2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400

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.

2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400
Race details
Race 34 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 program cover.
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

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The layout of North Carolina Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

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

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Lite
02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet MW Windows
4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge Sirius Satellite Radio
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Hooters
12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford Alltel
14 Mike Wallace A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac Conseco
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge Hills Bros. Coffee
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW, Delphi
26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Discover Card
28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford Tide
36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
40 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge Pop Secret
44 Greg Biffle Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Brawny
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Sprint
48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
54 Ron Hornaday Jr. BelCar Motorsports Chevrolet National Guard
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
59 Carl Long (R) Price Motorsports Dodge Check into Cash
60 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet Haas Automation
66 Hideo Fukuyama Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Japan and United States Standing Together
71 Tim Sauter Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Camp 28 Saloon, Wehr's
74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet Staff America
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
91 Hank Parker Jr. Evernham Motorsports Dodge USG
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The 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

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The 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

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The 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

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Qualifying 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

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing South Ford 23.494 155.835
2 40 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 23.691 154.540
3 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 23.703 154.462
4 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 23.718 154.364
5 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 23.751 154.149
6 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 23.757 154.110
7 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 23.763 154.072
8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 23.786 153.923
9 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 23.787 153.916
10 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 23.793 153.877
11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 23.820 153.703
12 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 23.845 153.542
13 44 Greg Biffle Petty Enterprises Dodge 23.862 153.432
14 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 23.871 153.374
15 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 23.874 153.355
16 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 23.884 153.291
17 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 23.886 153.278
18 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.902 153.176
19 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 23.919 153.067
20 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 23.923 153.041
21 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.935 152.964
22 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 23.936 152.958
23 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 23.943 152.913
24 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 23.963 152.786
25 91 Hank Parker Jr. (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge 23.963 152.786
26 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 23.980 152.677
27 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 23.983 152.658
28 60 Jack Sprague (R) Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 24.002 152.537
29 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 24.003 152.531
30 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 24.016 152.448
31 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 24.022 152.410
32 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 24.061 152.163
33 02 Hermie Sadler (R) SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 24.061 152.163
34 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 24.067 152.125
35 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 24.072 152.094
36 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 24.127 151.747
Provisionals
37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 24.142 151.653
38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 24.338 150.431
39 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 24.135 151.697
40 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 24.228 151.114
41 14 Mike Wallace A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 24.166 151.502
42 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 24.133 151.709
43 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 24.178 151.427
Failed to qualify
44 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 24.186 151.377
45 71 Tim Sauter Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 24.214 151.202
46 59 Carl Long (R) Price Motorsports Dodge 24.248 150.990
47 54 Ron Hornaday Jr. BelCar Motorsports Chevrolet 24.331 150.475
48 66 Hideo Fukuyama Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 24.445 149.773
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 26 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 393 28 running 180 $162,965
2 5 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 393 144 running 155 $130,923
3 7 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 393 105 running 170 $80,400
4 29 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 393 0 running 160 $106,267
5 18 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 393 0 running 155 $106,713
6 4 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 393 0 running 150 $69,625
7 11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 393 4 running 151 $92,453
8 19 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 393 0 running 142 $64,175
9 23 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 393 0 running 138 $60,175
10 6 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 393 68 running 139 $53,675
11 9 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 392 0 running 130 $74,981
12 37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 392 0 running 127 $80,900
13 16 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 392 0 running 124 $48,750
14 24 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 392 0 running 121 $91,478
15 2 40 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 392 1 running 123 $90,067
16 27 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 392 0 running 115 $68,100
17 30 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 392 0 running 112 $65,200
18 35 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 392 0 running 109 $73,383
19 36 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 392 0 running 106 $53,900
20 20 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 392 0 running 103 $89,567
21 17 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 392 0 running 100 $53,500
22 12 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 391 0 out of gas 97 $61,239
23 1 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing South Ford 391 41 running 99 $60,050
24 40 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 391 0 running 91 $74,125
25 13 44 Greg Biffle Petty Enterprises Dodge 391 0 running 88 $44,350
26 32 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 391 0 running 85 $86,528
27 8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 391 0 running 82 $84,785
28 21 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 391 0 running 79 $51,335
29 42 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 391 0 running 76 $42,650
30 14 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 390 0 running 73 $40,525
31 15 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 390 0 running 70 $39,875
32 38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 390 0 running 67 $68,583
33 25 91 Hank Parker Jr. Evernham Motorsports Dodge 389 0 running 64 $39,625
34 22 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 389 0 running 61 $59,100
35 28 60 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 386 0 running 58 $39,375
36 43 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 386 0 running 55 $39,325
37 31 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 379 0 running 52 $39,275
38 39 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 341 0 running 49 $47,215
39 10 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 301 1 water pump 51 $65,221
40 34 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 289 0 crash 43 $82,090
41 33 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 260 0 engine 40 $39,020
42 3 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 256 1 crash 42 $64,322
43 41 14 Mike Wallace A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 120 0 crash 34 $38,232
Failed to qualify
44 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet
45 71 Tim Sauter Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
46 59 Carl Long (R) Price Motorsports Dodge
47 54 Ron Hornaday Jr. BelCar Motorsports Chevrolet
48 66 Hideo Fukuyama Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.  
  4. ^ "Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc". Fasttrackracing.com. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
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