Official name New Hampshire 300 | ||
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Date November 23, 2001 (2001-November-23) Course Permanent racing facility1.058 mi (1.703 km) Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.806 km) Weather Cold with temperatures approaching 51.1 °F (10.6 °C); wind speeds up to 5.1 miles per hour (8.2 km/h) | ||
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. New Hampshire was the season finale as a result.
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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 No. 31 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.
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 did not affect Jeff's title hopes, as he had already clinched the title at Atlanta Motor Speedway the week before.
Top 10 finishers
- Robby Gordon (No. 31)
- Sterling Marlin (No. 40)
- Bobby Labonte (No. 18)
- Matt Kenseth (No. 17)
- Tony Stewart (No. 20)
- Jerry Nadeau (No. 25)
- Robert Pressley (No. 77)
- Brett Bodine (No. 11)
- Mark Martin (No. 6)
- Dale Jarrett (No. 88)