2002 Protection One 400
# 2002 Protection One 400

The 2002 Protection One 400 was the 29th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 29, 2002, before a crowd of 78,000 in Kansas City, Kansas, at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would pull away on the final restart with three laps to go to win his 61st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace, both driving for Penske Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The NTT IndyCar Series also raced there until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation.

### 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 |
| 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, Banquet Foods |
| 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 |
| 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 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | Naturally Fresh Foods |
| 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 | Pedigree |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Energizer |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Cheerios |
| 44 | Jerry Nadeau | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific Brawny |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Sprint PCS Vision |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Stuart Kirby | BAM Racing | Dodge | BAM Racing |
| 51 | Carl Long | Ware Racing Enterprises | Dodge | Revival Soy |
| 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D |
| 60 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | Haas Automation |
| 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | Staff America |
| 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, Red Line Oil |
| 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 27, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for 2 hours. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.430 and an average speed of 177.456 miles per hour (285.588 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.430 | 177.456 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 30.466 | 177.247 |
| 3 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.473 | 177.206 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, September 28, at 9:30 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.898 and an average speed of 174.769 miles per hour (281.263 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 30.898 | 174.769 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.108 | 173.589 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.128 | 173.477 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, September 28, at 11:15 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Steve Park of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.554 and an average speed of 171.135 miles per hour (275.415 km/h).

During the opening minutes of the session, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would crash in turn two, forcing the team to go to a backup car.

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 31.554 | 171.135 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.585 | 170.967 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.609 | 170.837 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, September 27, at 3:05 PM CST. 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.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would win the pole, setting a time of 30.350 and an average speed of 177.924 miles per hour (286.341 km/h).

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Brett Bodine, Kirk Shelmerdine, and Carl Long.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 30.350 | 177.924 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.362 | 177.854 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 30.526 | 176.898 |
| 4 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 30.598 | 176.482 |
| 5 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 30.640 | 176.240 |
| 6 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.645 | 176.212 |
| 7 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 30.671 | 176.062 |
| 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 30.682 | 175.999 |
| 9 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.703 | 175.879 |
| 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.703 | 175.879 |
| 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 30.707 | 175.856 |
| 12 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.710 | 175.839 |
| 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.712 | 175.827 |
| 14 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 30.755 | 175.581 |
| 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.792 | 175.370 |
| 16 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 30.796 | 175.347 |
| 17 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 30.797 | 175.342 |
| 18 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.803 | 175.308 |
| 19 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 30.830 | 175.154 |
| 20 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 30.833 | 175.137 |
| 21 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 30.849 | 175.046 |
| 22 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.853 | 175.023 |
| 23 | 60 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 30.867 | 174.944 |
| 24 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.881 | 174.865 |
| 25 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.904 | 174.735 |
| 26 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.954 | 174.452 |
| 27 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.974 | 174.340 |
| 28 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 30.999 | 174.199 |
| 29 | 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 31.012 | 174.126 |
| 30 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.018 | 174.092 |
| 31 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 31.021 | 174.076 |
| 32 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.022 | 174.070 |
| 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 31.032 | 174.014 |
| 34 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 31.058 | 173.868 |
| 35 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.195 | 173.105 |
| 36 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.199 | 173.083 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 31.513 | 171.358 |
| 38 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.286 | 172.601 |
| 39 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.292 | 172.568 |
| 40 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 31.251 | 172.794 |
| 41 | 44 | Jerry Nadeau | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 31.307 | 172.485 |
| 42 | 49 | Stuart Kirby | BAM Racing | Dodge | 31.716 | 170.261 |
| 43 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Ford | 32.028 | 168.602 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 31.398 | 171.986 |
| 45 | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 31.635 | 170.697 |
| 46 | 51 | Carl Long (R) | Ware Racing Enterprises | Dodge | 31.640 | 170.670 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 116 | running | 185 | $217,928 |
| 2 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 267 | 81 | running | 175 | $150,140 |
| 3 | 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | running | 165 | $140,800 |
| 4 | 12 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | running | 160 | $105,025 |
| 5 | 5 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 267 | 3 | running | 160 | $106,231 |
| 6 | 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 267 | 10 | running | 155 | $96,700 |
| 7 | 27 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | running | 146 | $89,400 |
| 8 | 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 267 | 0 | running | 142 | $111,778 |
| 9 | 14 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 267 | 0 | running | 138 | $74,400 |
| 10 | 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 134 | $69,650 |
| 11 | 26 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 48 | running | 135 | $107,478 |
| 12 | 18 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 127 | $92,333 |
| 13 | 22 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 124 | $88,156 |
| 14 | 21 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 266 | 0 | running | 121 | $90,283 |
| 15 | 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 266 | 2 | running | 123 | $64,250 |
| 16 | 28 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 266 | 0 | running | 115 | $61,100 |
| 17 | 24 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 112 | $61,800 |
| 18 | 38 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 265 | 1 | running | 114 | $83,500 |
| 19 | 36 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 264 | 0 | running | 106 | $60,200 |
| 20 | 30 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 263 | 0 | running | 103 | $104,117 |
| 21 | 34 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 261 | 0 | running | 100 | $81,050 |
| 22 | 31 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 261 | 0 | running | 97 | $101,978 |
| 23 | 35 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 260 | 2 | crash | 99 | $85,950 |
| 24 | 37 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 259 | 0 | crash | 91 | $69,400 |
| 25 | 9 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 250 | 1 | engine | 93 | $92,833 |
| 26 | 4 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 239 | 0 | running | 85 | $66,400 |
| 27 | 41 | 44 | Jerry Nadeau | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 231 | 0 | ignition | 82 | $66,089 |
| 28 | 39 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 230 | 0 | running | 79 | $63,000 |
| 29 | 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 222 | 3 | engine | 81 | $99,467 |
| 30 | 17 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 216 | 0 | running | 73 | $84,975 |
| 31 | 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 206 | 0 | running | 70 | $62,400 |
| 32 | 32 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 67 | $54,200 |
| 33 | 7 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 147 | 0 | crash | 64 | $96,317 |
| 34 | 16 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 129 | 0 | engine | 61 | $78,987 |
| 35 | 23 | 60 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 97 | 0 | crash | 58 | $53,550 |
| 36 | 29 | 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | crash | 55 | $61,300 |
| 37 | 42 | 49 | Stuart Kirby | BAM Racing | Dodge | 44 | 0 | engine | 52 | $53,100 |
| 38 | 20 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 40 | 0 | overheating | 49 | $60,900 |
| 39 | 6 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39 | 0 | engine | 46 | $72,700 |
| 40 | 43 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Ford | 30 | 0 | crash | 43 | $52,500 |
| 41 | 25 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | crash | 40 | $52,300 |
| 42 | 40 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 5 | 0 | crash | 37 | $52,100 |
| 43 | 19 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 5 | 0 | crash | 34 | $95,153 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 51 | Carl Long (R) | Ware Racing Enterprises | Dodge | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
