2002 NAPA 500
The 2002 NAPA 500 was the 33rd stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 43rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 27, 2002, before a crowd of 110,000 in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race was shortened from its scheduled 325 laps to 248 due to incumbent weather during the race. At race's end, Kurt Busch, driving for Roush Racing, would lead the race when the race was put under caution on lap 242, with the race eventually being called six laps later.[1][2] The win was Busch's third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season. To fill out the podium, Joe Nemechek of Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 33 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 NAPA 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 27, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 43rd Annual NAPA 500 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.54 mi (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 248 laps, 381.92 mi (614.64 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Average speed | 127.519 miles per hour (205.222 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 110,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | Set by 2002 owner's points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 84 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, October 25, at 3:20 PM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[3] Bill Elliott of Evernham Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.033 and an average speed of 190.955 miles per hour (307.312 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.033 | 190.955 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.123 | 190.365 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.147 | 190.208 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, October 26, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[3] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.617 and an average speed of 187.190 miles per hour (301.253 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.617 | 187.190 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.620 | 187.171 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.738 | 186.428 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 26, at 11:15 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[3] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.880 and an average speed of 185.542 miles per hour (298.601 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.880 | 185.542 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.911 | 185.350 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.944 | 185.146 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was scheduled to be held on Friday, October 25, at 7:05 PM EST. However, rain would force the cancellation of qualifying. As a result, the starting lineup would be based on the current 2002 owner's points.[3] Due to this, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Tony Stewart would win the pole.[7]
Eight drivers would fail to qualify: Geoff Bodine, Frank Kimmel, Scott Wimmer, Greg Biffle, Buckshot Jones, Jack Sprague, Kerry Earnhardt, and Ron Hornaday Jr.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- Rodman, Dave (October 29, 2002). "Busch wins rain-shortened NAPA 500". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2002. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- Woody, Larry (October 28, 2002). "Shutout in 2001 inspires Busch to Atlanta win". The Tennessean. p. 30. Retrieved May 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Atlanta 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Atlanta 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2002. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- "Jeff Gordon fastest in Saturday's early practice". ThatsRacin. October 26, 2022. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- "Stewart tops speed chart in final Winston Cup practice". ThatsRacin. October 26, 2002. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- Staff Writer. "Stewart sits on Atlanta pole". Pocono Record. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- "2002 NAPA 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-02.