2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500
# 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500

The 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on April 28, 2002 at California Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 250 laps on the 2-mile (3.23 km) asphalt D-shaped oval, it was the tenth race of the 2002 Winston Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his first career Winston Cup Series victory. Kurt Busch finished second and Ricky Rudd finished third.

## Background

The track, California Speedway, is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The track's turns are banked from fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. Unlike the front stretch, the back straightaway is banked at three degrees.

## Summary

There were ten drivers who failed to finish the race; with five of the drivers forcing to leave the race due to terminal crashes while five other drivers had engine issues. Nearly 10% of the 199-minute race was held under a caution flag and the average green flag run was approximately 38 laps.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion when Kevin Harvick slowed on the track and veered into Earnhardt Jr.'s path, causing Jr. to hit the outside retaining wall parallel on the driver's side (this was before SAFER barriers were installed). The impact bent the dashboard of Jr.'s car and severely disoriented him; this ultimately forced NASCAR to pass a regulation forcing drivers to take the ambulance ride to the infield care center every time they crashed (he did not admit to have this injury until mid-September, after which NASCAR also passed a new concussion protocol).

## Race results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 180 |
| 2 | 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 180 |
| 3 | 37 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 250 | 165 |
| 4 | 39 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 250 | 165 |
| 5 | 26 | 6 | Mark Martin (W) | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 155 |
| 6 | 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 250 | 155 |
| 7 | 25 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 250 | 146 |
| 8 | 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace (W) | Penske Racing | Ford | 250 | 142 |
| 9 | 32 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 250 | 143 |
| 10 | 6 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 250 | 139 |
| 11 | 16 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 130 |
| 12 | 40 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 127 |
| 13 | 29 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 249 | 124 |
| 14 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 249 | 126 |
| 15 | 11 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 249 | 118 |
| 16 | 17 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 115 |
| 17 | 19 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 249 | 112 |
| 18 | 27 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 249 | 109 |
| 19 | 38 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 249 | 106 |
| 20 | 20 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 249 | 103 |
| 21 | 34 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 100 |
| 22 | 18 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 249 | 97 |
| 23 | 36 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine | Ford | 249 | 94 |
| 24 | 24 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 249 | 91 |
| 25 | 13 | 26 | Joe Nemechek | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 88 |
| 26 | 5 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 85 |
| 27 | 22 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 248 | 82 |
| 28 | 12 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 248 | 79 |
| 29 | 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 247 | 76 |
| 30 | 30 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 73 |
| 31 | 33 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 247 | 70 |
| 32 | 42 | 90 | Rick Mast | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 246 | 67 |
| 33 | 41 | 44 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 244 | 64 |
| 34 | 28 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 240 | 61 |
| 35 | 21 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 226 | 58 |
| 36 | 9 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 225 | 55 |
| 37 | 15 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 193 | 52 |
| 38 | 14 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield (W) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 189 | 49 |
| 39 | 7 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 163 | 46 |
| 40 | 31 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 147 | 43 |
| 41 | 35 | 14 | Stacy Compton | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac | 104 | 45 |
| 42 | 43 | 49 | Shawna Robinson (R) | BAM Racing | Dodge | 18 | 37 |
| 43 | 23 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 4 | 34 |

## Race Statistics

* Time of race: 3:19:53
* Average Speed: 150.088 miles per hour (241.543 km/h)
* Pole Speed: 187.432 miles per hour (301.643 km/h)
* Cautions: 5 for 24 laps
* Margin of Victory: 0.620 sec
* Lead changes: 20
* Percent of race run under caution: 9.6%
* Average green flag run: 37.7 laps
