|| *Comments on the 2001 Gatorade 125 #1:* View the most recent comment <#10> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. SPENCER posted: 01.26.2006 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow a strong 5th for the driver iut of Berwick 2. Darrell posted: 03.25.2006 - 12:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This win marked Sterling Marlin's return to stardom in NASCAR. 3. Anonymous posted: 11.15.2006 - 11:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, Andy Houston's best ever Cup Series run. 4. Brock posted: 01.26.2007 - 3:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the final lap, Jimmy Spencer made a daring four-wide pass below the line in the tri-oval to grab that 5th place spot. The field was so tight at the finish that Rick Mast missed the Daytona 500 by less than a carlength. Jeff Purvis and Kenny Wallace both qualified for the Daytona 500 in unsponsored cars. Kenny's brother Mike paid $50 to have his name written on the side of his car on a piece of masking tape. Earnhardt nearly won this race, which would have been his first of Speedweeks, but Sterling Marlin, with drafting help from Jerry Nadeau, got a run on Dale and slingshot him on the backstretch on the final lap. Marlin made the exact same maneuver on the final lap of the 500, but Earnhardt successfully blocked it on the backstretch just before his accident. Thus, Marlin was still behind and below Earnhardt when his car broke loose in that final corner. 5. DEIFan16 posted: 08.10.2007 - 3:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) WOO NADEAU :D 6. stricklinfan82 posted: 12.26.2007 - 4:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Purvis and Derrike Cope stay out on a late-race caution flag while the rest of the field pits in a desperate move to try to make the 500. Purvis's gamble paid off while Cope's did not. Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Waltrip were comfortably running 1-2-3 in the late laps until a caution flag bunched up the field for a 1 lap dash to the checkered flag. The new aero package made the leaders sitting ducks and allowed Marlin and Nadeau to draft by them all down the backstretch on the final lap. 7. RaceFanX posted: 01.02.2012 - 9:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owners: #40 Sterling Marlin- Chip Ganassi #25 Jerry Nadeau- Rick Hendrick #3 Dale Earnhardt- Richard Childress #96 Andy Houston- Cal Wells #26 Jimmy Spencer- Travis Carter #24 Jeff Gordon- Rick Hendrick #01 Jason Leffler- Chip Ganassi #51 Jeff Purvis- James Finch #15 Michael Waltrip- Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #19 Casey Atwood- Ray Evernham #27 Kenny Wallace- Jack Birmingham / SPONSOR: Eel River Racing #1 Steve Park- Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #7 Mike Wallace- Jim Smith #44 Buckshot Jones- Petty Enterprises #50 Rick Mast- Hal Hicks / Mike Witter #33 Joe Nemechek- Andy Petree #55 Bobby Hamilton- Andy Petree #37 Derrike Cope- Derrike Cope / Warren Johnson #18 Bobby Labonte- Joe Gibbs #9 Bill Elliott- Ray Evernham #14 Ron Hornaday, Jr.- A.J. Foyt #11 Brett Bodine- Brett Bodine #4 Robby Gordon- Larry McClure #88 Dale Jarrett- Yates Racing #10 Johnny Benson, Jr.- Nelson Bowers #85 Carl Long- Thee Dixon Lap leaders: #40 Marlin- 1 #3 Earnhardt- 19 #24 J. Gordon- 17 #51 Purvis- 2 #15 Waltrip- 3 #9 Elliott- 8 All others- 0 Dale Earnhardt somewhat fittingly brings the #3 home in third place in what would be his final Gatorade 125, much of Earnhardt's legacy at Daytona remains his total dominance of these races during the 1990s. First NASCAR victory for the new Dodge Intrepids which were making their debut during the 2001 Speedweeks. The Mopars would have to wait until the fall race at M.I.S. before they finally scored a points-paying win, again with Marlin at the wheel. 8. RaceFanX posted: 06.04.2013 - 8:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lap leaders: Elliott 1-5, Waltrip 6, Elliott 7-9, J.Gordon 10-20, Earnhardt 21-22, Waltrip 23-24; Earnhardt 24-34, Purvis 35-36, J.Gordon 37-42, Earnhardt 43-49, Marlin 50 9. Maverick11 posted: 02.20.2016 - 3:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Because I had some time on my hands, I decided to watch both 125's in the morning. Like the rest of the 2001 plate races it was exciting race with a ton of passing. To decide the race, there was a one lap shootout with Earnhardt leading them to green. Before the restart zone, he slowed way down, maybe even slower than 50 mph, and then took off. The result was having a huge lead over Gordon but that made him a sitting duck, allowing Marlin to steal the win. The pack went 4 wide at the finish as well. And then in the 2nd duel, Mike Skinner wins over Dale Jr. by .004 seconds and Blaney almost goes into the grass on the final lap, going 5-wide into turn 1. I know that the drivers didn't like it, but you have to admit that 2001 produced some of the best plate racing we've seen in a long time. 10. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.11.2018 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Kenny Wallace had a $50 sponsorship on his car, from none other than older brother Mike. They even put Mikes name and the dollar amount on a piece of tape and stuck it on the quarter panel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: