The 2002 Sharpie 500 was the 24th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 24, 2002, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would complete a bump-and-run with less than three to go on eventual second-place finisher, Penske Racing driver Rusty Wallace, to win his 59th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish third. But the race became notable for it being a night of tempers were there was 4 different instances where drivers showed their tempers to other drivers.

2002 Sharpie 500
Race details
Race 24 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2002 Sharpie 500 program cover.
The 2002 Sharpie 500 program cover.
Date August 24, 2002
Official name 42nd Annual Sharpie 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Average speed 77.097 miles per hour (124.076 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 15.470
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 235
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Bristol Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

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 Ford Miller Lite
02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet SCORE Motorsports
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, Peanuts
21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar Dealers
23 Hut Stricklin 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
27 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge Siemens
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 Vote Purple
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
44 Jerry Nadeau Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Brawny
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Sprint
48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Derrike Cope BAM Racing Dodge Billy Ray Cyrus, Doc
51 Carl Long Ware Racing Enterprises Dodge Revival Soy
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
71 Tim Sauter Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Camp 28 Saloon Bunkhouse & Cook Shanty
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford Racing with Jesus
90 Lance Hooper Donlavey Racing Ford Lucas Oil
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Sharpie, Rubbermaid
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

Practice

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Originally, three practice sessions were going to be held, with all three being held on Friday, August 23. However, due to a long rain delay during qualifying, the second practice session was canceled.[3]

First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, August 23, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours.[3] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.420 and an average speed of 124.436 miles per hour (200.260 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.420 124.436
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 15.507 123.738
3 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 15.526 123.586
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, August 23, at 6:15 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[3] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.790 and an average speed of 121.520 miles per hour (195.567 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 15.790 121.520
2 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 15.889 120.763
3 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.985 120.037
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, August 23, 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.[3] 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 champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]

Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 15.470 and an average speed of 124.034 miles per hour (199.613 km/h).[7]

Four drivers would fail to qualify: Hermie Sadler, Carl Long, Morgan Shepherd, and Tim Sauter.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.470 124.034
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 15.482 123.938
3 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 15.486 123.906
4 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 15.490 123.873
5 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 15.492 123.857
6 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 15.505 123.754
7 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 15.516 123.666
8 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 15.526 123.586
9 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 15.528 123.570
10 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 15.532 123.538
11 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 15.532 123.538
12 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 15.544 123.443
13 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 15.545 123.435
14 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 15.555 123.356
15 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.560 123.316
16 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 15.565 123.277
17 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 15.575 123.197
18 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.582 123.142
19 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.587 123.103
20 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.618 122.858
21 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 15.621 122.835
22 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 15.624 122.811
23 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.639 122.693
24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.646 122.638
25 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 15.647 122.631
26 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 15.648 122.623
27 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 15.660 122.529
28 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 15.662 122.513
29 49 Derrike Cope BAM Racing Dodge 15.671 122.443
30 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.672 122.435
31 27 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge 15.679 122.380
32 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.684 122.341
33 14 Mike Wallace A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 15.684 122.341
34 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 15.708 122.154
35 44 Jerry Nadeau Petty Enterprises Dodge 15.741 121.898
36 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 15.769 121.682
Provisionals
37 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 15.891 120.748
38 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.787 121.543
39 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 15.848 121.075
40 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac
41 23 Hut Stricklin Bill Davis Racing Dodge 15.840 121.136
42 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 15.791 121.512
43 90 Lance Hooper Donlavey Racing Ford 16.072 119.388
Failed to qualify
44 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 15.831 121.205
45 51 Carl Long Ware Racing Enterprises Dodge 15.942 120.361
46 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford 16.098 119.195
47 71 Tim Sauter Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 16.198 118.459
Official qualifying results

