2002 MBNA America 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 MBNA America 500 program cover, featuring Kevin Harvick, winner of the 2001 race. | |||
| Date | March 10, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 44th Annual MBNA America 500 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.54 miles (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Average speed | 148.443 miles per hour (238.896 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.944 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 143 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
| Booth announcers | Chuck Carland, Rob Albright | ||
| Turn announcers | Brett McMillan, Steve Richards, Pat Patterson | ||
The 2002 MBNA America 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fifth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 10, 2002, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would pass the worn-out car of Ward Burton with 23 to go to win his 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
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.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, March 8, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.118 and an average speed of 190.391 miles per hour (306.405 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.118 | 190.391 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.148 | 190.201 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.174 | 190.026 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, March 9, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.896 and an average speed of 185.436 miles per hour (298.430 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 29.896 | 185.436 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.971 | 184.979 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.981 | 184.917 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 9, at 11:15 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Jerry Nadeau of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.110 and an average speed of 184.125 miles per hour (296.320 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.110 | 184.125 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 30.115 | 184.087 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 30.125 | 184.026 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
