|| *Comments on the 2001 Talladega 500:* View the most recent comment <#64> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. tquievryn posted: 01.02.2005 - 6:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In typical Talladega fashion, Bobby Hamilton came from nowhere to win the first caution free race since 1998. Hamilton stormed past Tony Stewart taking the white flag for his last Winston Cup win. Comments: Kurt Busch scored his at-that-time best finish of 3rd. 2. Dave posted: 01.08.2005 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race also featured a record tying 26 different leaders! Over half the field had a chance to be up front. 3. Chicago posted: 05.17.2005 - 1:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) What an outstanding, competitive race. 4. HomeDepot20TS posted: 06.05.2005 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I stood with my legs crossed for the last five laps because I hadn't had a caution to make my own pit stop during the 500 miles. If Tony had won, I probably would've needed a change of clothes. LMAO. Good for Bobby. Would've been a lot better day for me if the Home Depot Pontiac had gone to victory lane but oh well. His day on a plate track is coming. 5. je24go posted: 07.08.2005 - 3:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Hamilton's win catipulted him to fourth in the point stands, but after this race his season fell apart, and he fell to 18th in the final Standings. 6. smoke20ri posted: 04.01.2006 - 3:42 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) I remember Bobby sitting down in Victory Lane while talking to the reporter. He then needed oxygen. Let's all pray that he gets well soon! 7. CanucksAndNASCAR Fan posted: 05.14.2006 - 7:43 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) One of the funnest caution-free races you will ever see. 8. DaleJrfan15 posted: 07.08.2006 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) note that the pole winner finished last!LOL 9. Rusty posted: 07.28.2006 - 9:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great win for Bobby Hamilton, I hope he gets better soon and can race trucks again. 10. Brian posted: 08.01.2006 - 4:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) this was a great race...goes to show you don't need wrecks for an entertaining race...of course damn FOX decided to show this race on tape delay and air the Yankees baseball game instead...damn them LOL 11. racer posted: 08.21.2006 - 5:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wooowww! 29 carson the lead lap at the end of a 500 mile race contending for the win ??? You PROBABLY wont see that with the current areo package 12. Sunoco posted: 09.20.2006 - 6:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of the best races i have ever seen. 13. Darrell posted: 12.15.2006 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "note that the pole winner finished last!LOL" How is that funny? First race race attempt for BAM Racing. 14. biffle16 posted: 01.07.2007 - 2:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (7) If only Biffle were in this race. He would have beat everybody! 15. Matt posted: 01.07.2007 - 11:29 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Final win for the late Bobby Hamilton. 16. BHRfan18 posted: 01.08.2007 - 2:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) I will miss you Mr. Hamilton You are as good as they come 17. Kahne Fan posted: 01.08.2007 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) That is right, Bobby will be missed. He may not of been too successful in Cup but still he kept going. 18. biffle16 posted: 01.08.2007 - 11:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I have never felt so sorry in all my life. Just one day after I posted my comment, Hamilton died. RIP Bobby. And besides, Biffle probably would'nt have done so good anyway. The Roush cars suck on plate tracks. 19. tommy posted: 01.30.2007 - 3:18 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) RIP Bobby. I always thought he was an underrated driver who did the best he could with the equipment he had. I would have loved to see what he could have done for a team like Roush or Hendrick. 20. Jerald Daughtry posted: 04.25.2007 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You were the man Bobby. 1957-2007 21. Mr. Big posted: 09.22.2007 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) What a finish. Talladega sucks now thanks to the new aero packages. 2001's was the best. 22. SK posted: 02.19.2008 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The first Winston Cup race that Kurt Busch ever led. 23. myself posted: 02.28.2008 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This win came out of right field. 24. Anonymous posted: 04.20.2008 - 10:20 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) More like the pole win came out of left field! STACY COMPTON?! How the hell did he qualify so good at the plate races in '01? It just boggles my mind to this day. And he finished 43rd too! 25. Clayton posted: 04.22.2008 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RIP Bobby Hamilton! We miss you!! 26. Mr. Big posted: 05.22.2008 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also kinda funny that 42nd and 43rd (Lepage and Compton)'s sponsors were Kodak and Kodiak, just one letter off. 27. RaceFanX posted: 06.07.2008 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hard to believe, but this was Mark Martin's best finish of 2001. He'd get another 4th later and a 5th at Pocono but that was it, the #6 Ford was just off all year (as was the rest of Roush minus Jeff Burton) 28. RaceFanX posted: 03.30.2009 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the only time Andy Houston led a Cup race 29. 18fan posted: 05.25.2009 - 2:18 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Wasn't Chad Knaus Compton's crew chief. Last 'Dega race until September 2003 not won by Junior and last until April 2004 not won by DEI, even though I think Petree had an alliance with DEI. 30. jr88fan posted: 12.13.2009 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) R.I.P Bobby Hamilton 1957-2007 31. Cooper posted: 03.21.2010 - 8:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) My Favourite race of all-time. I found it amazing that a pack of 30 cars could run 4 sometimes 5 wide, and not make a mistake. I gained a great amount of respect for all 43 drivers who made this such a great race. This is one of a just a few races, that you wish would never end. For some reason I always forgot what happened to Sterling. He had the best car yet finished 23rd. 32. Aaron posted: 03.23.2010 - 1:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ernie Elliott built the engines for Stacy Compton. 