2001 Protection One 400

2001 Protection One 400
Race details
Race 28 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
	2001 Protection One 400 program cover
Date	September 30, 2001
Location	Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas
Course	Permanent racing facility; 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance	267 laps, 400 mi (644.542 km)
Weather	Mild with temperatures of 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds of 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed	110.576 mph (177.955 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Jason Leffler;
Time	30.595
Most laps led
Driver	Rusty Wallace
Laps	117
Winner
No. 24	Jeff Gordon
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	4.7

The 2001 Protection One 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on September 30, 2001, at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The race was the 28th of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The race was the inaugural Cup race held at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) track.^[3] Jason Leffler from Chip Ganassi Racing won his first career pole position with a qualifying speed of 176.499 miles per hour (284.048 km/h). Penske Racing's Rusty Wallace led the most laps with 117, while Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.^[4]

Due to the September 11 attacks happening earlier in the month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a no-fly zone, prohibiting aircraft from flying within three miles of any sporting event area, which also includes an altitude of 300 feet. To increase security, coolers and large bags were banned from the track, At the same time, other items like purses and binoculars were subject to inspection. Meanwhile, in the sense of patriotism after the attacks, Sterling Marlin ran a "God Bless America" paint scheme, which had not been prepared in time for the 2001 MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 the week before. To support victims of the attacks, Marlin's sponsor Coors Brewing Company donated $10 for every lap completed at the race by Marlin.^[4]

Entry list

Car^[5]	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Sponsor
1	Kenny Wallace	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	Pennzoil
01	Jason Leffler	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dodge	Cingular Wireless
2	Rusty Wallace	Penske Racing South	Ford	Miller Lite
02	Ryan Newman	Penske Racing South	Ford	Alltel
4	Kevin Lepage	Morgan-McClure Motorsports	Pontiac	Kodak
5	Terry Labonte	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	Kellogg's
6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford	Viagra, Pfizer
7	Mike Wallace	Ultra Motorsports	Ford	NationsRent
8	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	Budweiser
9	Bill Elliott	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	Dodge Dealers, UAW
10	Johnny Benson Jr.	MBV Motorsports	Pontiac	Valvoline MaxLife
11	Brett Bodine	Brett Bodine Racing	Ford	Ralph's
12	Jeremy Mayfield	Penske Racing South	Ford	Mobil 1
14	Ron Hornaday Jr.	A.J. Foyt Racing	Chevrolet	Conseco
15	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	NAPA Auto Parts "We Keep America Running"
17	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing	Ford	DeWalt
18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac	Interstate Batteries
19	Casey Atwood	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge	Dodge Dealers, UAW
20	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	Home Depot
21	Elliott Sadler	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	Motorcraft
22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing	Pontiac	Caterpillar
24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	DuPont Automotive
25	Jerry Nadeau	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	UAW-Delphi
26	Jimmy Spencer	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	Kmart
27	Rick Mast	Eel River Racing	Pontiac	Save-A-Lot
28	Ricky Rudd	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	Texaco, Havoline
29	Kevin Harvick	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	GM Goodwrench
31	Robby Gordon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	Lowe's
32	Ricky Craven	PPI Motorsports	Ford	Tide
33	Joe Nemechek	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	Oakwood Homes
36	Ken Schrader	MB2 Motorsports	Pontiac	Pedigree
40	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dodge	Proud to be an American
43	John Andretti	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	Cheerios
44	Buckshot Jones	Petty Enterprises	Dodge	Georgia-Pacific
45	Kyle Petty	Petty Enterprises	Ford	Sprint
55	Bobby Hamilton	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet	Square D
57	Derrike Cope	Team CLR	Ford	CLR
66	Todd Bodine	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Ford	Kmart Blue Light Special
77	Robert Pressley	Jasper Motorsports	Ford	Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	UPS "We Want to Race the Truck"
90	Hut Stricklin	Donlavey Racing	Ford	Hills Brothers Coffee
92	Stacy Compton	Melling Racing	Dodge	Kodiak
93	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	Amoco
96	Andy Houston	PPI Motorsports	Ford	McDonald's
97	Kurt Busch	Roush Racing	Ford	Sharpie, Rubbermaid
99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford	Citgo Supergard

Qualifying


Pos.^[6]^[7]	Car	Driver	Manufacturer	Time	Avg. Speed (mph)
1	01	Jason Leffler	Dodge	30.595	176.499
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	30.629	176.304
3	9	Bill Elliott	Dodge	30.638	176.252
4	92	Stacy Compton	Dodge	30.656	176.148
5	19	Casey Atwood	Dodge	30.684	175.987
6	10	Johnny Benson Jr.	Pontiac	30.707	175.856
7	20	Tony Stewart	Pontiac	30.753	175.593
8	28	Ricky Rudd	Ford	30.757	175.570
9	32	Ricky Craven	Ford	30.772	175.484
10	18	Bobby Labonte	Pontiac	30.802	175.313
11	2	Rusty Wallace	Ford	30.829	175.160
12	43	John Andretti	Dodge	30.830	175.154
13	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	30.838	175.109
14	26	Jimmy Spencer	Ford	30.854	175.018
15	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	30.862	174.972
16	96	Andy Houston	Ford	30.884	174.848
17	02	Ryan Newman	Ford	30.884	174.848
18	88	Dale Jarrett	Ford	30.892	174.803
19	40	Sterling Marlin	Dodge	30.892	174.803
20	5	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet	30.908	174.712
21	93	Dave Blaney	Dodge	30.943	174.514
22	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	30.950	174.475
23	6	Mark Martin	Ford	30.950	174.475
24	55	Bobby Hamilton	Chevrolet	30.985	174.278
25	25	Jerry Nadeau	Chevrolet	30.990	174.250
26	99	Jeff Burton	Ford	30.991	174.244
27	66	Todd Bodine	Ford	31.000	174.194
28	36	Ken Schrader	Pontiac	31.045	173.941
29	7	Mike Wallace	Ford	31.048	173.924
30	57	Derrike Cope	Ford	31.092	173.678
31	4	Kevin Lepage	Chevrolet	31.099	173.639
32	21	Elliott Sadler	Ford	31.100	173.633
33	44	Buckshot Jones	Dodge	31.133	173.449
34	31	Robby Gordon	Chevrolet	31.142	173.399
35	1	Kenny Wallace	Chevrolet	31.156	173.321
36	22	Ward Burton	Dodge	31.167	173.260
Provisionals
37	77	Robert Pressley	Ford	0.000	0.000
38	12	Jeremy Mayfield	Ford	0.000	0.000
39	33	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	0.000	0.000
40	97	Kurt Busch	Ford	0.000	0.000
41	15	Michael Waltrip	Chevrolet	0.000	0.000
42	11	Brett Bodine	Ford	0.000	0.000
43	90	Hut Stricklin	Ford	0.000	0.000
Failed to qualify
44	27	Rick Mast	Pontiac	31.187	173.149
45	45	Kyle Petty	Dodge	31.208	173.033
46	14	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Pontiac	31.344	172.282

Race recap

The race was filled with caution flags; the first caution flag flew on the first lap when Casey Atwood, John Andretti and Ricky Craven made contact in turn 2. A total of 13 caution flags were flown along with 70 laps were run under caution, both track highs,^[8] and a red flag stopped the race for eleven minutes.^[9] Meanwhile, Wallace dominated the race, leading a race-high 117 laps. However, he was eventually penalized for speeding on the pit road.^[10] Gordon then took the lead and held off Ryan Newman for his sixth win of the season, also giving him a 222-point advantage over Ricky Rudd in the championship standings.^[11] Rudd, Wallace, and Sterling Marlin closed out the top five.^[12]

Results

Fin	St	#	Driver	Make	Team	Sponsor	Laps	Led	Status	Pts	Winnings
1	2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	DuPont Automotive	267	53	running	180	254377
2	17	02	Ryan Newman	Ford	Penske Racing South	Alltel	267	0	running	170	100100
3	8	28	Ricky Rudd	Ford	Robert Yates Racing	Texaco, Havoline	267	20	running	170	138947
4	11	2	Rusty Wallace	Ford	Penske Racing South	Miller Lite	267	117	running	170	130140
5	19	40	Sterling Marlin	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing	Proud to be an American	267	1	running	160	98760
6	23	6	Mark Martin	Ford	Roush Racing	Viagra, Pfizer	267	1	running	155	109551
7	37	77	Robert Pressley	Ford	Jasper Motorsports	Jasper Engines & Transmissions	267	0	running	146	77820
8	7	20	Tony Stewart	Pontiac	Joe Gibbs Racing	The Home Depot	267	0	running	142	76150
9	40	97	Kurt Busch	Ford	Roush Racing	Sharpie, Rubbermaid	267	0	running	138	67700
10	21	93	Dave Blaney	Dodge	Bill Davis Racing	Amoco	267	1	running	139	61580
11	26	99	Jeff Burton	Ford	Roush Racing	Citgo Supergard	267	0	running	130	100046
12	25	25	Jerry Nadeau	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	UAW-Delphi	267	15	running	132	63200
13	31	4	Kevin Lepage	Chevrolet	Morgan-McClure Motorsports	Kodak	267	0	running	124	60111
14	34	31	Robby Gordon	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	Lowe's	267	0	running	121	86024
15	24	55	Bobby Hamilton	Chevrolet	Andy Petree Racing	Square D	267	0	running	118	64300
16	15	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	GM Goodwrench	267	0	running	115	95727
17	35	1	Kenny Wallace	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Pennzoil	266	1	running	117	78843
18	16	96	Andy Houston	Ford	PPI Motorsports	McDonald's	266	0	running	109	52300
19	29	7	Mike Wallace	Ford	Ultra Motorsports	NationsRent	266	0	running	106	64590
20	39	33	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	Andy Petree Racing	Oakwood Homes	266	0	running	103	83870
21	9	32	Ricky Craven	Ford	PPI Motorsports	Tide	265	0	running	100	51900
22	14	26	Jimmy Spencer	Ford	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Kmart	265	0	running	97	62175
23	32	21	Elliott Sadler	Ford	Wood Brothers Racing	Motorcraft	265	0	running	94	68800
24	30	57	Derrike Cope	Ford	Team CLR	CLR	263	0	running	91	47500
25	42	11	Brett Bodine	Ford	Brett Bodine Racing	Ralphs	263	0	running	88	51200
26	28	36	Ken Schrader	Pontiac	MB2 Motorsports	Pedigree	262	0	running	85	58100
27	20	5	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	Kellogg's	258	0	suspension	82	82130
28	1	01	Jason Leffler	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing	Cingular Wireless	256	8	crash	84	59700
29	10	18	Bobby Labonte	Pontiac	Joe Gibbs Racing	Interstate Batteries	246	0	crash	76	98527
30	18	88	Dale Jarrett	Ford	Robert Yates Racing	UPS "We Want to Race the Truck"	246	0	crash	73	91827
31	33	44	Buckshot Jones	Dodge	Petty Enterprises	Georgia-Pacific	245	0	running	70	54100
32	13	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Racing	DeWalt	238	14	crash	72	53900
33	22	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Budweiser	228	3	crash	69	80423
34	4	92	Stacy Compton	Dodge	Melling Racing	Kodiak	202	0	crash	61	45500
35	43	90	Hut Stricklin	Ford	Donlavey Racing	Hills Brothers Coffee	198	0	running	58	45300
36	38	12	Jeremy Mayfield	Ford	Penske Racing South	Mobil 1	192	0	running	55	84384
37	6	10	Johnny Benson Jr.	Pontiac	MBV Motorsports	Valvoline MaxLife	184	0	engine	52	52900
38	41	15	Michael Waltrip	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	NAPA Auto Parts "We Keep America Running"	164	0	crash	49	54700
39	12	43	John Andretti	Dodge	Petty Enterprises	Cheerios	146	0	running	46	79527
40	3	9	Bill Elliott	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge Dealers, UAW	134	33	engine	48	69023
41	36	22	Ward Burton	Dodge	Bill Davis Racing	Caterpillar	67	0	crash	40	77235
42	27	66	Todd Bodine	Ford	Haas-Carter Motorsports	Kmart Blue Light Special	67	0	crash	37	43900
43	5	19	Casey Atwood	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports	Dodge Dealers, UAW	0	0	crash	34	4390\50
Failed to qualify
44		27	Rick Mast	Pontiac	Eel River Racing	Save-A-Lot
45		45	Kyle Petty	Dodge	Petty Enterprises	Sprint
46		14	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Pontiac	A.J. Foyt Racing	Conseco

Standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points	Differential
1	Jeff Gordon	4108	0
2	Ricky Rudd	3886	-222
3	Tony Stewart	3663	-445
4	Sterling Marlin	3604	-504
5	Dale Jarrett	3580	-528
6	Rusty Wallace	3525	-583
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	3498	-610
8	Kevin Harvick	3495	-613
9	Bobby Labonte	3403	-705
10	Johnny Benson Jr.	3220	-888

References

^ Weather information for the 2001 Protection One 400at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-07-10. 2013-07-13.
^ "TV RATINGS 2001". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
^ "NASCAR set to debut at Kansas Speedway". CNN Sports Illustrated. 2001-09-26. Archived from the original on September 28, 2001. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
^ ^a ^b "2001 Protection One 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
^ "2001 Nascar Cup Series Protection One 400 | Motorsport Stats". results.motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ "Starting line up: Kansas". Crash. 2001-09-28. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ "rpm.espn.com: Protection One 400 lineup". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ Beaver, Dan (2012-10-19). "NASCAR Picks Pack: Kansas". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
^ "PLUS: AUTO RACING; Gordon Captures Crash-Filled Race". The New York Times. 2001-10-01. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
^ "NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Look Back: Gordon win takes Kansas by storm in 2001". Kansas Speedway. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
^ "2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
^ "2001 Protection One 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

Previous race: 2001 MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400	Winston Cup Series 2001 season	Next race: 2001 UAW-GM Quality 500

[1] Weather information for the 2001 Protection One 400at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-07-10. 2013-07-13.

[2] "TV RATINGS 2001". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2013-12-27.

[3] "NASCAR set to debut at Kansas Speedway". CNN Sports Illustrated. 2001-09-26. Archived from the original on September 28, 2001. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

[Jayski-4] "2001 Protection One 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

[5] "2001 Nascar Cup Series Protection One 400 | Motorsport Stats". results.motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[6] "Starting line up: Kansas". Crash. 2001-09-28. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[7] "rpm.espn.com: Protection One 400 lineup". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[8] Beaver, Dan (2012-10-19). "NASCAR Picks Pack: Kansas". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

[9] "PLUS: AUTO RACING; Gordon Captures Crash-Filled Race". The New York Times. 2001-10-01. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

[10] "NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Look Back: Gordon win takes Kansas by storm in 2001". Kansas Speedway. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

[11] "2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

[Racing-Reference-12] "2001 Protection One 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-01.

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