2001 Tropicana 400

The 2001 Tropicana 400 was the 18th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the inaugural running of the event. The race was held on July 15, 2001, in Joliet, Illinois at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5 mile (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would dominate the late stages of the race to win his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Robert Pressley of Jasper Motorsports and Ricky Rudd of Robert Yates Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

Background
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

Entry list

 * (R) denotes rookie driver

First practice
The first practice session was held on Thursday, July 12, at 2:00 PM CST, and would last for an hour and 25 minutes. Bill Elliott of Evernham Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.477 and an average speed of 171.554 mph.

Second practice
The second practice session was held on Thursday, July 12, at 5:05 PM CST, and would last for an hour and 25 minutes. Mark Martin of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.477 and an average speed of 171.554 mph.

Third practice
The third practice session was held on Friday, July 13, at 11:00 AM CST, and would last for an hour and 55 minutes. Todd Bodine of Haas-Carter Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.347 and an average speed of 183.443 mph.

Fourth practice
The fourth practice session was held on Saturday, July 14, at 11:30 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.158 and an average speed of 179.057 mph.

Fifth and final practice
The fifth and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 14, at 1:00 PM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.142 and an average speed of 179.152 mph.

Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, July 13, at 3:05 PM CST. 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 of Haas-Carter Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 29.393 and an average speed of 183.7172 mph.

Four drivers would fail to qualify: Kyle Petty, Dave Marcis, Mike Bliss, and Shawna Robinson.