Marlin's 2001 win returns Dodge to MIS Victory Lane

With the Chrysler-Fiat deal approved and the new company emerging from bankruptcy, it seems fitting to take a look back at one of Dodge's biggest days at Michigan International Speedway.

2001 Pepsi 400

Results

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Sterling Marlin	Dodge
2.	Ricky Craven	Ford
3.	Bill Elliott	Dodge
4.	Matt Kenseth	Ford
5.	Johnny Benson	Pontiac
6.	Dave Blaney	Dodge
7.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
8.	Mark Martin	Ford
9.	Steve Park	Chevrolet
10.	Casey Atwood	Dodge

• Complete Results

Since Cale Yarborough's Mercury edged David Pearson's Ford by five car-lengths in the inaugural race in 1969, the track located in the Irish Hills has always seemed to favor Ford products. Thanks to in part to Pearson's nine victories, Fords and Mercurys won 13 of the first 15 Michigan races. And that trend only seemed to intensify over the years.

Starting in 1984, Bill Elliott scored the first of his seven Michigan wins. Other successful Ford drivers included Davey Allison, Dale Jarrett, Ernie Irvan, Geoffrey Bodine and Rusty Wallace. And in recent years, Jack Roush's flagship operation -- with the likes of Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards -- have carried Dearborn's blue oval into Victory Lane.

In comparison, Richard Petty's wins in 1974 and 1975 represented the only Michigan wins for Dodge in the 20th century. The manufacturer had been winless since Neil Bonnett's victory at Ontario in 1977, and hadn't competitively campaigned on the circuit for nearly two decades. However, after returning full time to Cup in 2001, the folks in Auburn Hills were itching for a chance to celebrate a long-awaited victory, and that came in the Pepsi 400.

Bill Elliott put his Dodge on the front row next to pole-sitter Ricky Craven's Ford, and took the early lead. But not surprisingly, the race began to look like a parade of Fords, as Ricky Rudd, Wallace, Jarrett and Martin began to swap the top spot over the next 120 laps, with only Elliott making any headway. However, steadily moving up from his 15th-place starting position was Sterling Marlin, and nearing the halfway mark, he was closing fast on the front-running Fords.

Conserving fuel with dark clouds rapidly approaching the track, Martin looked like he might break his 42-race winless streak when rain forced NASCAR officials to throw the caution flag on Lap 98, and the field pulled onto pit road two laps later at exactly halfway. But the showers ended and the track was quickly dried in time to set up a dramatic turn of events. (Continued)