Race

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the first lap of the race from pole sitter Jeff Gordon. The first caution flew on lap 5 when Todd Bodine, Steve Park, and Lance Hooper crashed on the backstretch. Dale Earnhardt Jr. held on to his lead on the restart of the race on lap 12. On lap 17, the second caution flew when Todd Bodine crashed on the backstretch. The race restarted on lap 23 and Dale Jr. held on to his lead. The third caution flew on lap 30 when Robby Gordon spun in turn 4. The race restarted on lap 36 and no one could catch Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Jr. went on to lead the first 130 laps of the race. After only 21 green flag laps, the fourth caution flew on lap 56 when Ricky Craven spun in turn 2 after he got dumped by Robby Gordon. On pit road during the caution, points leader Sterling Marlin was penalized for dragging his jack out of his pit box and had to go to the rear of the field. The race restarted on lap 62. On lap 68, the 5th caution flew when Elliott Sadler crashed on the backstretch after contact with Joe Nemechek. Sadler got out of his car and pointed at his head at Nemechek as Nemechek went by as if Sadler was saying "I will remember that."[8] The race restarted on lap 76. On lap 131, Jeff Gordon took the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon would go on to lead the next 116 laps of the race. After 75 green flag laps, The 6th caution flew on lap 150 when rookie star Jimmie Johnson spun in turn 4. Jeff Gordon beat out Jimmy Spencer to win the race off of pit road to keep his lead and the race restarted on lap 157. The 7th caution flew on lap 168 when multiple cars like Scott Wimmer, Terry Labonte, and Derrike Cope cut tires after running over debris. The race restarted on lap 175. On lap 247, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Jeff Gordon. But 11 laps later on lap 257, Jeff Gordon took the lead back from Dale Jr. and Gordon would lead the next 116 laps. After the longest green flag run of 117 laps, the 8th caution flew on lap 291 when Steve Park spun in turn 2. Jeff Gordon won the race off of pit road to keep his lead. On the restart on lap 298, chaos ensued that collected a total of 9 cars. Jeremy Mayfield got turned by Dale Jarrett and Mayfield spun up and back down and clipped Jarett causing Jarrett to spin in turn 1 and collect more cars. The wreck also collected Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Jerry Nadeau, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, and Kurt Busch. The race restarted on lap 308. On lap 315, the 10th caution flew when Ricky Craven slowed on the backstretch and was run into from behind by Jeff Green giving Green major front end damage. The race restarted on lap 331 but on lap 333, the 11th caution flew when Ryan Newman crashed in turn 4 after contact with Mark Martin. Terry Labonte also spun trying to avoid the crash. The race restarted on lap 339.

More tempers

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On lap 347, the 12th caution flew when Hut Stricklin crashed in turn 3 after contact by Jeremy Mayfield. Stricklin, making his final Winston Cup start, got out of his car and pointed and clapped at Mayfield as Mayfield went by as a show of displeasure.[9] The race restarted on lap 356. On lap 370, the 13th caution flew when Casey Atwood and Dave Blaney crashed in turn 2. Ward Burton won the race off of pit road but many cars stayed out including Johnny Benson who was the new race leader. During the caution period, things got a little heated in the lap down lane. Rookie Jimmie Johnson, who was third in points coming into the race, was the first car that was 1 lap down and he lined up alongside the second to last car on the lead lap in Mike Wallace. Behind Johnson was Robby Gordon who was the second car one lap down. During the caution period, Gordon bumped into Johnson's rear bumper a few times for what appears to be because Gordon wanted to restart in front of Johnson. As soon as they took the green flag, Gordon continued to run all over the bumper of Johnson and ended up turning him around collecting Mark Martin as well as John Andretti who spun late bringing out the 14th caution of the race. While they were racing back to the line, Gordon went all over the back bumper of race leader Johnny Benson even shoving him up the race track in an attempt to get his lap back which he did. An angry Johnson got out of his car and waited for Robby Gordon to come by. About 3 laps after the wreck, Johnson went to Gordon's car, gave him the finger, and walked to the ambulance. Johnson in his interview said "just like every form of racing he's ever been it's always somebody else's fault. He had me turned before we even took the green I didn't even have a chance to grab a gear. He's beating my bumper cover off coming to the green because he wanted to restart in front of me. I'm trying to get my lap back as well so he's just crying up a river like he always does. It's a shame we got a chance to win the championship and we get spun out before we take the green on a restart it's just wrong." He also said later that he enjoyed flipping off Gordon. Eventually, NASCAR said that Gordon must come down pit road and serve a 2 lap penalty. But both Gordon and his car owner Richard Childress agrued that Johnson missed a gear shift and that there was nothing that Gordon could do about it. Gordon did eventually serve his penalty.[10] The race restarted on lap 388. On lap 389, Kurt Busch took the lead from Benson. But the tempers did not end. On lap 403, the 15th and final caution flew when Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Ward Burton turning Burton around. An angry Burton got out of his car, took off his heel pads on his shoes, and went up to the apron of the race track waiting for Jr. As soon as Burton saw Jr's race car, Burton put his arms out as a gesture to Jr. and threw his brake pads at Jr's car as he went by. Burton's pads ricocheted off of Jr's car and hit Burton. NASCAR did tell Burton and his crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. to visit the NASCAR hauler. In his interview, Burton quoted "I wish I had something I could've shot through the window."[11] After the tempers that flared throughout the night, TNT, who was broadcasting the event, decided to have a good sense of humor about the tempers that were shown by different drivers throughout the night. They put up a temper statline on TV that said "Mouthing Off – 2, Finger Pointing – 3, Car Bumping – 5, Heel Pads Thrown – 2, Ambulance Abuse – 1."[12]

