.60592.777625Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.68192.68777Robby GordonUltra MotorsportsFord1:17.75692.59785Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1:17.80192.544932Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsFord1:17.83692.5021055Bobby HamiltonAndy Petree RacingChevrolet1:17.93292.3881133Scott PruettAndy Petree RacingChevrolet1:17.98792.3231229Kevin Harvick (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet1:18.01192.2951387Ron FellowsNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet1:18.02292.2821410Johnny Benson Jr.MBV MotorsportsPontiac1:18.02692.2771590Brian SimoDonlavey RacingFord1:18.06292.2341640Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge1:18.07192.2241793Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge1:18.11592.172189Bill ElliottEvernham MotorsportsDodge1:18.12092.1661915Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet1:18.19392.0802017Matt KensethRoush RacingFord1:18.20592.0662143John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesDodge1:18.20792.0632228Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord1:18.27091.9892366Todd BodineHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord1:18.54291.6712431Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet1:18.54991.6622511Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord1:18.56091.6502699Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord1:18.57291.6362721Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord1:18.63191.5672819Casey Atwood (R)Evernham MotorsportsDodge1:18.65391.5412944Buckshot JonesPetty EnterprisesDodge1:18.65491.5403092Stacy ComptonMelling RacingDodge1:18.77591.400314Kevin LepageMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet1:18.82491.3433236Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac1:18.90391.2513345Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge1:19.01991.117341Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet1:19.13790.9813588Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord1:19.16190.9543601Dorsey SchroederChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge1:19.21090.898Provisionals378Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet1:19.26190.839386Mark MartinRoush RacingFord1:21.61188.2233926Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord - -4012Jeremy MayfieldPenske Racing SouthFord1:20.47889.4654197Kurt Busch (R)Roush RacingFord1:35.67175.2584277Boris SaidJasper MotorsportsFord1:19.94790.0604314Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)A. J. Foyt EnterprisesPontiac1:19.41690.662Failed to qualify4496Andy Houston (R)PPI MotorsportsFord1:19.67090.3734527Kenny WallaceEel River RacingPontiac1:19.85590.1634668Anthony LazzaroTWC MotorsportsChevrolet1:19.95390.0534704Jason Leffler (R)Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge1:22.28587.501Official qualifying results
Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1320Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac11211running180$139,875277Robby GordonUltra MotorsportsFord11220running175$114,0353124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet11255running175$129,27742228Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord1120running160$98,847522Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord1120running155$94,7806522Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingDodge1120running150$88,9757418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac1120running146$106,26782699Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord1120running142$93,1869189Bill ElliottEvernham MotorsportsDodge1120running138$74,71310386Mark MartinRoush RacingFord1120running134$96,036114277Boris SaidJasper MotorsportsFord1120running130$64,695121133Scott PruettAndy Petree RacingChevrolet1120running127$77,020132511Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord1121running129$53,811141229Kevin Harvick (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet1120running121$89,877151055Bobby HamiltonAndy Petree RacingChevrolet1120running118$56,85016932Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsFord1120running115$46,300172721Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord1123running117$67,865184314Ron Hornaday Jr. (R)A. J. Foyt EnterprisesPontiac1120running109$44,85019378Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet1120running106$75,718201915Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet1121running108$54,560212017Matt KensethRoush RacingFord1120running100$53,200223345Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge1120running97$40,840234197Kurt Busch (R)Roush RacingFord1120running94$52,205243092Stacy ComptonMelling RacingDodge1120running91$47,100253601Dorsey SchroederChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge1120running88$52,805263588Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord1120running85$85,702273926Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord1121running87$51,740281640Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge1120running79$51,555291410Johnny Benson Jr.MBV MotorsportsPontiac1120running76$51,535302143John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesDodge1110crash73$78,52231625Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1110running70$48,425321793Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge1110running67$40,365332366Todd BodineHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord1110running64$40,340342431Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet1110running61$72,624352944Buckshot JonesPetty EnterprisesDodge1110running5878,2803685Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1100crash55$72,990373236Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac1040running52$48,240381387Ron FellowsNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet10120crash54$40,195394012Jeremy MayfieldPenske Racing SouthFord970running46$79,45940341Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet930running43$66,373412819Casey Atwood (R)Evernham MotorsportsDodge410engine40$40,110421590Brian SimoDonlavey RacingFord300transmission37$40,09043314Kevin LepageMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet20engine34$40,317Official race results
References