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The 2001 New England 300 was the 19th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the ninth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 22, 2001, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. On the final restart with five to go, Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would perform a bump-and-run on teammate Ricky Rudd to pull away and win his 29th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his fourth and final win of the season. Rudd was credited with a third-place finish.[1][2][3] To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 New England 300 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 22, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 9th Annual New England 300 | ||
| Location | Loudon, New Hampshire, New Hampshire International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.058 mi (1.704 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Average speed | 102.131 miles per hour (164.364 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 101,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.905 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 126 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
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First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, July 20, at 10:55 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[4] Ken Schrader, driving for MB2 Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.918 and an average speed of 131.710 miles per hour (211.967 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.918 | 131.710 |
| 2 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.935 | 131.633 |
| 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.937 | 131.624 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 21, at 9:45 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[4] Johnny Benson Jr., driving for MBV Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.416 and an average speed of 129.481 miles per hour (208.379 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.416 | 129.481 |
| 2 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.540 | 128.937 |
| 3 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.596 | 128.693 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 21, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[4] Johnny Benson Jr., driving for MBV Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.362 and an average speed of 129.719 miles per hour (208.762 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.362 | 129.719 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.460 | 129.287 |
| 3 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.483 | 129.186 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
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Qualifying was held on Friday, July 20, at 2:15 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.[4] 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.[8]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.905 and an average speed of 131.770 miles per hour (212.063 km/h).[9]
Mike Bliss was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
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| Fin[10] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 92 | running | 180 | $238,027 |
| 2 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 126 | running | 180 | $147,427 |
| 3 | 14 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 62 | running | 170 | $105,097 |
| 4 | 13 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 160 | $86,160 |
| 5 | 25 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 155 | $77,800 |
| 6 | 5 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 300 | 2 | running | 155 | $77,043 |
| 7 | 35 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 146 | $97,977 |
| 8 | 24 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 3 | running | 147 | $92,077 |
| 9 | 29 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 138 | $78,473 |
| 10 | 22 | 7 | Mike Wallace | Ultra Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 134 | $70,770 |
| 11 | 10 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 1 | running | 135 | $90,296 |
| 12 | 27 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 300 | 13 | running | 132 | $47,250 |
| 13 | 39 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 124 | $53,061 |
| 14 | 19 | 50 | Rick Mast | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 121 | $42,550 |
| 15 | 6 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 118 | $49,150 |
| 16 | 21 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 115 | $54,550 |
| 17 | 37 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 300 | 1 | running | 117 | $58,315 |
| 18 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 109 | $88,626 |
| 19 | 7 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 106 | $56,400 |
| 20 | 31 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 103 | $81,110 |
| 21 | 12 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 100 | $70,523 |
| 22 | 8 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 97 | $53,025 |
| 23 | 17 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 94 | $79,302 |
| 24 | 43 | 44 | Buckshot Jones | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 91 | $52,025 |
| 25 | 36 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 88 | $76,999 |
| 26 | 26 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 85 | $40,525 |
| 27 | 41 | 01 | Jason Leffler (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 299 | 0 | running | 82 | $51,350 |
| 28 | 18 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 79 | $50,200 |
| 29 | 4 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 76 | $51,550 |
| 30 | 42 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 73 | $42,925 |
| 31 | 40 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Melling Racing | Dodge | 298 | 0 | running | 70 | $39,800 |
| 32 | 30 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 67 | $72,405 |
| 33 | 38 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 291 | 0 | crash | 64 | $47,550 |
| 34 | 11 | 14 | Ron Hornaday Jr. (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 258 | 0 | running | 61 | $39,425 |
| 35 | 16 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 255 | 0 | ignition | 58 | $39,300 |
| 36 | 15 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 232 | 0 | crash | 55 | $47,175 |
| 37 | 34 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 228 | 0 | running | 52 | $39,050 |
| 38 | 20 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 224 | 0 | engine | 49 | $38,925 |
| 39 | 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske Racing South | Ford | 211 | 0 | running | 46 | $79,659 |
| 40 | 33 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 165 | 0 | crash | 43 | $56,800 |
| 41 | 28 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 | crash | 40 | $67,020 |
| 42 | 32 | 97 | Kurt Busch (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | overheating | 37 | $46,700 |
| 43 | 23 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 11 | 0 | engine | 34 | $83,791 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 27 | Mike Bliss | Eel River Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
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