2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400
# 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400

The 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with The Looney Tunes was the 26th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 7, 2002, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would come back from a two-lap deficit to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his fourth of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing and Jeff Green of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

### Entry list

* (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 | Virginia Lottery |
| 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak, Yosemite Sam |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's, The Road-Runner |
| 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 |
| 09 | Geoff Bodine | Phoenix Racing | Ford | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming |
| 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 Dealers |
| 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Hills Bros. Coffee |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont, Bugs Bunny |
| 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | UAW, Delphi, Speedy Gonzales |
| 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, Tasmanian Devil |
| 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online, Daffy Duck |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless, Pepé Le Pew |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | M&M's |
| 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, Tweety and Sylvester the Cat |
| 51 | Carl Long (R) | Ware Racing Enterprises | Dodge | Revival Soy |
| 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D, Marvin the Martian |
| 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Wehr's Chevrolet, George and Sons |
| 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Rubbermaid, Sharpie |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, September 6, at 11:20 AM EST, and lasted for 2 hours. Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.279 and an average speed of 126.886 miles per hour (204.203 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.279 | 126.886 |
| 2 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.287 | 126.838 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.292 | 126.808 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, September 6, at 4:45 PM EST, and lasted for 45 minutes. Jeff Green of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.577 and an average speed of 125.133 miles per hour (201.382 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.577 | 125.133 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.634 | 124.803 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.645 | 124.740 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, September 6, at 6:15 PM EST, and lasted for 45 minutes. Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.590 and an average speed of 125.058 miles per hour (201.261 km/h).

During the session, Jeff Gordon would careen his car into the outside wall in Turn 2, causing substantial damage to his car and forcing Gordon to use a backup. The special Bugs Bunny scheme that was planned to run was instead replaced by Gordon's regular "Flames" scheme, with Gordon saying "We're going to go with the flames. [My firesuit] is about all that is left of Bugs for the day."

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.590 | 125.058 |
| 2 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.618 | 124.896 |
| 3 | 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.619 | 124.890 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, September 6, 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. 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.

Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 21.404 and an average speed of 126.145 miles per hour (203.011 km/h).

Carl Long was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.404 | 126.145 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.474 | 125.733 |
| 3 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 21.474 | 125.733 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.476 | 125.722 |
| 5 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.479 | 125.704 |
| 6 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.496 | 125.605 |
| 7 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 21.501 | 125.576 |
| 8 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.505 | 125.552 |
| 9 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.506 | 125.546 |
| 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.507 | 125.540 |
| 11 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.510 | 125.523 |
| 12 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.514 | 125.500 |
| 13 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.517 | 125.482 |
| 14 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.530 | 125.406 |
| 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.538 | 125.360 |
| 16 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.547 | 125.308 |
| 17 | 44 | Jerry Nadeau | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.565 | 125.203 |
| 18 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.571 | 125.168 |
| 19 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.577 | 125.133 |
| 20 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 21.577 | 125.133 |
| 21 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.611 | 124.936 |
| 22 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.622 | 124.873 |
| 23 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.655 | 124.683 |
| 24 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.657 | 124.671 |
| 25 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.677 | 124.556 |
| 26 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.685 | 124.510 |
| 27 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.686 | 124.504 |
| 28 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.690 | 124.481 |
| 29 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.698 | 124.435 |
| 30 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.707 | 124.384 |
| 31 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.708 | 124.378 |
| 32 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.709 | 124.372 |
| 33 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.716 | 124.332 |
| 34 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.723 | 124.292 |
| 35 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 21.724 | 124.286 |
| 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.739 | 124.201 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.761 | 124.075 |
| 38 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.772 | 124.012 |
| 39 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.865 | 123.485 |
| 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 21.740 | 124.195 |
| 41 | 09 | Geoff Bodine | Phoenix Racing | Ford | 21.748 | 124.149 |
| 42 | 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 22.028 | 122.571 |
| 43 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.283 | 121.169 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 51 | Carl Long (R) | Ware Racing Enterprises | Dodge | 21.836 | 123.649 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 25 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 134 | running | 180 | $163,595 |
| 2 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 400 | 145 | running | 180 | $127,340 |
| 3 | 29 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 2 | running | 145 | $80,930 |
| 4 | 24 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $87,205 |
| 5 | 7 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $92,142 |
| 6 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $87,288 |
| 7 | 6 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $92,222 |
| 8 | 13 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 399 | 16 | running | 147 | $89,855 |
| 9 | 3 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 138 | $72,655 |
| 10 | 21 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 134 | $60,755 |
| 11 | 38 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 399 | 31 | running | 135 | $79,230 |
| 12 | 39 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 399 | 1 | running | 132 | $52,940 |
| 13 | 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 1 | running | 129 | $52,380 |
| 14 | 33 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 399 | 3 | running | 126 | $47,080 |
| 15 | 23 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 118 | $87,755 |
| 16 | 19 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 115 | $74,211 |
| 17 | 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 112 | $47,855 |
| 18 | 27 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 109 | $88,283 |
| 19 | 22 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 106 | $53,780 |
| 20 | 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 103 | $61,680 |
| 21 | 20 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 100 | $52,805 |
| 22 | 8 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 97 | $55,080 |
| 23 | 43 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 94 | $41,305 |
| 24 | 34 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 397 | 0 | running | 91 | $52,544 |
| 25 | 28 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 88 | $52,005 |
| 26 | 16 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 85 | $51,780 |
| 27 | 17 | 44 | Jerry Nadeau | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 397 | 0 | running | 82 | $40,755 |
| 28 | 11 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 79 | $66,686 |
| 29 | 31 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 397 | 0 | running | 76 | $67,593 |
| 30 | 14 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 34 | driveshaft | 78 | $88,478 |
| 31 | 12 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 70 | $60,365 |
| 32 | 18 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 371 | 0 | running | 67 | $86,108 |
| 33 | 37 | 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 12 | running | 69 | $48,295 |
| 34 | 35 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 317 | 0 | running | 61 | $48,235 |
| 35 | 9 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 251 | 0 | crash | 58 | $66,950 |
| 36 | 26 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 217 | 21 | crash | 60 | $48,165 |
| 37 | 42 | 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 215 | 0 | engine | 52 | $40,130 |
| 38 | 41 | 09 | Geoff Bodine | Phoenix Racing | Ford | 116 | 0 | engine | 49 | $40,095 |
| 39 | 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 107 | 0 | running | 46 | $84,702 |
| 40 | 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | engine | 43 | $92,953 |
| 41 | 5 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | 0 | crash | 40 | $68,763 |
| 42 | 30 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 8 | 0 | crash | 37 | $39,880 |
| 43 | 32 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 8 | 0 | crash | 34 | $82,429 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 51 | Carl Long (R) | Ware Racing Enterprises | Dodge | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
