The 2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 34th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 3, 2002, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, MBV Motorsports driver Johnny Benson Jr. would manage to defend for the lead within the last 26 laps of the race to take his first and only NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the top three, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch, both drivers for Roush Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 34 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | November 3, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 38th Annual Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
| Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Average speed | 128.526 miles per hour (206.843 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 50,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Time | 23.494 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 144 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | |
| 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
North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.[4]
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, November 1, at 11:20 am EST. The session would last for two hours.[5] Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.744 and an average speed of 154.195 miles per hour (248.153 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing South | Ford | 23.744 | 154.195 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.867 | 153.400 |
| 3 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.874 | 153.355 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, November 2, at 9:30 am EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[5] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.201 and an average speed of 151.283 miles per hour (243.466 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.201 | 151.283 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.203 | 151.270 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.218 | 151.177 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, November 2, at 11:15 am EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[5] Todd Bodine, driving for Haas-Carter Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.280 and an average speed of 150.791 miles per hour (242.675 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 24.280 | 150.791 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.351 | 150.351 |
| 3 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 24.430 | 149.865 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, November 1, 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.[5] 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.[9]
Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.494 and an average speed of 155.835 miles per hour (250.792 km/h).[10]
Five drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (November 3, 2002). "Johnny Benson breaks through, wins it his ('the right') way". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 19, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Packman, Tim (November 5, 2002). "Benson holds off Martin for career win No. 1". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 12, 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (November 4, 2002). "Benson holds off Martin for first win in 226 starts". Tyrone Daily Herald. p. 6. Retrieved October 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc". Fasttrackracing.com. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site – 2002 Rockingham 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on December 13, 2002. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Henry, Bob (November 1, 2002). "Newman puts up best lap in Friday's two-hour practice". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 19, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ "Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman tops in Saturday's early practice". That's Racin'. November 2, 2002. Archived from the original on December 25, 2002. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Marty (November 2, 2002). "T. Bodine, Martin quickest in Happy Hour". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 1, 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site – 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Packman, Tim (November 1, 2002). "Newman strolls to Bud Pole at The Rock". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 1, 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2022.