2002 Pontiac Excitement 400 Explained
The 2002 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event. The race was held throughout the days of May 4-5, 2002 due to rain forcing the delay of the race from its scheduled Sunday date.[1] The race was held in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win a crash-marred and wild race after taking control of the final restart with 18 to go.[2] [3] The win was Stewart's 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing and Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
*Driver changed to
Joe Nemechek for the race, as Benson Jr. had suffered injuries during the 2002 Hardee's 250, the preliminary Busch race.
[4] Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, May 3, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours.[5] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.996 and an average speed of 128.589mph.[6]
During the session, Dale Jarrett and Kurt Busch would both crash in separate incidents.[7]
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, May 3, at 4:45 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Johnny Benson Jr. of MBV Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.502 and an average speed of 125.569mph.[8]
Third and final practice
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 3, at 6:15 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Johnny Benson Jr. of MBV Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.527 and an average speed of 125.424mph.[9]
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, May 3, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. 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.[10]
Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 21.195 and an average speed of 127.388mph.[11]
Kevin Grubb was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin[12] | St | | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|
| 1 | 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 28 | running | 180 | $185,653 |
|---|
| 2 | 11 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 400 | 48 | running | 175 | $121,950 |
|---|
| 3 | 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $126,067 |
|---|
| 4 | 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $106,708 |
|---|
| 5 | 17 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $67,950 |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $68,000 |
|---|
| 7 | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $99,403 |
|---|
| 8 | 20 | 44 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $60,875 |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 138 | $59,975 |
|---|
| 10 | 40 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 400 | 75 | running | 139 | $74,275 |
|---|
| 11 | 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 130 | $87,692 |
|---|
| 12 | 16 | 10 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 127 | $74,710 |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 2 | running | 129 | $43,575 |
|---|
| 14 | 38 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 121 | $73,531 |
|---|
| 15 | 22 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 118 | $68,335 |
|---|
| 16 | 32 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 115 | $54,700 |
|---|
| 17 | 36 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 5 | running | 117 | $62,289 |
|---|
| 18 | 30 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 109 | $42,050 |
|---|
| 19 | 33 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 106 | $45,525 |
|---|
| 20 | 41 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 103 | $74,508 |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 100 | $52,550 |
|---|
| 22 | 29 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 97 | $45,325 |
|---|
| 23 | 6 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 94 | $40,825 |
|---|
| 24 | 27 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 398 | 3 | running | 96 | $51,850 |
|---|
| 25 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 88 | $84,750 |
|---|
| 26 | 31 | 14 | Stacy Compton | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 395 | 0 | running | 85 | $43,475 |
|---|
| 27 | 37 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 82 | $51,650 |
|---|
| 28 | 19 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 378 | 0 | running | 79 | $43,125 |
|---|
| 29 | 28 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 377 | 10 | engine | 81 | $50,500 |
|---|
| 30 | 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 364 | 125 | running | 83 | $98,375 |
|---|
| 36 | 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 55 | $76,862 |
|---|
| 31 | 26 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 | running | 70 | $40,325 |
|---|
| 32 | 8 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 351 | 0 | running | 67 | $86,053 |
|---|
| 33 | 15 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | crash | 64 | $69,058 |
|---|
| 34 | 5 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | crash | 61 | $70,050 |
|---|
| 35 | 24 | 90 | Rick Mast | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | crash | 58 | $40,125 |
|---|
| 37 | 34 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | crash | 52 | $66,081 |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 309 | 14 | running | 54 | $87,753 |
|---|
| 39 | 12 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 308 | 90 | crash | 51 | $84,317 |
|---|
| 40 | 25 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 0 | running | 43 | $85,603 |
|---|
| 41 | 13 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 225 | 0 | crash | 40 | $47,765 |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | 26 | Frank Kimmel | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 213 | 0 | crash | 37 | $64,892 |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | 59 | Randy Renfrow | Price Motorsports | Dodge | 58 | 0 | oil pump | 34 | $39,667 |
|---|
| Failed to qualify |
|---|
| 44 | | 54 | Kevin Grubb | Team Bristol Motorsports | Chevrolet | |
|---|
| Official race results | |
|---|
Notes and References
- News: Clarke . Liz . 2002-05-05 . Rain Washes Out Racing, Crowd . en-US . Washington Post . 2022-05-06 . 0190-8286.
- Web site: Smith . Marty . May 7, 2002 . Stewart wins wild Pontiac Excitement 400 at RIR . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20021214133454/http://www.nascar.com/2002/news/headlines/wc/05/05/pontiac_400/index.html . December 14, 2002 . May 6, 2022 . NASCAR.com . Turner Sports Interactive.
- News: Kurz Jr. . Hank . May 6, 2002 . Patient Tony Stewart repeats at Richmond . 21 . The Morning Call . May 6, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
- Web site: Smith . Marty . May 4, 2002 . Nemechek to sub for injured Benson . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20021015161942/http://www.nascar.com/2002/news/headlines/wc/05/04/benson_nemechek/index.html . October 15, 2002 . May 6, 2022 . NASCAR.com . Turner Sports Interactive.
- Web site: Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Richmond 1 Race Info Page . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050206142126/http://www.jayski.com/next/2002/2002rir1.htm . February 6, 2005 . May 6, 2022 . Jayski's Silly Season Site.
- Web site: May 3, 2002 . Speeds from Friday's first practice . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050210051820/http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/3191682.htm . February 10, 2005 . May 6, 2022 . ThatsRacin.
- Web site: Packman . Tim . May 3, 2002 . Jarrett, Busch wreck in first practice . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20021015162307/http://www.nascar.com/2002/news/headlines/wc/05/03/practice_wrecks/index.html . October 15, 2002 . May 6, 2022 . NASCAR.com . Turner Sports Interactive.
- Web site: May 3, 2002 . Speeds from Friday's first practice session . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050210050643/http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/3192859.htm . February 10, 2005 . May 6, 2022 . ThatsRacin.
- Web site: May 3, 2002 . Friday night Happy Hour speeds . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050210051214/http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/3193100.htm . February 10, 2005 . May 6, 2022 . ThatsRacin.
- Web site: Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050205192304/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2002/2002prov.htm . 2005-02-05 . 2022-03-02 . Jayski's Silly Season Site.
- Web site: Packman . Tim . May 3, 2002 . Virginia native finds fast way around Richmond . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20021213002414/http://www.nascar.com/2002/news/headlines/bg/05/03/qual_lead/index.html . December 13, 2002 . May 6, 2022 . NASCAR.com . Turner Sports Interactive.
- Web site: 2003 Pontiac Excitement 400 - The Third Turn . 2022-02-26 . www.thethirdturn.com . en.
