2002 Pepsi 400
The 2002 Pepsi 400 was the 17th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 6, 2002, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. At race's end, Michael Waltrip, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would win a crash-marred race under caution, a decision that would prove controversial with fans, as they wanted the race to finish under green.[1][2][3] To fill out the podium, Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing and Sterling Marlin of Chip Ganassi Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 Pepsi 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 6, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 44th Annual Pepsi 400 | ||
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 135.952 miles per hour (218.794 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 48.638 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Laps | 99 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[4] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[5]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
Originally, three practice sessions were scheduled to be held, with one on Thursday and two on Saturday. However, rain on Thursday would add a one-hour additional practice session to Thursday's sessions,[6] and rain on Friday would cancel both sessions, leaving only two sessions run on Thursday.[7]
First practice
Originally scheduled as a two-hour practice session, the first practice session was held on Thursday, July 4, at 3:00 PM EST, but would only last for 40 minutes due to rain.[6] Michael Waltrip of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 48.876 and an average speed of 184.139 miles per hour (296.343 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 48.876 | 184.139 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 48.933 | 183.925 |
| 3 | 09 | Geoff Bodine | Phoenix Racing | Ford | 48.994 | 183.696 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Thursday, July 4, at 8:00 PM EST, and would last for one hour.[6] Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 48.598 and an average speed of 185.193 miles per hour (298.039 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 48.598 | 185.193 |
| 2 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 48.832 | 184.305 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 48.845 | 184.256 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, July 5, at 10:00 PM EST after rain delayed qualifying from its original date, July 4.[10] Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[6] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[11]
Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 48.638 and an average speed of 185.040 miles per hour (297.793 km/h).[12]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Ed Berrier and Steve Grissom.
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin[13] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 160 | 99 | running | 185 | $172,975 |
| 2 | 37 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 170 | $151,350 |
| 3 | 20 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 160 | 18 | running | 170 | $158,292 |
| 4 | 25 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 160 | $109,575 |
| 5 | 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 155 | $117,883 |
| 6 | 9 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 160 | 1 | running | 155 | $105,537 |
| 7 | 24 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 146 | $98,737 |
| 8 | 16 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 117 | $65,225 |
| 9 | 41 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 138 | $111,275 |
| 10 | 2 | 09 | Geoff Bodine | Phoenix Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 134 | $66,875 |
| 11 | 1 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 13 | running | 135 | $112,253 |
| 12 | 31 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 127 | $87,925 |
| 13 | 42 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 124 | $72,300 |
| 14 | 36 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 121 | $92,683 |
| 15 | 12 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 118 | $106,117 |
| 16 | 11 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 115 | $84,575 |
| 17 | 14 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 112 | $88,631 |
| 18 | 33 | 14 | Stacy Compton | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 109 | $62,150 |
| 19 | 22 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 106 | $58,000 |
| 20 | 10 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 103 | $74,700 |
| 21 | 40 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 100 | $57,325 |
| 22 | 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 6 | running | 102 | $110,578 |
| 23 | 26 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 159 | 0 | running | 94 | $68,325 |
| 24 | 32 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 159 | 0 | running | 91 | $87,058 |
| 25 | 19 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 158 | 0 | running | 88 | $76,414 |
| 26 | 34 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 158 | 0 | running | 85 | $67,275 |
| 27 | 39 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 156 | 0 | crash | 82 | $66,925 |
| 28 | 30 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 156 | 0 | crash | 79 | $66,600 |
| 29 | 4 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 156 | 0 | running | 76 | $84,431 |
| 30 | 38 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 154 | 0 | running | 73 | $73,700 |
| 31 | 28 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 153 | 0 | running | 70 | $66,025 |
| 32 | 21 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 150 | 0 | running | 67 | $101,178 |
| 33 | 35 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 146 | 23 | crash | 69 | $99,917 |
| 34 | 8 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 138 | 0 | crash | 61 | $85,000 |
| 35 | 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 135 | 0 | crash | 58 | $102,778 |
| 36 | 43 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 135 | 0 | crash | 55 | $62,850 |
| 37 | 23 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 135 | 0 | crash | 52 | $54,725 |
| 38 | 17 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 135 | 0 | crash | 49 | $54,575 |
| 39 | 29 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 111 | 0 | crash | 46 | $102,038 |
| 40 | 27 | 49 | Shawna Robinson (R) | BAM Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | rear end | 43 | $54,310 |
| 41 | 13 | 33 | Mike Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 | handling | 40 | $74,455 |
| 42 | 15 | 98 | Kenny Wallace | Innovative Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57 | 0 | crash | 37 | $54,060 |
| 43 | 6 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 8 | 0 | crash | 34 | $80,699 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 90 | Ed Berrier | Donlavey Racing | Ford | ||||||
| 45 | 44 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
- Rodman, Dave (2002-07-08). "Waltrip wins crash-marred Pepsi 400". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-02. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- Rodman, Dave (2002-07-08). "Fans show anger over ending of Pepsi 400". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-05. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- "Waltrip's Daytona victory completes strange saga". York Daily Record. 2002-07-08. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site - Race Info & Rundown". 2018-05-21. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- Rodman, Dave (2002-07-05). "Rain washes out Winston Cup practice". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-15. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Daytona 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-15. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Daytona 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-02. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- Rodman, Dave (2002-07-04). "Rain postpones Pepsi 400 qualifying". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2003-06-08. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- Rodman, Dave (2002-07-05). "Harvick's hot lap results in first Bud Pole". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-04. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- "2002 Pepsi 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.