2002 MBNA Platinum 400

The 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on June 2, 2002, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.

2002 MBNA Platinum 400
Race details[1]
Race 13 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Dover International Speedway
Date June 2, 2002 (2002-June-02)
Official name MBNA Platinum 400
Location Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
Course Permanent racing facility
1.000 mi (1.609 km)
Distance 400 laps, 400.0 mi (804.6 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds of 19 miles per hour (31 km/h)
Average speed 117.551 miles per hour (189.180 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Roush Racing
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 188
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network FX
Announcers Mike Joy
Darrell Waltrip
Larry McReynolds

Tony Raines would start his NASCAR Cup Series career during this event while Dick Trickle and Chad Little would end theirs after this race.

Race report

There were 43 drivers on the starting grid; all of them were born in the United States of America. Derrike Cope, Hermie Sadler, and Randy Renfrow failed to qualify for this race. Joe Nemechek was credited as the last-place finisher due to a crash on lap 42. This racing event lasted for 400 laps and Jimmie Johnson defeated Bill Elliott by almost half a second. Matt Kenseth would clinch his first ever pole position start by driving up to 154.939 miles per hour (249.350 km/h) during his solo qualifying run.[2][3]

The race itself would last approximately three hours and twenty-four minutes; the green flag was officially waved at 1:00 PM Eastern Daylight Saving Time while the checkered flag came at approximately 4:24 PM EDT.[4] Jimmie Johnson's average speed during his winning run was 117.551 miles per hour (189.180 km/h). Any yellow flags in this race were caused by accidents, debris, and an oil spill on lap 373. About 40 laps of this race were done under caution with each green flag session lasting an average of 45 laps. Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, John Andretti, and Mark Martin would jointly lead the first 100 laps while the last 100 laps saw the first-place position of the race split between Ricky Rudd and eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson. Sterling Marlin kept his championship lead after this racing event.[2] Only time in Cup when BACE Motorsports fielded two Cup entries.[2] Pretty gutsy move considering their financial situation.

Winnings for this racing event varied from $56,712 ($80,614 when adjusted for inflation) to $152,400 ($216,631 when adjusted for inflation).[5]

The overall racing purse for this event added up to $3,450,082 ($4,904,159 when adjusted for inflation).[6]

Qualifying
Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer
1 17Matt KensethFord
2 9Bill ElliottDodge
3 10Jerry NadeauPontiac
4 15Michael WaltripChevrolet
5 97Kurt BuschFord
6 32Ricky CravenFord
7 28Ricky RuddFord
8 21Elliot SadlerFord
9 24Jeff GordonChevrolet
10 48Jimmie JohnsonChevrolet
11 45Kyle PettyDodge
12 31Robby GordonChevrolet
13 6Mark MartinFord
14 22Ward BurtonDodge
15 36Ken SchraderPontiac
16 18Bobby LabontePontiac
17 73Tony RainesChevrolet
18 41Jimmy SpencerDodge
19 55Bobby HamiltonChevrolet
20 4Mike SpencerChevrolet
21 2Rusty WallaceFord
22 1Steve ParkChevrolet
23 7Casey AtwoodDodge
24 19Jeremy MayfieldDodge
25 20Tony StewartPontiac

Top 10 finishers
Pos[2] Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 1048Jimmie JohnsonChevrolet4001883:24:10
2 29Bill ElliottDodge40017+0.478 seconds
3 3399Jeff BurtonFord4000Lead lap under green flag
4 3812Ryan NewmanFord4000Lead lap under green flag
5 3188Dale JarrettFord40015Lead lap under green flag
6 924Jeff GordonChevrolet40017Lead lap under green flag
7 623Ricky CravenFord4001Lead lap under green flag
8 1231Robby GordonChevrolet4000Lead lap under green flag
9 1955Bobby HamiltonChevrolet4000Lead lap under green flag
10 821Elliott SadlerFord4000Lead lap under green flag

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Matt Kenseth started the race with the pole position but quickly lost it to Ricky Rudd.
  • Lap 19: Caution due to debris; green flag racing on lap 22.
  • Lap 42: Joe Nemechek had a terminal crash; forcing him to become the last-place finisher.
  • Lap 44: Caution due to Joe Nemechek and Todd Bodine's accident; green flag racing on lap 50.
  • Lap 48: Mark Martin took over the lead from Ricky Rudd before being overtaken by Jimmie Johnson on lap 125.
  • Lap 126: Caution due to a 3-car accident; green flag racing on lap 136.
  • Lap 144: Jimmie Johnson took over the lead from Jeff Gordon before being overtaken by Ricky Craven on lap 217.
  • Lap 170: A fuel pump issue forced Dick Trickle out of the race for the day.
  • Lap 216: Caution due to Matt Kenseth's accident; green flag racing resumed on lap 220.
  • Lap 218: Jimmie Johnson took over the lead from Ricky Craven before being overtaken by Dale Jarrett on lap 293.
  • Lap 283: Mark Martin had a terminal crash; ending his day on the track.
  • Lap 292: Caution due to Jeff Green's accident; green flag racing resumed on lap 297.
  • Lap 307: Caution due to debris; green flag racing on lap 311.
  • Lap 308: Ricky Rudd took over the lead from Dale Jarrett before being overtaken by Jimmie Johnson on lap 363.
  • Lap 370: Ken Schrader had a terminal crash; bringing his NASCAR race weekend to an early end.
  • Lap 373: Caution due to oil on track; green flag racing on lap 378.
  • Finish: Jimmie Johnson was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race
Pos Driver Points[2] Differential
1 Sterling Marlin 1899 0
2 Matt Kenseth 1763 -136
3 Jeff Gordon 1739 -160
4 Matt Kenseth 1731 -168
5 Rusty Wallace 1688 -211
6 Mark Martin 1677 -222
7 Tony Stewart 1674 -225
8 Kurt Busch 1656 -243
9 Bill Elliott 1612 -287
10 Ricky Rudd 1606 -293

References
  1. Weather information for the 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 racing information at Race Database
  4. 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 racing information at NASCAR.com
  5. 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 Archived 2014-08-27 at the Wayback Machine racing information at Driver Averages
  6. 2002 MBNA Platinum 400 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by
2002 Coca-Cola Racing Family 600		 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
2002		 Succeeded by
2002 Pocono 500
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