2001 BGN Series v2

*to the rear (Larry Foyt wrecked hard in qualifying, Mark Green replaced him and they went to a backup car)
DNQ: #94 Steven Christian, #52 Jason Rudd, #71 Ron Young, #75 Randy Ratliff, #72 A.J. Alsup, #84 Dion Ciccarelli,
#16 Chad Chaffin, #97 Robbie Faggart, #96 Jeff Oakley, #5 Eddie Beahr

WD: #93 Wayman Wittman

Cautions: 8 (39 laps)
Lead Changes: 5 (3 drivers)
Highlights

Other race notes:
-The second wild race in a row had some major ups and downs for some championship contenders, including myself and Kevin Harvick.
-Jimmy Spencer dumped me early, but I fought my way back to a solid third-place finish (I've been getting a lot of those
-Harvick came to the green with a flat tire that cost him two laps. He'd fight tooth and nail for those two laps back and ended up with a respectable 10th. He still lost some of his lead to Greg Biffle, who finished 4th, but overall crisis averted for a team who's luck has come crashing down the past few races.
-Jeff Green dominated the race, never being passed under green in arguably his best race since Las Vegas.
-Jeff Burton hasn't had a great year in BGN. He was running in second with four to go when he got a flat tire to pretty much end his day.
-Bobby Hamilton, Jr. has picked up the pace the past few races, earning another top-10.
-Jamie McMurray had his first top-10 since Nazareth as he looks to return to his early-season form.
-The race was rather chaotic, with eight cautions slowing the pace down, a drastic contrast to the single caution the first Richmond race had. Six cautions were for wrecks, with three in particular resulting in quite a bit of attrition.
-The manufacturer's title is starting to swing Ford's way once again, as their fourth win in five races is bringing them closer to their first title since 1995. Drivers not named Kevin Harvick need to start taking some wins in order for Chevy to keep their lengthy streak alive.
-The ROTY title is also getting ever closer, as it's now merely 3 points, despite Biffle having the edge in driver's points, wins, and top-5s. I've just accumulated enough 2nd and 3rd place finishes to keep my hopes alive thanks to the system.
-A season-high 54 drivers were on the entry list with 53 attempting to qualify, showing some signs of life in a series that lacked it in many events.
-Drivers making their first career starts: Johnny Sauter, Shane Huffman, Josh Richeson.
-Career best finishes: Mark McFarland (24th), Ken Alexander (33rd).
-New team/driver combos: #21/Johnny Sauter (ASA standout, already slated to drive for RCR in 2002 in BGN), #20/Mark McFarland (one-off), #77/Shane Huffman, #14/Mark Green (subbing for Larry Foyt after a qualifying wreck), #6/Josh Richeson (looking to get his feet wet in BGN with the help of his uncle, Brett Bodine), #94/Steven Christian (first attempt for Dodge in BGN), #84/Dion Ciccarelli, #97/Robbie Faggart (is normally the 94 but needed to change numbers due to Christian).
-Teams scaling back after this race: #35 (skipping 2002 to focus on 2003).

Positions 37-43 are reordered based on provisionals, their actual times are listed here.
*to the rear

DNQ: #91 Stanton Barrett, #16 Chad Chaffin, #94 Rick Markle, #85 Jason Rudd

Cautions: 1 (4 laps)
Lead Changes: 5 (4 drivers)
Highlights

Other race notes:
-I dominated the race thanks entirely to track position, both by winning the pole and being the leader for the single restart.
-Kevin Lepage earned another fourth-place finish and was strong all race.
-Robby Gordon impressed in his oval debut with RCR with a strong top-10.
-Kevin Grubb earned his second consecutive top-10 after just one in the previous 26 weeks.
-Mark Green, in his first race replacing Rich Bickle, earned a solid 10th.
-Kevin Harvick finished 2nd while Greg Biffle, plagued by a horrid final pit stop (alongside quasi-teammate Matt Kenseth), finished outside the top 10. Harvick extended his lead to a more comfy 129.
-With only five races left, only the top 5 are mathematically eligible to be the champion assuming Harvick starts every race (Sawyer is technically not eliminated yet).
-With my win, I took over the lead for Rookie of the Year and Chevrolet gained its lead back in the manufacturers' championship, by 4 and 2 points respectively.
-Career best finishes: Dan Pardus (30th).
-New team/driver combos: #59/Mark Green (temporary replacement for Rich Bickle), #31/Andy Santerre (filling in for Steve Park for the remainder of 2001), #19/Ed Berrier (racing with his ARCA team).
-Note: Todd Bodine will be the new driver of the #11 starting at Lowe's. The 54, who skipped Kansas, will have Tom Hubert drive at Lowe's while their future remains uncertain. Mike Swaim, Jr. was released effective immediately after the race and Tim Fedewa will attempt at Lowe's.

