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.

2002 Pepsi 400
Race details
Race 17 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2002 Pepsi 400 program cover.
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

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The layout of Daytona International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

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

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford Miller Lite, Harley-Davidson
4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Pfizer, Viagra
7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge Sirius Satellite Radio
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser, 2002 MLB All-Star Game
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
09 Geoff Bodine Phoenix Racing Ford Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Hooters
12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford Alltel
14 Stacy Compton A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt, AT&T Broadband
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
23 Hut Stricklin Bill Davis Racing Dodge Hills Bros. Coffee
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont, Pepsi
25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW, Delphi
26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Discover Card
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service
30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford Tide
33 Mike Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 1-800-CALL-ATT
36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac M&M's July 4th
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios, Betty Crocker
44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Sprint, Men in Black II
48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Shawna Robinson (R) BAM Racing Dodge Dakota Imaging, Life 02
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
90 Ed Berrier Donlavey Racing Ford Donlavey Racing
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid
98 Kenny Wallace Innovative Motorsports Chevrolet Stacker 2
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

Practice

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48.638 185.040
2 09 Geoff Bodine Phoenix Racing Ford 48.814 184.373
3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.841 184.271
4 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48.842 184.268
5 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 48.848 184.245
6 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 48.943 183.887
7 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 48.976 183.764
8 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 48.985 183.730
9 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 49.043 183.512
10 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 49.103 183.288
11 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 49.119 183.229
12 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 49.140 183.150
13 33 Mike Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 49.163 183.064
14 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 49.191 182.960
15 98 Kenny Wallace Innovative Motorsports Chevrolet 49.245 182.760
16 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.252 182.734
17 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 49.284 182.615
18 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 49.319 182.486
19 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 49.335 182.426
20 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 49.356 182.349
21 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 49.385 182.242
22 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 49.431 182.072
23 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 49.476 181.906
24 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 49.482 181.884
25 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 49.504 181.803
26 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 49.511 181.778
27 49 Shawna Robinson (R) BAM Racing Dodge 49.533 181.697
28 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 49.560 181.598
29 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 49.582 181.518
30 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 49.584 181.510
31 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 49.600 181.452
32 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 49.610 181.415
33 14 Stacy Compton A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 49.611 181.411
34 23 Hut Stricklin Bill Davis Racing Dodge 49.644 181.291
35 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 49.649 181.273
36 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.704 181.072
Provisionals
37 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 49.706 181.065
38 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 49.801 180.719
39 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 49.786 180.774
40 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50.465 178.341
41 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 49.734 180.963
42 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 49.756 180.883
43 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.709 181.054
Failed to qualify
44 90 Ed Berrier Donlavey Racing Ford 49.826 180.629
45 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Dodge
Official qualifying results

Race

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Pole sitter Kevin Harvick led the first lap of the race. The first caution did not take long as it came out on lap 2 when Tony Stewart crashed on the backstretch. Kevin Harvick led the field to the restart on lap 7. The second caution flew on lap 9 when Johnny Benson crashed in turn 3 after contact from Ken Schrader. On the restart on lap 14, Jeff Gordon took the lead from Harvick. The third caution flew on lap 17 when Mike Wallace got turned by Steve Park in the tri-oval. Jeff Burton stayed out on pit road and he was the race leader. The competition caution flew on lap 25. Before they took the green flag for the restart, Jeff Gordon came down pit road due to speculation that Gordon had a flat tire. Gordon ended up going a lap down. The race restarted on lap 30. On lap 43, Sterling Marlin took the lead from Jeff Burton. On lap 59, the 5th caution flew when Kenny Wallace crashed in turn 4. Michael Waltrip won the race off of pit road and he was the new race leader on the restart on lap 64. Green flag pit stops began on lap 114. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led when Waltrip pitted on lap 118. On lap 119, Michael Waltrip got his lead back. With 35 laps to go, the 6th caution flew when Tony Stewart spun off of turn 2.

Final laps

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The race restarted with 30 laps to go in the race. With 25 laps to go, the big one struck heading into turn 1 taking out 14 cars. It started when Jeff Burton hooked Dale Jarrett in the left rear which caused Jarrett to turn left then turn his car back to the right, right in front of a pack of cars. During the wreck, Joe Nemechek got hooked by the spinning Jarrett and spun into Burton. Nemechek's car went up the racetrack and pounded the outside wall head on in turn 1. Also, Mike Skinner spun in the wreck and went up in front of Brett Bodine destroying Bodine's front end and catching Bodine's car on fire. After the hard hit into the outside wall, Nemechek would walk away but suffered a bruised left foot. The cars involved were Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Brett Bodine, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Skinner, Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek, Steve Park, Matt Kenseth, Terry Labonte, Ricky Rudd, Jimmie Johnson, Geoff Bodine, and Kyle Petty.[13] The race restarted with 16 laps to go and Michael Waltrip led over his DEI teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. With 11 laps to go, the 8th caution flew for debris in turn 2. The race restarted with 6 laps to go and Michael Waltrip kept his lead. With 4 laps to go, the 9th and final caution flew for a 3 car crash on the backstretch involving Ryan Newman, Jeff Green, and Dave Blaney. Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell back from 2nd to 6th when the caution came out. In the previous years' race, Jr. restarted 6th with 6 laps to go in the race and powered his way up to the lead in 2 laps and won that race. The fans thought it could happen again and wanted NASCAR to red flag the race so they could get back going again. But NASCAR decided to keep the caution flag in the air and the race ended up finishing under caution and Michael Waltrip took home his second win of his Cup Series career. Rusty Wallace, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, and Mark Martin rounded out the top 5 while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Todd Bodine, Jimmie Johnson, Ward Burton, and Geoff Bodine rounded out the top 10. Frustrated with NASCAR's decision, fans on the backstretch threw lawn chairs, beer bottles, and a bunch of garbage onto the racetrack after Waltrip took the checkered flag.[14]

Race results

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Fin[15] 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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Waltrip's Daytona victory completes strange saga". York Daily Record. 2002-07-08. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-03-13.  
  4. ^ "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ^ "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  6. ^ a b c d "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - Race Info & Rundown". 2018-05-21. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Daytona 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-15. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  9. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Daytona 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-02. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  10. ^ Rodman, Dave (2002-07-04). "Rain postpones Pepsi 400 qualifying". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2003-06-08. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "DAYTONA AGAIN CRASH COURSE". Retrieved July 6, 2002.
  14. ^ "NASCAR inconsistency upsets fans". Retrieved July 7, 2002.
  15. ^ "2002 Pepsi 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
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