The 2001 season started with lots of enthusiasm and hope for the future. For the first time in over 2 decades Dodge was fielding a car in the sport. Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte was the defending champion and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the hottest prospect in the sport. This all changed on the final lap of the Daytona 500. In what was going to be a storybook ending, 7 time Champion Dale Earnhardt was blocking the pack in order to help two of his drivers to the finish line. This was until while going into turn four when Earnhardt was hooked on accident by Ken Schrader and then collided into the outside retaining wall. Then all fell silent. After the death of Earnhardt his car owner Richard Childress was faced with the tough decision of putting a new driver in the car. So Childress repainted the car and turned the number to 29 and chose 25 year old Kevin Harvick to carry on the legacy.
With dodges re-entry to the sport Ray Evernham started his own team that served as dodges factory team. With veteran Bill Elliott and rookie prospect Casey Atwood everything was looking up for the team.
this one looks rather weird with the 90s style Body, would much rather like a 1988 Scheme pack but this is interesting.
Cars during this time did infact look similar to the body with the bubble rear window and curved front end.
One of the worst single seasons for a "competitive" team. 2001 Petty Motorsports only qualified for 88 of their 107 attempts to start. Scoring only 1 top 5 and 2 top 10s all of which were John Andretti. Petty Enterprises were not living up to Richards Legacy in 2001.
Roger Penske's 2001 Winston Cup Series efforts was a solid enough effort for the season. Rusty Wallace had a decent season scoring a win and 8 top 5's. Jeremy Mayfield was off to a solid season until his performance plummeted and he no longer was welcome due to his performance and relationship with the team. Finally the rookie Ryan Newman started 7 races on a part time schedule and captured then pole in his third start ever.
Bill Davis' 2001 efforts in the cup series were headed by Ward Burton and Dave Blaney, both of which have a long lineage in motorsports. Ward Burton brother of 1994 Rookie of the Year, Jeff Burton and uncle of current cup series regular Harrison Burton. Is also father of Xfinity Series driver Jeb Burton. Dave Blaney brother of Dale Blaney former sprint car driver and basketball player drafted by the L.A Lakers. Is also father of Ryan Blaney who currently drives for Roger Penske in Cup.
In the 2001 season Morgan McClure Motorsports had four separate drivers in the number 4 car. Robby Gordon, Rich Bickle, Bobby Hamilton Jr., and most prominently Kevin Lepage. A native to my home state, Lepage in my opinion is one of the greatest Stock Car drivers ever. The man could wheel a car around short tracks like an absolute animal. Lepage was given opportunities in Cup but never excelled by when he was behind the wheel of a Late Model it was showtime.
The 2001 season was looking to be a fairytale beginning for DEI. A 1,2 finish in the Daytona 500 and the First win of Michael Waltrip's Career. But triumph soon became tragedy, team owner Dale Earnhardt had a fatal accident while blocking for his team. But with heavy hearts DEI plugged on.
Thank you --- Post updated --- Richard Childress' plans going into 2001 were simple. Dale Earnhardt in the 3, Mike Skinner in the 31, with Kevin Harvick driving the 30 in select races. This was until the tragedy that would take place at Daytona in the first race of the season. Originally Richard Childress was so distraught he wanted to completely pull out of all competition. However, he had sponsorship contracts he had to follow so he plugged on. He changed the 3 to 29 and put Kevin Harvick in the car to run double duty in both the Busch Series and Cup. Jeff Green filled in on the races Harvick was supposed to run and Skinner was dished before the season was over because he couldn't perform. Skinner's replacement was Robby Gordon who managed to win the final race of the year.
In 2001 MB2 motorsports fielded cars for both Johnny Benson Jr. and Ken Schrader. Two drivers who are almost impossible to hate and that was the trend of MB2's history. Hiring good clean drivers who could produce decent results and kept their cars in good shape.
Roush Racing in 2001 was a powerhouse team without a doubt. With 4 great cup drivers and Greg Biffle gaining experience in the Busch Series. Roush Racing was set up to dominate the in coming seasons.
Robert Yates Racing had a strong 2001 season. With two experienced winning drivers it was almost guaranteed that RYR would win multiple races. Dale Jarrett's 88 won 4 times and Rudd's 28 won twice. Finishing 4th and 5th respectively.
