The 2001 UAW-GM Quality 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held October 7, 2001 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Sterling Marlin pulled a strong lead over Tony Stewart to capture his second win of the season. In the points race, Jeff Gordon's lead over Ricky Rudd increased his lead by fifteen points.
| 2001 UAW-GM 500 | |
| General info | |
|---|---|
| Series | Winston Cup Series |
| Location | Lowe's Motor Speedway |
| Date | October 7, 2001 |
| Qualifying | |
| Pole Sitter | Jimmy Spencer |
| Pole Speed | 185.147 mph |
| Race Data | |
| Winner | Sterling Marlin |
| Margin of Victory | 6.002 seconds |
| Average Speed | 139.006 mph |
| Cautions | 8 for 40 laps |
| Points Leader | Jeff Gordon (+237) |
Qualifying notes[]
Jimmy Spencer won his final Winston Cup pole position with his 185 mph qualification effort. His teammate Todd Bodine started on the outside pole. Points leader Jeff Gordon started mid-pack in 20th spot.
The following drivers did not qualify for the race: Kyle Petty (#45), Derrike Cope (#57), Jeff Green (#30), Robby Gordon (#31), Buckshot Jones (#44), Frank Kimmel (#46)
Additional race data[]
- Leaders: 9
- Time of race: 3:36:15
- Average Speed: 139.006 mph
- Margin of Victory: 6.002 seconds
- Most Spots Improved: Jeff Burton (+32)
- The race held a patriotic theme all weekend. Country star sang God Bless the USA before the race started, and after winning the race, Marlin carried an American flag on his victory lap. Because United States military forces began their bombing campaign in Afghanistan that day, NASCAR forced Marlin to go straight to victory lane.
- Stuart Kirby made his NASCAR debut in this race. He drove the #75 Combos Ford for Bob Schacht but wrecked early in the race. Jimmie Johnson also made his Winston Cup debut during this event.
- During the weekend of this race, former NASCAR driver Blaise Alexander who originally to make his 3rd cup attempt in this race with #75 Combos Ford for Bob Schacht his first attempt since Atlanta 2000, was killed in an ARCA race at the track. Ironically, Alexander had been Marlin's teammate the previous year in the Busch Series, when both drivers raced for Team SABCO.
Results[]
| Finish | Start | No. | Name | Sponsor | Make | Laps | Laps Lead | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Coors Light | Dodge | 334 | 115 | running |
| 2 | 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot | Pontiac | 334 | 130 | running |
| 3 | 26 | 22 | Ward Burton | Caterpillar | Dodge | 334 | 14 | running |
| 4 | 9 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Budweiser | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running |
| 5 | 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Citgo Supergard | Ford | 334 | 0 | running |
| 6 | 25 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | UPS | Ford | 334 | 0 | running |
| 7 | 24 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Miller Lite | Ford | 334 | 0 | running |
| 8 | 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (R) | GM Goodwrench | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running |
| 9 | 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Viagra/Pfizer | Ford | 334 | 0 | running |
| 10 | 7 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Interstate Batteries | Pontiac | 334 | 0 | running |
| 11 | 1 | 26 | Jimmy Spencer | Kmart | Ford | 334 | 9 | running |
| 12 | 32 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | DeWalt Power Tools | Ford | 334 | 1 | running |
| 13 | 5 | 7 | Kevin Lepage | NationsRent | Ford | 333 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 34 | 36 | Ken Schrader | M&M's | Pontiac | 333 | 0 | running |
| 15 | 18 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Dodge Dealers/UAW | Dodge | 333 | 0 | running |
| 16 | 20 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont Automotive | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running |
| 17 | 2 | 66 | Todd Bodine | Kmart Blue Light Special | Ford | 333 | 37 | running |
| 18 | 21 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | NAPA | Chevrolet | 332 | 0 | running |
| 19 | 4 | 02 | Ryan Newman | Alltel | Ford | 332 | 0 | running |
| 20 | 12 | 33 | Joe Nemechek | Oakwood Homes | Chevrolet | 331 | 3 | running |
| 21 | 19 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Texaco Havoline | Ford | 331 | 0 | running |
| 22 | 43 | 97 | Kurt Busch (R) | Sharpie/Rubbermaid | Ford | 331 | 0 | running |
| 23 | 3 | 1 | Kenny Wallace | Pennzoil | Chevrolet | 331 | 1 | running |
| 24 | 29 | 19 | Casey Atwood (R) | Dodge Dealers/UAW | Dodge | 330 | 0 | running |
| 25 | 28 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Engines | Ford | 330 | 0 | running |
| 26 | 31 | 43 | John Andretti | Cheerios | Dodge | 330 | 0 | running |
| 27 | 42 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Kellogg's | Chevrolet | 329 | 0 | running |
| 28 | 27 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Ralph's/Wells Fargo Financial | Ford | 328 | 0 | running |
| 29 | 30 | 85 | Carl Long | Noopco Paint Remover | Dodge | 328 | 0 | running |
| 30 | 17 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Hills Brothers Coffee | Ford | 328 | 0 | running |
| 31 | 36 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Square D | Chevrolet | 321 | 0 | running |
| 32 | 16 | 92 | Stacy Compton | Levi Garret | Dodge | 302 | 0 | transmission |
| 33 | 23 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton, Jr. | Kodak | Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | engine |
| 34 | 39 | 12 | Mike Wallace | Mobil 1 | Ford | 281 | 0 | engine |
| 35 | 40 | 32 | Ricky Craven | Tide | Ford | 235 | 0 | crash |
| 36 | 11 | 10 | Johnny Benson | Valvoline | Pontiac | 230 | 4 | engine |
| 37 | 38 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Motorcraft | Ford | 223 | 0 | running |
| 38 | 35 | 14 | Ron Hornaday (R) | Conseco | Pontiac | 221 | 0 | engine |
| 39 | 15 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | crash |
| 40 | 10 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | UAW-Delphi | Chevrolet | 167 | 0 | crash |
| 41 | 41 | 93 | Dave Blaney | Amoco | Dodge | 111 | 0 | engine |
| 42 | 22 | 75 | Stuart Kirby | Combos | Ford | 46 | 0 | crash |
| 43 | 33 | 01 | Jason Leffler (R) | Cingular Wireless | Dodge | 44 | 0 | crash |
- (R) - Denotes rookie
External Links[]
Points[]
- Jeff Gordon +237
- Ricky Rudd -237
- Tony Stewart -385
- Sterling Marlin -434
- Dale Jarrett -493
- Rusty Wallace -552
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -565
- Kevin Harvick -586
- Bobby Labonte -686
- Jeff Burton -859