2001 Protection One 400
The 2001 Protection One 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on September 30, 2001, at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The race was the 28th of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The race was the inaugural Cup race held at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) track.[3] Jason Leffler from Chip Ganassi Racing won his first career pole position with a qualifying speed of 176.499 miles per hour (284.048 km/h). Penske Racing's Rusty Wallace led the most laps with 117, while Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.[4]
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 28 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 Layout of Kansas Speedway | |||
| Date | September 30, 2001 | ||
| Location | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures of 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds of 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 110.576 mph (177.955 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | |
| Laps | 117 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach, Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 4.7[2] | ||
Due to the September 11 attacks happening earlier in the month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a no-fly zone, prohibiting aircraft from flying within three miles of any sporting event area, which also includes an altitude of 300 feet. To increase security, coolers and large bags were banned from the track, while other items like purses and binoculars were subject to inspection. Meanwhile, in a sense of patriotism after the attacks, Sterling Marlin ran a "God Bless America" paint scheme, which had not been prepared in time for the 2001 MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400 the week before. To support victims of the attacks, Marlin's sponsor Coors Brewing Company donated $10 for every lap completed at the race by Marlin.[4]
Race
The race was filled with caution flags; the first caution flag flew on the first lap, when John Andretti and Ricky Craven made contact in turn 2. A total of 13 caution flags were flown along with 70 laps were run under caution, both track highs,[5] and a red flag stopped the race for eleven minutes.[6] Meanwhile, Wallace dominated the race, leading a race-high 117 laps. However, he was eventually penalized for speeding on the pit road.[7] Gordon then took the lead and held off Ryan Newman for his sixth win of the season, also giving him a 222-point advantage over Ricky Rudd in the championship standings.[8] Rudd, Wallace, and Sterling Marlin closed out the top five.[9]
Results
Top 10 finishers
| Pos[9] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 267 | 53 | 3:37:19 |
| 2 | 17 | 02 | Ryan Newman | Ford | 267 | 0 | +0.413 seconds |
| 3 | 8 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | 267 | 20 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 4 | 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Ford | 267 | 117 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 5 | 19 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | 267 | 1 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 6 | 23 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | 267 | 1 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 7 | 37 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Ford | 267 | 0 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 8 | 7 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 267 | 0 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 9 | 40 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Ford | 267 | 0 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 10 | 21 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Dodge | 267 | 1 | Lead lap under green flag |
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1  |
Jeff Gordon | 4108 | 0 |
| 2 |
Ricky Rudd | 3886 | -222 |
| 3 |
Tony Stewart | 3663 | -445 |
4  |
Sterling Marlin | 3604 | -504 |
5  |
Dale Jarrett | 3580 | -528 |
| 6 |
Rusty Wallace | 3525 | -583 |
| 7 |
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 3498 | -610 |
| 8 |
Kevin Harvick | 3495 | -613 |
| 9 |
Bobby Labonte | 3403 | -705 |
| 10 |
Johnny Benson, Jr. | 3220 | -888 |
References
- Weather information for the 2001 Protection One 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-07-10. Archived 2013-07-13.
- "TV RATINGS 2001". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
- "NASCAR set to debut at Kansas Speedway". CNN Sports Illustrated. 2001-09-26. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- "2001 Protection One 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- Beaver, Dan (2012-10-19). "NASCAR Picks Pack: Kansas". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- "PLUS: AUTO RACING; Gordon Captures Crash-Filled Race". The New York Times. 2001-10-01. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- "NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Look Back: Gordon win takes Kansas by storm in 2001". Kansas Speedway. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- "2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- "2001 Protection One 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
| Previous race: 2001 MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400 |
Winston Cup Series 2001 season |
Next race: 2001 UAW-GM Quality 500 |