33. David posted: 05.13.2010 - 12:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Richard Childress-Andy Petree-Dale Earnhardt Inc were all aligned for the plate races, it was called the "RAD" program. I think they started it around 1999 or so, and it ended when petree's cup team went away at the end of 2002. Great race, lot of lead changes. Sterling Marlin was the class of the field it appeared, but made all the wrong moves late in the race and got shufled way back. I remember andy petree pounding the hood of Hamilton's car as he drove into victory lane. That 55 car did not finish out of the top 5 at talladega with the roof fin/wicker bill package (2nd-Kenny Wallace 10/00, 1st-Hamilton 4/01, 5th-Hamilton 10/01. 34. Rusty posted: 04.13.2011 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stacy Compton's first career Cup pole. He ended up winning the pole for the fall Talladega race in 2001 as well. 35. Rusty posted: 06.26.2011 - 10:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only Cup win for Jimmy Elledge as a crew chief. 36. CBASS posted: 09.29.2012 - 1:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor corrections #6 Viagra #66 Kmart Blue Light Special #45 Sprint PCS #96 McDonald's Drive Thru #20 Home Depot/ Rigid #11 Ralph's/ RedCell Batteries #4 Kodak Max Film #93 Amoco Ultimate #21 Motorcraft Quality Parts #44 Georgia-Pacific Building Products/ Sparkle #40 Brooks & Dunn- "Steers & Stripes"/ Coors #24 Pepsi/ Dupont #71 Team Realtree #12 Mobil 1/ Sony Wega 37. Will posted: 10.29.2012 - 12:29 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "So how did you finish this week?" "Eh, 2 laps down." "That's not that bad. What position were you?" "40th..." -awkward silence- 38. Will posted: 10.29.2012 - 12:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Seriously, though, great job by Bobby. Nice to see a guy like him win. RIP 39. Slash posted: 04.15.2013 - 1:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) A well deserved win for Bobby, even if the race is forgotten. That's sad because it was a great race. Reminds me of the 2005 Talladega race that Dale Jarrett won, it was his last one too. 40. Zackary Shawn posted: 06.07.2013 - 3:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If you didn't find this race exciting just because there wasn't a big crash, you have a hard time defending calling yourself a NASCAR fan. 41. EyeofTheCougar posted: 01.14.2014 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Skinner, finished 29th crossed the finish line I remember less than 4 seconds behind winner Bobby Hamilton.. in a caution-free race. Wow!!!!! 42. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 06.20.2014 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner Updates #27 Jack Birmingham #50 Hal Hicks / Mike Witters 43. mister83 posted: 07.02.2015 - 2:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Hamilton's last win. Rest in Peace. 44. Big Mac Fan posted: 10.20.2015 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Hamilton's last win, RIP. But in other news, how on earth did this go caution free??? An action packed, exciting, and underrated race, and from Bobby blocking all 4 lames for the win and the 4 wide finish for 3rd, I have no idea how there wasn't a huge crash coming to the checkers. 45. Anonymous posted: 10.21.2015 - 7:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Andy Petree always brought stout cars to plate races. Kenny Wallace came up one spot short the previous fall at Talladega in the #55, but Bobby Hamilton gets it done here. 46. Anthony Nagle posted: 11.07.2015 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Fun fact: the last race ever tape-delayed (intentionally) in the New York market. The local FOX affiliates were playing the Yankees-Red Sox game at 1PM that day, and therefore the race aired at approximately 4:30. I saw the "spoilers" on NASCAR.com at about 5PM, and saw what had happened, and didn't see the point in watching the race. Years later on YouTube, that was a grave mistake. Epic race, epic ending, no cautions, a miracle run by 43 drivers. Sterling Marlin whining about the aero package was funny too. Certainly wasn't 1995 anymore. 47. dalesrforever posted: 05.09.2016 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) debut of Jeff Gordon's pepsi car in the cup series 48. Evan posted: 05.10.2016 - 9:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) * Bobby Hamilton won but there were a lot of Earnhardt/Childress connections on the team, Andy Petree was Earnhardt's crew chief. Jimmy Elledge was a member of Earnhardt's pit crew in the late 90's. And the RAD engine partnership of DEI-Childress-Andy Petree which each team shared information at the restrictor plate tracks. * The Pepsi car was run again in 2002, and the car was run in the Busch Series by Jeff Gordon for a few races in 1999 and 2000. * This was pretty much was the last hurrah for the 55 team, they had a few races that were sure wins, Martinsville in the fall and Talladega in the fall, but after 2001 and when they switched to green and black and got rid of that blue and yellow paint job, the team closed up after 2002. * Chad Knaus, of Jimmie Johnson 6 championships fame was Stacy Compton's crew chief for Compton's pole-winning efforts. 49. Chad posted: 03.09.2018 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the post race interview, Hamilton said the drivers gave more room to each other than they ever had at a plate race. On TV it was amazing that they were 3-4 wide so often without contact. All those drivers deserve a lot of praise for their ability and decision making here. Hamilton was wiped, had to sit down during the interview. Another great race in a great season, one of the best seasons in racing history. 50. