2001 New Hampshire 300

2001 New Hampshire 300

Race details
Race 36 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Date	November 23, 2001 (2001-11-23)
Location	New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.058 mi (1.703 km)
Distance	300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.806 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 51.1 °F (10.6 °C); wind speeds up to 5.1 miles per hour (8.2 km/h)[1]
Average speed	127.48 miles per hour (205.16 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Time	2001 Owner Points as of Richmond
Most laps led
Driver	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	257
Winner
No. 31	Robby Gordon	Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Allen Bestwick Benny Parsons Wally Dallenbach

The 2001 New Hampshire 300 was a NASCAR Winston Cup race held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The race was originally scheduled for September 16, but was postponed to November 23 due to the September 11 attacks of that year.

Summary

NASCAR did not want to cancel the event, but there were no scheduled off weeks from the September 16 date, so NASCAR's only option was November 23–25, the Thanksgiving weekend. The postponement would be a challenge for Goodyear, as they were not expecting a New Hampshire race in November. Goodyear brought a tire they hoped would suit the cold conditions. NBC carried the broadcast live except for the Pacific Coast, which was on tape delay to allow the third hour of Today.

The race saw Robby Gordon, driving the #31 Lowe's Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, pick up his first career win. The race was also known to be the last race to have 42 cars or less until the 2014 Quaker State 400, with both races having 42 cars. 14% of this race was held under caution flag while the average green flag run was considered to be 32 laps.^[2]

It was controversial though, as he and Jeff Gordon, who had been up front all day, to tangle, putting Robby in the lead. Jeff would retaliate under yellow, and was black flagged. This didn't affect Jeff's title hopes, as he had already clinched the title at Atlanta Motor Speedway the week before.

Top ten finishers

1. Robby Gordon – #31
2. Sterling Marlin – #40
3. Bobby Labonte – #18
4. Matt Kenseth – #17
5. Tony Stewart – #20
6. Jerry Nadeau – #25
7. Robert Pressley – #77
8. Brett Bodine – #11
9. Mark Martin – #6
10. Dale Jarrett – #88

Timeline

• Start of race: Jeff Gordon started out with the pole position
• Lap 2: Kevin Harvick took over the lead from Jeff Gordon
• Lap 3: Jeff Gordon took over the lead from Kevin Harvick
• Lap 32: Caution due to a one-car accident; ended on lap 36
• Lap 50: Sterling Marlin took over the lead from Jeff Gordon
• Lap 51: First mandatory NASCAR competition caution; ended on lap 54
• Lap 64: Jeff Gordon took over the lead from Sterling Marlin
• Lap 97: Second mandatory NASCAR competition caution; ended on lap 104
• Lap 129: Ward Burton ended up as the last-place finisher due to engine issues
• Lap 138: Buckshot Jones had a terminal crash; ending his race weekend prematurely
• Lap 142: Caution due to a one-car accident; ended on lap 149
• Lap 201: Caution due to a one-car accident; ended on lap 209
• Lap 259: Bobby Labonte took over the lead from Jeff Gordon
• Lap 268: Ricky Craven had a terminal crash; making him the final DNF of the race
• Lap 273: Caution due to a one-car accident; ended on lap 278
• Lap 274: Sterling Marlin took over the lead from Bobby Labonte
• Lap 281: Robby Gordon took over the lead from Sterling Marlin
• Lap 282: Jeff Gordon took over the lead from Robby Gordon
• Lap 285: Robby Gordon took over the lead from Jeff Gordon
• Lap 286: Caution due to a one-car accident; ended on lap 288
• End of race: Robby Gordon won the event

Standings after the race

References