2001 Old Dominion 500

The 2001 Old Dominion 500 was the 30th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 53rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Monday, October 15, 2001, Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 mi permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Ricky Craven, driving for PPI Motorsports, would manage to defend Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett in a close finish to win his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Jarrett and Bill Davis Racing driver Ward Burton would finish second and third, respectively.

Background
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

Entry list

 * (R) denotes rookie driver.

First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, October 12, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.188 and an average speed of 93.798 mph.

Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, October 13, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Mike Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.443 and an average speed of 92.628 mph.

Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 13, at 1:15 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Mike Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.451 and an average speed of 92.592 mph.

During the session, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would wreck after Ricky Rudd sent oil onto the track, sending Burton into the outside turn 1 wall. Burton was forced to start at the rear for the race and transfer to a backup car.

Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, October 12, at 3:05 PM EST. 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.

Todd Bodine, driving for Haas-Carter Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.204 and an average speed of 93.724 mph.

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Carl Long, Kyle Petty, and Frank Kimmel.