The 2001 24 Hours of Daytona held over February 2 & 3, 2001, has become a pivotal event in Corvette Racing history. The win showed the world that Corvette Racing was going to be a formidable competitor in sports car racing for the foreseeable future. Corvette entered two Corvette C5R race cars, #2 (chassis-003) driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel, and Franck Freon, and #3 (chassis-004) driven by Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. With the Earnhardts driving, many people who were not sports car racing fans were tuning in with tons of media coverage on that first weekend of February.
Of course, as we all know, the Corvettes showed strong. The #2 Corvette C5R dominated the race and finished 1st overall and also 1st in their class, GTS. The sister car, #3 finished 4th overall and 2nd in the GTS class. This was a huge accomplishment for a team only three years old. The 2001 24 Hours of Daytona would also be known as the last race Dale Earnhardt would complete. Dale Earnhardt tragically lost his life on the last lap wreck two weeks later at the Daytona 500.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of this outstanding win for Corvette Racing I thought I would reach out to a couple of drivers to see if I could get a little “Q&A”. Chris Kneifel and Johnny O’Connell were generous to answer a few questions and share their insights on that historic weekend.
Question #1 – What do you feel were your strengths you brought to the table that contributed to the win?
Chris Kniefel: Being a highly regarded test driver and ultimately the compatibility Ron and I had, we both were able to make speed while ensuring we were taking care of the equipment. There are lots of little tricks that reduce stress on the drivetrain, gearbox, and brakes. For sure, my night and rain driving and being fast without making mistakes are strong points.
Johnny O’Connell: When I joined the team, I had just left the Panoz prototype and was really in a great place with my driving. It’s actually funny how I got the ride. I called up Fehan (Doug) and got his voice mail. The message I left began with, “Hey Doug, you might remember me from my Nissan days where I beat up on you. If your dance card isn’t full, I’d love to talk with you about next year.” Eight hours later, I had an offer to join the team. Anyway, I took to the car quickly and it was so nice being on an American team representing the Corvette. I was on pace from the get-go. I actually remember calling out my lap times during the night and generally being within a tenth of a second each lap. I was very much in the zone.
Question #2 – What were the strengths the other drivers brought to the table?
Chris Kniefel: Well, Ron (Fellows) is Ron! Enough said right? Johnny O’, It was his first race with Corvette Racing. He is such a pro and did a great job acclimating himself to the team. He’s such a talent. Franck (Freon), who we inherited from the sister car, got moved over to our car to make room for “those Earnhardt guys.” I never asked him how he felt about that but I think it worked out pretty good for him! Everyone had so much talent and experience . . . definitely had a legit driver line up!
Johnny O’Connell: Without question, Ron was the leader and focal point for that first race. He knew the car and was without question viewed by the team as the number one. He was very quick and solid. Chris also had a great relationship with the team and was super to work with. Franck is one of the nicest guys in the world and also very fast and competitive. The four of us worked really well together and most importantly no one made a mistake.
Question #3 – What was the most challenging part of the race?
Chris Kniefel: Nothing! And that’s the truth. I’m of course not suggesting that it was easy. The track conditions were obviously difficult and traffic, but everything and everybody did what they had to do… and we nailed it!
Johnny O’Connell: Hmmm, probably the rain. I was in the car around three in the morning and had the car die on me due to so much rain in the car. The ECU (Engine Control Unit) was freaking out because so much water had gathered on that side of the car. I got back to the pits where Bill Delong drilled some drainage holes in the floor of the car. We also changed the steering wheel and from that point on we didn’t have any issues.
Question #4 – At what point did you realize, “We may win this thing?”
Chris Kniefel: It was clear to me with 6 hours to go that we were exactly where we wanted to be. With 4 hours to go, it was ours to lose. My job was done, so I showered and put on a clean driver’s suit so I’d look good on the podium!
Johnny O’Connell: It’s a funny thing, during the race you are always watching the scoring pylon. As the race went on, we kept getting closer and closer to the top. When the Dyson car (a prototype car that is generally faster than a GT car) ran into trouble around 10 AM, I just prayed the car held strong as we had a pretty solid lead at that point.
Question #5 – What do you enjoy most about the race weekend other than the win?
Chris Kniefel: It’s the competition, always for me. So much goes on over the days of an event, I always made sure to enjoy the social aspect and have a good time.
Johnny O’Connell: Without a doubt, the coolest part of that race was being on the circuit with Big E (Dale Earnhardt). I think it was the second stint when we came upon the 3 car to lap it. Rather than just scoot on by him, I followed him for two laps to see what lines he was taking and tried to learn something about the oval part of the circuit from him. Needless to say, drafting with him at Daytona… might be one of the coolest things in my career.
Question #6 – What does it mean to you to be an overall Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona winner and what were your emotions on the podium?
Chris Kniefel: I don’t know, it seems to mean a lot to other people. Either way, I’m the same guy. I’ll tell you that it was however very important for Corvette Racing! And being part of that chapter is definitely a proud time in my career.
Johnny O’Connell: At that point in my career, it was the one race I hadn’t won. So adding it to the resume was pretty cool. All racers want to win there. . . Sebring . . . Le Mans. To finally get that watch and have Jackie Stewart hand it to me, well, cool isn’t a strong enough word. Not many guys get to race, much less win at Daytona…. so it means a lot.
Question #7 – Anything else to add about the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona?
Chris Kniefel: Preparations for the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona began a few hours after the finish of the 2000 race. Ron and I were at Carrabba’s just down the street from the speedway. We were both more cranky than tired, neither of us wanting to talk much. After a few beers kicked in, we got mad and then got over it. We had finished 2nd overall behind a Viper by about 30 seconds. We had gone several laps down due to fueling equipment problems that resulted in extra early pit stops. We spent hours talking that night, we had a clear vision of what it would take to win for both team and drivers. To win the 24 Hours of Daytona became our mission that night.
The rain during the 2001 race definitely didn’t hurt us. Our Achilles heel would have been the Goodyear dry tires. So, basically, doing the most of the race on wets was to our advantage.
We stayed away from the distraction of our more famous teammates in the other car. During the race, drivers and crew didn’t talk much, didn’t have to. We all just did our jobs. The goal was to get the GTS class win. However, we knew the overall was in play and that was the ultimate goal.
Driving at night and in the rain is something which I absolutely loved doing. Thankfully, I was good at it! So my most fond memories are just that, banging out laps and grinding through the night.
And looking back, for me, the greatest satisfaction is all of the time spent in the year leading up to the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona because that was the true beginning of the greatness of Corvette Racing!
Johnny O’Connell: I could not have asked for a better first race with GM. It was only a few weeks later that Chris took a job with Indy Car and I was asked to run full-time in the # 3 Corvette. Ron and I went on to win lots of races and championships. Then I went on to do the same with Jan (Magnussen) and Antonio (Garcia). Then in my seven years with Cadillac, I won another 4 championships and a lot of races. So, that Daytona, so long ago, lead to some very good things for me.
The 2001 24 Hours of Daytona was the race that got me interested in Corvette Racing and sports car racing. It has been an honor to do a Question and Answer with two of the drivers from this historic event for the Corvette Racing program.
Thank you to Chris Kneifel and Johnny O’Connell for taking their time to answer a few questions and to share their experiences. And thank you to all the drivers, crew members the whole team from that weekend for making history happen.
Related:
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Winning Times for the Corvette C5-R Chassis No. 004
[VIDEO] Dale Earnhardt Sr. and the Corvette C5R He Raced at Daytona
Corvette Racing at Daytona: 100th Win in IMSA as No.3 C8.R Takes the Checkered Flag
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