North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, NC (3/9/2001) --- Bob was “pickin' 'em up and layin' 'em down” this afternoon in a dominant performance, leading 117 of 157 laps and easily earning the bonus points for leading the most laps, then rolled on to grab his first win of the young 2001 season!
On lap one, Coyote greeted last week's Daytona winner Jay in the left rear bumper and put him into the wall, but no yellow flag flew. The first yellow didn't wave until 10 laps later, on lap 11, when Coyote got loose coming out of turn 4 and hit the 77 car. While under caution, Speed, Stenzo, and Coyote each pitted while Bob stayed out in 7th place. The 2nd yellow came out on lap 17 when Stenzo clipped the 24 car, which caromed into the 25 car, while the 5 car checked up and got hit by Coyote, which incited a shouting and shoving fracas in the pits between Hendrick Motorsports and Team Speedlan crew members.
The race progressed under green for many laps, when on lap 72, Coyote got into the 33 car and sent him into the wall to bring out caution number 3. On lap 74, everybody pitted but Stenzo, who stayed out to lead a lap. When he came in to pit on lap 76, he was very surprised to see the pace car dive off the track right in front of him, leaving him to pit as the race went back green, which caused him to go a lap down. As the green flag fell to resume the race, Coyote got into the 18 car and sent him back to the pits for repairs. When the 18 car came back out onto track, he moved up into the racing groove before he was fully up to speed, and Stenzo tried to avoid him by swerving low, but got way loose and crashed head on into the turn 3 wall, abruptly ending his day. The wreck brought out the fourth yellow flag of the day on lap 83, which allowed Coyote to pit to repair his front bumper.
Meanwhile, Speed had worked his way up and into the lead for a total of 12 laps, but on lap 90, Bob passed him to reclaim the lead for himself. On lap 91, the 88 car got into Jay's car in turn 4, and the 77 car got tied up in the wreck as well, which brought out yellow flag number 5. Coyote just barely got by the wreck and managed to go from 15th to 7th place. On lap 95, while the field was still under caution, Speed gave up 2nd place to pit for some new tires. On lap 123, yellow flag number 6 came out when the 17 car got into the 28 car. Then on lap 130, the race resumed with Bob in 1st, Coyote in 3rd, and Speed in 4th. Because Speed was on newer tires, he made a run on Bob, but it was too late, as Bob held him off to claim his first win of the 2001 Speedlan season. Speed finished 2nd and Coyote was 3rd. “Rookie” sensation Jay finished 4 laps down in 28th, while Stenzo, who is off to a bad start this year, ended up with a DNF in a career-low 30th place (ouch!).