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 03.10.2018 - 2:07 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Hamilton said the drivers gave more room to each other than they ever had at a plate race. On TV it was amazing that they were 3-4 wide so often without contact. All those drivers deserve a lot of praise for their ability and decision making here." Sadly today this doesn't happen. Drivers today really lack decision making skills. Now I will say for the 2015 Daytona 500 running 3 wide 10 rows deep for 10 laps was sight too behold and fully expect them too crash and didn't. Only Harvick and Busch are still around form this race. I would show every guy in todays NASCAR who drives this race and say "see this how you drive at Dega and Daytona." 51. _Pale_Writer_ posted: 03.10.2018 - 7:36 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) This was an awesome race to watch. Hamilton was a really great old school racer: tough as nails but a very nice guy. He did an awesome job of making the right moves at the right time on this day, and his equipment for this race was strong enough to adequately showcase his talent. Humble as ever, Hamilton was quick to laud praise on his crew, his fellow drivers, and for Dale Sr. for all he had learned from watching Earnhardt work the air on plate tracks. A really class act who left us way too soon. 52. Rider77 posted: 03.10.2018 - 8:11 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) This is one of the most races that got me interested in the sport. I look back fondly on the whole 2001 season, what a great season for racing, of course beyond Daytona. Hamilton would have swept Talladega that season but made one bad move at the end of the EA Sports 500. If he wouldn't have made that move, he or Stewart would have won. Do you guys think the rules package back then contributed to less wrecks? I kinda do, you could get a run yourself without beating the crap out of the car in front of you. After they dissolved the roof blade and big spoiler with the lip, that's when you started hearing about 'slam drafting' and accidents started to increase. 53. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 03.10.2018 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Hamilton would have swept Talladega that season but made one bad move at the end of the EA Sports 500." His move wasn't a bad one, he trying too win the race. B Labonte move was bad. yeah he too was trying too win the race like everyone else but the result of his move was well too be expected. Hindsight is 20/20. 54. Mile501 posted: 11.26.2019 - 9:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just finished re-watching this race, and even though this has been said above, it is worth repeating. There were multiple comments after the race about how much give-and-take there was between drivers, allowing them to have a caution-free Talladega race, with Dale Earnhardt's death a couple of months before likely being on everyone's mind. Sadly, we don't see that kind of give-and-take at Daytona or Talladega anymore. Also worth noting, Chad Knaus was mentioned around the halfway point as he was Stacy Compton's crew chief and Compton was having a shock problem with his car. It's interesting to think about how, when this race aired live, few if any people would have recognized that name--but now, we all know that name quite well. This race featured 27 different leaders--an all-time NASCAR record (unless it's been broken since). 55. Canadianfan posted: 11.26.2019 - 9:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @54 Almost positive one of the tandem races broke it Mile. 56. Ryan posted: 11.26.2019 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @55 The 2010 Aaron's 499 had the most with 29. Harvick put a nasty move on JMac to win the race. 57. Maverick19 posted: 11.26.2019 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In addition the 2008 Fall Talladega race had 28, which was the record until 2010. 58. WardBurtonFan posted: 02.20.2020 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would've liked to seen what could've been if Biffle been given a chance in an Andy Petree car. Andy Petree's equipment could be good and Biffle was talented, I think they would've been something. 59. WardBurtonFan posted: 04.01.2020 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Only Cup Series win Bobby Hamilton achieved on a Sunday afternoon. 60. Iamthedebris posted: 04.01.2020 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @59 Bobby Hamilton's first win came on a Sunday at Phoenix. 61. Joshua posted: 04.02.2020 - 2:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 2001 was so full of stories and developments, both good and bad, that only just now am I noticing something from some 2001 races. A few of the race names, like this one, simply the "Talladega 500", was just the name of the track or state, and then the distance, like they all were up until the 1980s or so. 62. Onion posted: 05.05.2020 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Every single car was capable of holding the lead draft and making moves in this race! When the first few came to pit road on lap 48, the cars trading last place, Jarrett, Benson and B.Bodine were only 3 seconds behind the leader. With reliability also being top tier for the weekend, until lap 110 the last car, polesitter Stacy Compton driving on 3 shocks, was only 1 lap down and as everyone can see, at the end Ken Schrader 2 laps down was the 40th and last finisher. Despite not leading too many laps, Todd Bodine looked to be one of the fastest cars out there, but not for the first and far from the last time that year he couldn't take the top 5/10 he deserved. First he was black flagged for a move below the yellow line, then he blew the engine in the closing laps. 63. Rich posted: 08.25.2020 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Dr. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Jeanne Zelasko were the pit road reporters. Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond were in the Hollywood hotel. 64. Jay posted: 10.07.2020 - 1:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Mike Skinners sponsor was Lowe's/Top Choice Lumber Products. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: