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2001 Daytona 500
The 2001 Daytona 500, the 43rd running of the event, was the first race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule. It was held on February 18, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, consisting of 200 laps and 500 miles on the 2.5-mile (4 km) asphalt tri-oval. Bill Elliott won the pole and Michael Waltrip, in his first race in the No. 15 car for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won the race. This was the first points-paying victory of his Winston Cup career, coming in his 463rd start, the longest wait for a first win. His teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 2nd and Rusty Wallace finished 3rd. On the final lap, a fatal accident occurred involving Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ken Schrader, and Sterling Marlin. Earnhardt's car crashed head-on into the retaining wall, killing him. The race was also marred by an 18-car pile-up on lap 173 that began when Ward Burton made contact with Robby Gordon, sending Tony Stewart flipping twice down the backstretch. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three held in Florida, with the annual spring showdown Straight Talk Wireless 400 being held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead south of Miami. From 1988 to 2019, it was one of the four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. The inaugural Daytona 500 was held in 1959 Daytona 500, 1959 coinciding with the opening of the speedway and since 1982 Daytona 500, 1982, it has been the season-opening race of the Cup series. The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse. Championship points awarded are equal to that of any other NASCAR Cup Series race. It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is unique in sports, which tend to have championshi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American stock car racing executive and former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series and Sprint Cup Series (now called NASCAR Cup Series), and also served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in select races during the 2016 season. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential drivers in NASCAR history, helping the sport reach mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. Gordon started his professional racing career in the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Cup Series champion, having ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports Color analyst, analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series (known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series during his time as a driver), most notably driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion (1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1981, 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1982, 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1985). Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, Waltrip won 84 NASCAR Cup Series races throughout his career, including the 1989 Daytona 500, a record five in the Coca-Cola 600 (formerly the World 600) (1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1978, 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1979, 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1985, 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1988, 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1989), and a track and Series record for any driver at Bristol Motor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robby Gordon
Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, International Race of Champions, IROC and the Dakar Rally. While no longer competing in IndyCar and NASCAR racing, he is active in top-tier off road motorsports such as Best in the Desert, BITD, National Off-Road Racing Association, NORRA, and SCORE International. Gordon owns and competes in the Stadium Super Trucks (SST), a series he formed in 2013 and whose championship he won in 2013 and 2014. He also operates the Speed family of brands, which includes the energy drink Speed Energy that has sponsored his racing efforts since 2010. Off-road racing Gordon, the son of off-road racer Bob Gordon (racer), "Baja Bob" Gordon, started out competing in off road racing. He won five consecutive SCORE International off-road class championships from 1986 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Death Of Dale Earnhardt
On the afternoon of February 18, 2001, American stock car racing driver and team owner Dale Earnhardt was involved in a final-lap collision in the 2001 Daytona 500, in which he crashed into a retaining wall after making contact with Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader. He was pronounced dead at Halifax Medical Center a short time later; the cause of death was a basilar skull fracture, which was determined to have killed him instantly. Earnhardt's death was officially pronounced at the nearby Halifax Health, Halifax Medical Center at 5:16 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, EST (22:16 UTC). At the time of the crash, he was 49 years old. His funeral was held four days later at the Calvary Church (Charlotte), Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Earnhardt was the fourth NASCAR driver killed by a basilar skull fracture during an eight-month span, following Adam Petty in May 2000, Kenny Irwin Jr. in July 2000, and Tony Roper (racing driver), Tony Roper in October&nbs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Schrader
Kenneth William Schrader (born May 29, 1955) is an American professional racing driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while also competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 11 Ford Motor Company, Ford for Fast Track Racing. He previously competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as well as the Superstar Racing Experience. He is a first cousin once removed of fellow NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. He races in many racing divisions and has been successful in any division he has stepped into. He owns a dirt late model and dirt open-wheel modified car. Both of these cars, along with his Camping World Truck Series and Auto Racing Club of America, ARCA series cars, are sponsored by Federated Auto Parts. He owns Federated Auto Parts Raceway (formerly I-55 Raceway) in Pevely, Missouri, and is co-owner of Macon Speedway, near Macon, Illinois, along with Kenny Wallace, Tony ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional Stock car racing, stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No.3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "the Intimidator", "the Man in Black" and "Ironhead"; after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series circuit in 1999, Earnhardt was generally known by the retronyms Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Sr. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and was named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers class in 1998. The third child of racing driver Ralph Earnhardt and Martha Earnhardt, he began his career in 1975 in the 1975 World 600, World 600. Earnhardt won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over the course of his 26-year career, including crown jewel victories in four Jack Link's 500 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rusty Wallace
Russell "Rusty" William Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series NASCAR Rookie of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series era, NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. For the accolades over the course of his successful career, Wallace has been inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014) and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010). Racing career Early career Prior to joining the NASCAR circuit, Wallace made a name for himself racing around in Florida, winning a pair of local track championships and more than 200 short track races. In 1979, he won the United States Auto Club's (USAC) USAC Stock Car, Stock Car Rookie of the Year honors, finishing third in points behind A. J. Foyt and Bay Darnell. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster. A third-generation driver, he is the son of the late 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and relative to many former and current drivers in the NASCAR ranks. Since retiring from full-time competition after the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 2017 season, he has competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for his team, JR Motorsports. He became a color commentator for ''NASCAR on NBC'' in 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 2018 after retiring from driving full-time in NASCAR. After his contract with NBC expired after the 2023 season, he left for ''Amazon'' and ''NASCAR on TNT, TNTs new NASCAR coverage in NASCAR's next NASCAR on television and radio, TV contract that begins in 2025. Earnhardt Jr. drove the No. 8 Budweiser-sponsored Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), his father's te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2006), won NASCAR Rookie of the Year">Rookie of the year. The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of NASCAR Cup Series">professional stock car racing in the United States, the 30th modern-era Cup series. It began on February 11, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23, 2001, at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was declared as the series champion for the fourth time in seven years. The season was marred by a two-car collision at the end of the season-opening Daytona 500, which claimed the life of seven-time Series champion Dale Earnhardt. The accident resulted in safety upgrades being instituted. It also was the first year to have a unified television contract with Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and Turner Sports/ TNT broadcasting the season's races; previous seasons saw each racetrack negotiate their own TV coverage, creating a patchwork of broadcast companies covering races throughout the season. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eli Gold
Elias Leo Gold (born December 15, 1953) is an American sportscaster. Gold is best known as the former radio voice for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, along with Tom Roberts, as part of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from 1988 to 2024. He also currently calls college football and NFL games for Sports USA Radio Network, and the games of the Nashville Kats of Arena Football One on local radio. Gold's former jobs include hosting ''NASCAR Live'' on the Motor Racing Network and calling play-by-play for Arena Football League's coverage on TNN and NBC. Biography Gold was born on December 15, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York City. He began his broadcasting career in 1972 as a weekend sports reporter for the Mutual Broadcasting System. Early years Gold called New York home until he was twenty-three. He lost his father when he was very young; he said, "Regretfully, I didn’t know him that well." Gold says that growing up in New York impacted his broadcasting career because ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Bagley
Michael Bagley is an American motorsports commentator who works for the Motor Racing Network. As of the 2025 season, he is the lead commentator for MRN after serving as a turn announcer from 1998 to 2024. He has worked for the radio network since 1992, becoming a turn announcer in 1998. Since 2008, Bagley has been a co-host of the nationally syndicated Sirius XM show ''The Morning Drive'' on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Early years Born in Salisbury, Maryland, Bagley grew up listening to NASCAR races on MRN radio and developed a fascination with the race lap-by-lap calls, "so much so that I used to have a box of Matchbox cars. We had a shag rug in the den and every Sunday I'd plug the radio in, set it on the floor and mat down the rug in the shape of whatever track they were racing at. I would move my Matchbox cars around that makeshift track listening to Barney Hall, Eli Gold, Mike Joy, Jerry Punch, and Ned Jarrett; and became fascinated with NASCAR. At the same time, I also becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
