# 2001 Virginia 500

The 2001 Virginia 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 52nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 8, 2001, Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. Within the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to pass teammate Ricky Rudd to earn his 27th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Rudd and Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

### 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, OmniGrip |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge |
| 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | Eagle One |
| 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 | 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 |
| 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Hills Bros. 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 |

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, April 6, at 11:15 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 10 minutes. Robert Pressley, driving for Jasper Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.055 and an average speed of 94.420 miles per hour (151.954 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 20.055 | 94.420 |
| 2 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.108 | 94.171 |
| 3 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 20.119 | 94.120 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

he final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 7, at 11:30 EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Jerry Nadeau, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.440 and an average speed of 92.642 miles per hour (149.093 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.440 | 92.642 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.468 | 92.515 |
| 3 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 20.469 | 92.511 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, April 6, 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. 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 20.126 and an average speed of 94.087 miles per hour (151.418 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Jason Leffler, Hermie Sadler, and Hut Stricklin.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.126 | 94.087 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 20.146 | 93.994 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.149 | 93.980 |
| 4 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.166 | 93.901 |
| 5 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 20.167 | 93.896 |
| 6 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske Racing South | Ford | 20.187 | 93.803 |
| 7 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.190 | 93.789 |
| 8 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 20.195 | 93.766 |
| 9 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 20.197 | 93.756 |
| 10 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.206 | 93.715 |
| 11 | 50 | Rick Mast | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 20.209 | 93.701 |
| 12 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 20.236 | 93.576 |
| 13 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.238 | 93.567 |
| 14 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 20.239 | 93.562 |
| 15 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.249 | 93.516 |
| 16 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.253 | 93.497 |
| 17 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 20.261 | 93.460 |
| 18 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 20.270 | 93.419 |
| 19 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.275 | 93.396 |
| 20 | 7 | Mike Wallace | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 20.275 | 93.396 |
| 21 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 20.288 | 93.336 |
| 22 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Melling Racing | Dodge | 20.288 | 93.336 |
| 23 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 20.293 | 93.313 |
| 24 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.296 | 93.299 |
| 25 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.300 | 93.281 |
| 26 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 20.326 | 93.161 |
| 27 | 44 | Buckshot Jones | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 20.329 | 93.148 |
| 28 | 27 | Kenny Wallace | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 20.334 | 93.125 |
| 29 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.357 | 93.020 |
| 30 | 96 | Andy Houston (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 20.363 | 92.992 |
| 31 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 20.370 | 92.960 |
| 32 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 20.370 | 92.960 |
| 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 20.371 | 92.956 |
| 34 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 20.399 | 92.828 |
| 35 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.407 | 92.792 |
| 36 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.440 | 92.642 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.504 | 92.353 |
| 38 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 20.449 | 92.601 |
| 39 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.503 | 92.357 |
| 40 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 20.461 | 92.547 |
| 41 | 97 | Kurt Busch (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.522 | 92.272 |
| 42 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.546 | 92.164 |
| 43 | 14 | Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.477 | 92.474 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 01 | Jason Leffler (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 20.497 | 92.384 |
| 45 | 13 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.511 | 92.321 |
| 46 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 20.525 | 92.258 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 13 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 6 | running | 180 | $170,027 |
| 2 | 4 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 50 | running | 175 | $106,047 |
| 3 | 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 128 | running | 170 | $108,596 |
| 4 | 9 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 130 | running | 170 | $77,675 |
| 5 | 31 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 500 | 20 | running | 160 | $67,110 |
| 6 | 25 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 11 | running | 155 | $57,750 |
| 7 | 16 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 0 | running | 146 | $59,200 |
| 8 | 24 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 0 | running | 142 | $90,402 |
| 9 | 21 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 138 | $57,695 |
| 10 | 7 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 134 | $55,625 |
| 11 | 10 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 130 | $71,233 |
| 12 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 6 | running | 132 | $87,427 |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 500 | 58 | running | 129 | $82,415 |
| 14 | 17 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 121 | $63,898 |
| 15 | 22 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Melling Racing | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 118 | $47,586 |
| 16 | 8 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 115 | $67,245 |
| 17 | 30 | 96 | Andy Houston (R) | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 112 | $35,475 |
| 18 | 42 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 109 | $42,140 |
| 19 | 29 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 106 | $63,493 |
| 20 | 26 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 499 | 0 | running | 103 | $49,350 |
| 21 | 37 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 100 | $57,725 |
| 22 | 38 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 499 | 0 | running | 97 | $69,485 |
| 23 | 39 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 94 | $68,780 |
| 24 | 35 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 91 | $42,650 |
| 25 | 32 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 497 | 0 | running | 88 | $44,450 |
| 26 | 14 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 496 | 0 | running | 85 | $32,200 |
| 27 | 43 | 14 | Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 495 | 24 | running | 87 | $35,000 |
| 28 | 18 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 494 | 25 | running | 84 | $31,800 |
| 29 | 34 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 494 | 0 | running | 76 | $34,600 |
| 30 | 6 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske Racing South | Ford | 490 | 0 | running | 73 | $73,184 |
| 31 | 20 | 7 | Mike Wallace | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 489 | 0 | running | 70 | $39,200 |
| 32 | 19 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 488 | 0 | running | 67 | $63,824 |
| 33 | 41 | 97 | Kurt Busch (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 466 | 0 | running | 64 | $38,800 |
| 34 | 15 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 454 | 0 | running | 61 | $76,627 |
| 35 | 40 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 451 | 0 | running | 58 | $65,502 |
| 36 | 23 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 432 | 0 | running | 55 | $30,400 |
| 37 | 28 | 27 | Kenny Wallace | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | 370 | 0 | running | 52 | $30,275 |
| 38 | 27 | 44 | Buckshot Jones | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 350 | 0 | running | 49 | $38,150 |
| 39 | 36 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 268 | 42 | accident | 51 | $74,376 |
| 40 | 5 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 250 | 0 | overheating | 43 | $38,175 |
| 41 | 11 | 50 | Rick Mast | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 232 | 0 | rear end | 40 | $29,850 |
| 42 | 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 155 | 0 | overheating | 37 | $29,625 |
| 43 | 12 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 12 | 0 | engine | 34 | $29,756 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 01 | Jason Leffler (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | 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 | 1,236 |
| | 2 | Jeff Gordon | 1,113 (–123) |
| | 3 | Johnny Benson Jr. | 1,049 (–187) |
| 1 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | 1,049 (–187) |
| 1 | 5 | Steve Park | 1,039 (–197) |
| | 6 | Rusty Wallace | 1,008 (–228) |
| | 7 | Bobby Hamilton | 995 (–241) |
| 3 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 970 (–266) |
| | 9 | Bill Elliott | 943 (–293) |
| 2 | 10 | Elliott Sadler | 924 (–312) |