2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400
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| 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 | ||
| Course length | 1.017 miles (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 | ||
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.
Entry list
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]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
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 mph (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
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
The final practice session, 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 mph (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 | ||||||