Final laps

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The race restarted on lap 424 with Kurt Busch still the leader. On lap 434, Matt Kenseth took the lead from his Roush racing teammate. On lap 444, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Kenseth and held on to it for the next 38 laps. With 22 laps to go, Rusty Wallace passed Matt Kenseth for second and began to close in on Kevin Harvick. With 19 laps to go, Rusty Wallace pulled the bump and run on Harvick and took the lead. With 18 to go, Jeff Gordon passed Harvick for 2nd place. With 10 laps to go, Wallace had built a manageable lead over Gordon and it looked like Wallace was gonna win. But with the laps winding down, Jeff Gordon kept getting closer and closer to Wallace. With 4 laps to go, Wallace got loose coming out of turn 2 and Gordon was now all over the back bumper of Wallace. Gordon attempted to bump and run Wallace a couple different times but Wallace held on to his ground. Finally, with 3 laps to go in turn 3, Gordon got to the back bumper of Wallace and moved him up the race track and Gordon sneaked by Wallace and took the lead. Wallace attempted to get Gordon back in the last 2 laps but could not get to his back bumper and the defending Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon took home his first win of the 2002 season and Wallace finished 2nd. This was Gordon's first win since the 2001 Protection One 400 at Kansas. This was also Gordon's 5th and final career win at Bristol.[13] Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 while Kurt Busch, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, Bobby Labonte, and Mike Wallace rounded out the top 10.

Race results

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Fin[14] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 235 running 185 $245,543
2 4 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 500 16 running 175 $173,240
3 2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 500 140 running 170 $131,090
4 23 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 38 running 165 $137,033
5 10 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 500 10 running 160 $98,375
6 8 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 500 45 running 155 $83,265
7 27 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 500 0 running 146 $113,557
8 11 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 500 0 running 142 $89,840
9 12 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 500 0 running 138 $110,868
10 33 14 Mike Wallace A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 500 0 running 134 $71,690
11 34 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 500 0 running 130 $91,290
12 6 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 500 16 running 132 $92,840
13 36 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 500 0 running 124 $104,607
14 40 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 499 0 running 121 $88,990
15 22 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 499 0 running 118 $64,360
16 7 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 499 0 running 115 $71,310
17 5 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 499 0 running 112 $88,016
18 17 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 499 0 running 109 $72,200
19 39 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 499 0 running 106 $88,533
20 30 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 498 0 running 103 $90,366
21 35 44 Jerry Nadeau Petty Enterprises Dodge 498 0 running 100 $69,624
22 3 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 498 0 running 97 $68,935
23 21 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 497 0 running 94 $93,818
24 26 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 497 0 running 91 $103,788
25 13 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 497 0 running 88 $66,515
26 42 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 496 0 running 85 $88,015
27 20 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 494 0 running 82 $64,730
28 19 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 494 0 running 79 $72,720
29 16 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 493 0 running 76 $54,710
30 24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 492 0 running 73 $81,283
31 43 90 Lance Hooper Donlavey Racing Ford 488 0 running 70 $51,840
32 28 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 473 0 running 67 $51,755
33 37 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 466 0 running 64 $59,720
34 32 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 462 0 running 61 $52,685
35 18 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 460 0 running 58 $51,640
36 14 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 454 0 running 55 $59,605
37 9 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 401 0 crash 52 $94,545
38 41 23 Hut Stricklin Bill Davis Racing Dodge 344 0 crash 49 $51,475
39 15 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 271 0 overheating 46 $95,842
40 31 27 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge 164 0 crash 43 $51,350
41 29 49 Derrike Cope BAM Racing Dodge 162 0 crash 40 $51,300
42 38 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 74 0 crash 37 $59,255
43 25 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 21 0 crash 34 $76,634
Failed to qualify
44 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet
45 51 Carl Long Ware Racing Enterprises Dodge
46 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford
47 71 Tim Sauter Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Packman, Tim (August 27, 2002). "Gordon trips up Wallace, ends losing streak". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 3, 2002. Retrieved April 9, 2002.
  2. ^ "With win at Bristol, Gordon savors end to 31-race drought". The Rock Island Argus. 2002-08-26. p. 30. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - 2002 Bristol 2 Race Info & Rundown". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  4. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Bristol 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2002. Retrieved April 9, 2002.
  5. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 Bristol 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2002. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  7. ^ Smith, Marty (August 23, 2002). "Gordon reigns after rain to take Bristol pole - August 23, 2002". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on December 3, 2002. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "Andrew on Twitter:"2002 Sharpie 500 @ Bristol". Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  9. ^ "Andrew on Twitter:"2002 Sharpie 500 @ Bristol". Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  10. ^ "Bristol racing track losing rough-and-tumble image". Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  11. ^ "BASS PRO SHOPS NRA NIGHT RACE UNLEASHES DRIVERS' INNER BEAST IN EPIC BATTLES INSIDE THE LAST GREAT COLOSSEUM". Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  12. ^ "What's your favorite Bristol race?". Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. ^ "Jeff Gordon Wins the Sharpie 500". Retrieved August 23, 2002.
  14. ^ "2002 Sharpie 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
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