2001 Dura Lube 400

2001 Dura Lube 400

Race details[1]
Race 2 of 36 in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2001 Dura Lube 400 program cover, featuring a tribute to Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bobby Labonte
Date	February 25 (February 25)–26, 2001
Location	North Carolina Speedway, Richmond County, North Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.637 km)
Distance	393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 71.6 °F (22.0 °C); wind speeds up to 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)[2]
Average speed	111.877 mph
Pole position
Driver	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Time	23.401
Most laps led
Driver	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	180
Winner
No. 1	Steve Park	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Television in the United States
Network	Fox Broadcasting Company/FX
Announcers	Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds
Nielsen Ratings	7.0/10

The 2001 Dura Lube 400 was the second stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on February 25, 2001 but ended on February 26 due to a rain delay at North Carolina Speedway, in Richmond County, North Carolina and was the first race to take place after the death of seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the Daytona 500, and he was commemorated in various ways throughout the race weekend.

The race was delayed for more than 90 minutes before only competing for 52 laps when it was stopped due to rain falling on the race track. The race restarted the next day under sunny conditions. The race was won by Steve Park in the No.1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; this was DEI's first win after Earnhardt's death in the previous race. This was also Kevin Harvick's debut in the Cup Series, as he replaced Earnhardt in the #3 (renumbered 29) Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.