2001 Checker Auto Parts 500

The 2001 Checker Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil was the 32nd stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 14th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 28, 2001, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would prevail in a battle against reliever for Jeremy Mayfield, Penske Racing South driver Mike Wallace, to win his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Wallace and Robert Yates Racing driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

Background
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

Entry list

 * (R) denotes rookie driver.

First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, October 26, at 10:25 AM MST. The session would last for one hour and 55 minutes. Kyle Petty, driving for Petty Enterprises, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.467 and an average speed of 131.066 mph.

Second practice
The second session was held on Saturday, October 27, at 10:30 AM MST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.195 and an average speed of 127.682 mph.

Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 27, at 3:30 PM EST. The session would last for one hour. Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.325 and an average speed of 127.096 mph.

Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, October 26, at 2:40 PM MST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. 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.

Casey Atwood, driving for Evernham Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 27.419 and an average speed of 131.296 mph.

Rick Bogart was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results
* Time not available.