Random Recap: The 2001 Dodge SaveMart 350
Welcome to Random Recaps, a weekly feature at From The Marbles. In this space, we’ll recap a random race from the past at the track the where Sprint Cup Series is racing next. This week’s race is the 2001 Dodge SaveMart 350.
Tony Stewart’s best friend on Sunday was Kevin Harvick.
Thanks to Harvick’s persistence in getting his lap back from Robby Gordon, Stewart took advantage and passed both Harvick and Gordon to take the lead with 11 laps to go and went on to win the Dodge SaveMart 350.
Harvick was a lap down to Gordon, the race leader and in between he and Stewart before the caution came out for Ron Fellows’ crash. Harvick had fresher tires than Gordon did and was faster, hounding Gordon at every opportunity. The white car in Gordon’s bumper was a distraction and the battle between the two cars kept Stewart, who was in second, within striking distance.
Then, not long after Fellows hit the wall, Harvick went to pass Gordon in turns 4 and 5. The two made contact and as they slid to the right side of the track, Stewart flew past them both on the left for the lead.
As the caution flag wasn’t official until the leaders crossed the line, Stewart slowed down enough to let Harvick have his lap back before he took the yellow flag.
Stewart then pulled away from Gordon on the race’s final restart with seven laps to go and won by more than 1.7 seconds. It’s his 11th career win.
The race at Sears Point was an opportunity for Gordon. It was his first race in the No. 7 car after he lost his ride in the Morgan-McClure No. 4 after the fifth race of the season. The No. 7 had been driven primarily by Mike Wallace before the series’ first road course race of the year.
Harvick, who was 30th when the race restarted, pitted for fresh tires again and ended up 14th.
Polesitter Jeff Gordon finished third and has a 126-point lead over Dale Jarrett, who finished 26th.
Epilogue: Robby Gordon and Harvick became teammates later that summer. Gordon replaced Mike Skinner in the No. 31 for Richard Childress Racing and won what turned out to be the final race of the year at New Hampshire. The race was delayed because of the terrorist attacks on September 11 and run in November.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