Qualifying was rained out, so the field was set by NASCAR rules.

DNQ: #47 Clay Dale, #78 Sammy Ragan

Cautions: 4 (20 laps)
Lead Changes: 1 (2 drivers)
Highlights

Other race notes:
-Kevin Harvick dominated the early portion of the race but I managed to get past him towards the end of the final long run. I held off a late charge by him and Jeff Green to earn my fourth win.
-Randy LaJoie earned his first top-5 since Milwaukee, while Jamie McMurray and Chad Little netted solid top-10s.
-Johnny Sauter was extremely impressive all race, running in the top 10 all day and netting a strong 5th in just his second career start. He's now the 5th different driver to earn a top-10 in the 21 this year as the team has remained strong despite Mike Dillon's unplanned retirement and Mike Skinner's release and not running in most non-companion races.
-Jason Keller is now all but mathematically eliminated from the championship, 502 points back with just three races remaining. Harvick just needs to finish 40th at Phoenix, and that's not ignoring the next two races. Myself and Jeff Green also have practically no shot and need to gain significant ground on Harvick if we want a chance.
-Harvick's lead propelled to 187 over Greg Biffle. Biffle hasn't shown much speed recently, with only 2 top 5s since Bristol and only 38 laps led since his dominating win in Dover back in May and only the IRP win since then as well.
-Chevrolet's in a fairly comfortable spot with the manufacturer's championship, now 8 points ahead of Ford after four wins in a row. I extended my ROTY lead over Biffle to seven despite being 200 points back in driver's standings.
-Drivers making their first career starts: Mario Hernandez, Mark Voigt.
-Career best finishes: Johnny Sauter (5th), Joe Cooksey (33rd).
-New team/driver combos: #11/Tim Fedewa (one-off as Todd Bodine is at Martinsville), #75/Scott Hansen, #54/Steadman Marlin, #8/Mario Hernandez, #94/Brian Tyler, #47/Clay Dale, #78/Sammy Ragan.
-Note: Jay Sauter was released following this race. Ron Hornaday, Jr. will be in the 43 the rest of the season.
-Note: From here on out, I will not show the driver's standings as it is more than likely that after Phoenix it will be a two-horse race, if that.

Positions 37-43 are reordered based on provisionals, their actual times are listed here.
*to the rear

DNQ: #32 Dan Pardus, #75 Scott Hansen, #22 Drew White
WD: #88 Richard Jarvis, Jr.

Cautions: 1 (4 laps)
Lead Changes: 7 (6 drivers)
Highlights

Other race notes:
-Jeff Green dominated most of the race and won. Kevin Harvick finished second and with a now-199 point lead has clinched the 2001 championship.
-The race was relatively uneventful otherwise with only one caution for debris.
-Jimmie Johnson had a very strong run, running with the leaders mid-race and ending with a very strong 4th to tie his career best.
-The ROTY battle is now six points entering the final race.
-Drivers making their first career starts: Jeff Fultz.
-Career best finishes: Josh Richeson (27th), Jason Rudd (35th).
-New team/driver combos: #19/Tim Sauter (looking to run full-time in 2002), #8/Josh Richeson, #80/Philip Morris, #88/Richard Jarvis, Jr.
-Note: Jeff Purvis was expected to sign with ST Motorsports long-term but didn't, so Stacy Compton will run at Homestead. Randy Tolsma was released and Jay Sauter will drive the 25 at Homestead. Geoffrey Bodine was released and Casey Mears will run in the 66 at Homestead and through 2002, running for Rookie of the Year.