| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 36 in the2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2001 Global Crossing at The Glen program cover, featuringSteve Park. | |||
| Date | August 12, 2001 | ||
| Official name | 16th Annual Global Crossing at The Glen | ||
| Location | Watkins Glen, New York,Watkins Glen International | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.454 miles (3.949 km) | ||
| Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Average speed | 89.081 miles per hour (143.362 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 1:11.884 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 30 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick,Benny Parsons,Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The2001 Global Crossing at the Glen was the 22ndstock car race of the2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 16th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, August 12, 2001, at the shortened layout ofWatkins Glen International, a 2.454 miles (3.949 km) permanentroad course layout. The race took the scheduled 90 laps to complete. For the final two restarts,Hendrick Motorsports, driverJeff Gordon would fend off against eventual second-place finisher,Roush Racing driverJeff Burton to win a close race.[1][2] The win was Gordon's 57th career victory and his fifth of the season. To fill out the podium,Jeremy Mayfield, driving forPenske Racing South, would finish third.
Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is anautomobilerace track located inWatkins Glen, New York at the southern tip ofSeneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of theFormula OneUnited States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home toroad racing of nearly every class, including theWorld Sportscar Championship,Trans-Am,Can-Am,NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, theInternational Motor Sports Association and theIndyCar Series.
Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 afterJ.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned byInternational Speedway Corporation.
The first practice session was held on Friday, August 10, at 11:20 AMEST. The session would last for two hours.[3]Ricky Rudd, driving forRobert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.714 and an average speed of 122.989 miles per hour (197.932 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:11.714 | 122.989 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 1:11.843 | 122.768 |
| 3 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.959 | 122.570 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Saturday, August 11, at 10:45 AMEST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3]Jeff Gordon, driving forHendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.859 and an average speed of 121.056 miles per hour (194.821 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.859 | 121.056 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:12.939 | 120.923 |
| 3 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.948 | 120.908 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, August 11, at 12:10 PMEST. The session would last for 50 minutes.[3]Ron Fellows, driving forNEMCO Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:13.004 and an average speed of 120.815 miles per hour (194.433 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 87 | Ron Fellows | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.004 | 120.815 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:13.144 | 120.584 |
| 3 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.144 | 120.584 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Friday, August 10, at 3:05 PMEST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] 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.[7]
Dale Jarrett, driving forRobert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:11.884 and an average speed of 122.698 miles per hour (197.463 km/h).[8]
Two drivers would fail to qualify:Mike Wallace andWally Dallenbach Jr.
| Previous race: 2001 Brickyard 400 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2001 season | Next race: 2001 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer |