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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 2 miles (3.2 km) 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.[1][2][3] 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.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Dodge/Save Mart 350 program cover. | |||
| Date | June 24, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 13th Annual Dodge/Save Mart 350 | ||
| Location | Sonoma, California, Sears Point Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2 mi (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 112 laps, 224 mi (360.493 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 112 laps, 224 mi (360.493 km) | ||
| Average speed | 75.889 miles per hour (122.132 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:16.841 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 55 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
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Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[4] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[5] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[6]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
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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.[7] 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 93.936 miles per hour (151.175 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.648 | 93.936 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 1:17.066 | 93.426 |
| 3 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:17.081 | 93.408 |
| Full 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.[7] 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 92.998 miles per hour (149.666 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:17.421 | 92.998 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:17.665 | 92.706 |
| 3 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 1:17.685 | 92.682 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 23, after the preliminary NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series race.[7] 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 93.356 miles per hour (150.242 km/h).[10]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:17.124 | 93.356 |
| 2 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:17.348 | 93.086 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 1:17.609 | 92.773 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
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Qualifying was held on Friday, June 22, at 2:00 PM PST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a lap time.[7] 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.[11]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:16.842 and an average speed of 93.699 miles per hour (150.794 km/h).[12]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Andy Houston, Kenny Wallace, Anthony Lazzaro, and Jason Leffler.
Full qualifying results
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