The 2002 Pepsi 400 presented by Farmer Jack was the 23rd stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 33rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 18, 2002, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing would make a late-race pass on Jeff Burton to win his 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second and final win of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing and Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 23 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 Pepsi 400 presented by Farmer Jack program cover. | |||
| Date | August 18, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 33rd Annual Pepsi 400 presented by Farmer Jack | ||
| Location | Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2 mi (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 140.556 miles per hour (226.203 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Time | 37.961 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 42 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, August 16, at 3:00 PM EST, and would last for an hour after rain delayed the session.[3][4] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.637 and an average speed of 186.350 miles per hour (299.901 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 38.637 | 186.350 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 38.647 | 186.302 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 38.665 | 186.215 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, August 17, at 10:00 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[4] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.146 and an average speed of 183.927 miles per hour (296.002 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 39.146 | 183.927 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.434 | 182.584 |
| 3 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 39.581 | 181.906 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 27, at 11:45 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[4] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.924 and an average speed of 180.343 miles per hour (290.234 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 39.924 | 180.343 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 40.085 | 179.618 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 40.131 | 179.412 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, August 16, at 6:00 PM EST after rain delayed qualifying for nearly three hours.[3] Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[4] 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.[8]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would win the pole, setting a time of 37.961 and an average speed of 189.668 miles per hour (305.241 km/h).[9]
Greg Biffle would be the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ Rodman, Dave (2002-08-20). "Jarrett passes Burton late to win at Michigan - August 20, 2002". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-11. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "Jarrett claims Pepsi 400 title". Fremont Tribune. 2002-08-19. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "BUSCH: Rain, wreck delay events at Michigan". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Michigan 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Michigan 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-10. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Michigan 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2003-02-07. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Michigan 2 Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-04. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Earnhardt grabs pole at Michigan; Elliott starts sixth". AccessWDUN. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "2002 Pepsi 400 Presented by Farmer Jack - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
