2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500

The 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on April 28, 2002 at California Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 250 laps on the 2-mile (3.23 km) asphalt D-shaped oval, it was the tenth race of the 2002 Winston Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his first career Winston Cup Series victory. Kurt Busch finished second and Ricky Rudd finished third.

2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500
Race details[1]
Race 10 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway
Date April 28, 2002 (2002-April-28)
Official name NAPA Auto Parts 500
Location California Speedway, Fontana, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.0 mi (3.23 km)
Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 75.9 °F (24.4 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)
Average speed 150.088 miles per hour (241.543 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Penske Racing
Most laps led
Driver Kurt Busch Roush Racing
Laps 102
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox Broadcasting Company
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

Background

The track, California Speedway, is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long.[2] The track's turns are banked from fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. Unlike the front stretch, the back straightaway is banked at three degrees.

Summary

There were ten drivers who failed to finish the race; with five of the drivers forcing to leave the race due to terminal crashes while five other drivers had engine issues.[3] Nearly 10% of the 199-minute race was held under a caution flag and the average green flag run was approximately 38 laps.[4]

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s unfortunate accident forced NASCAR to pass a regulation forcing drivers to take the ambulance ride to the infield care center every time they crashed; he did not admit to have this injury until mid-September.

Race results
Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 448Jimmie Johnson (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet250180
2 297Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord250180
3 3728Ricky RuddRobert Yates RacingFord250165
4 399Bill ElliottEvernham MotorsportsDodge250165
5 266Mark Martin (W)Roush RacingFord250155
6 388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord250155
7 2540Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge250146
8 102Rusty Wallace (W)Penske RacingFord250142
9 3277Dave BlaneyJasper MotorsportsFord250143
10 615Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet250139
11 1630Jeff GreenRichard Childress RacingChevrolet250130
12 4031Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet249127
13 2916Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord249124
14 112Ryan Newman (R)Penske RacingFord249126
15 1110Johnny Benson Jr.MB2 MotorsportsPontiac249118
16 1724Jeff Gordon (W)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet249115
17 1945Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge249112
18 2722Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingDodge249109
19 3899Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord249106
20 2017Matt KensethRoush RacingFord249103
21 345Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet249100
22 181Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet24997
23 3611Brett BodineBrett BodineFord24994
24 2443John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesDodge24991
25 1326Joe NemechekHaas-Carter MotorsportsChevrolet24988
26 525Jerry NadeauHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet24985
27 2241Jimmy SpencerChip Ganassi RacingDodge24882
28 127Casey AtwoodUltra MotorsportsDodge24879
29 820Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac24776
30 3055Bobby HamiltonAndy Petree RacingChevrolet24773
31 334Mike SkinnerMorgan-McClure MotorsportsChevrolet24770
32 4290Rick MastDonlavey RacingFord24667
33 4144Steve GrissomPetty EnterprisesDodge24464
34 2818Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac24061
35 2129Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet22658
36 98Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet22555
37 1532Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsFord19352
38 1419Jeremy Mayfield (W)Evernham MotorsportsDodge18949
39 721Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord16346
40 3123Hut StricklinBill Davis RacingDodge14743
41 3514Stacy ComptonA. J. Foyt RacingPontiac10445
42 4349Shawna Robinson (R)BAM RacingDodge1837
43 2336Ken SchraderMB2 MotorsportsPontiac434

Race Statistics
  • Time of race: 3:19:53
  • Average Speed: 150.088 miles per hour (241.543 km/h)
  • Pole Speed: 187.432 miles per hour (301.643 km/h)
  • Cautions: 5 for 24 laps
  • Margin of Victory: 0.620 sec
  • Lead changes: 20
  • Percent of race run under caution: 9.6%
  • Average green flag run: 37.7 laps

References
  1. "2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  2. "Auto Club Speedway Track Facts". Auto Club Speedway. Archived from the original on 2010-08-24. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  3. "2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 DNF information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  4. "2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 caution flag information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
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