# 2002 Pontiac Excitement 400

The 2002 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event. The race was held throughout the days of May 4–5, 2002 due to rain forcing the delay of the race from its scheduled Sunday date. The race was held 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, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win a crash-marred and wild race after taking control of the final restart with 18 to go. The win was Stewart's 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing and Jeff Burton of Roush 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 |
| 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 / Circuit City |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW |
| 10 | Johnny Benson Jr.* | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | Valvoline / MaxLife |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | Alltel |
| 14 | Stacy Compton | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | Conseco |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt Power Tools |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW |
| 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 Brothers Coffee |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | UAW–Delphi |
| 26 | Frank Kimmel | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Pork. The Other White Meat |
| 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Havoline |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service |
| 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless / Spider-Man |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | Tide New Clean Breeze Scent |
| 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | M&M's Global Color Vote |
| 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 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Sprint |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 54 | Kevin Grubb | Team Bristol Motorsports | Chevrolet | Toys "R" Us |
| 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Schneider Electric, Square D |
| 59 | Randy Renfrow | Price Motorsports | Dodge | Price Motorsports |
| 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 90 | Rick Mast | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Sauer's / Duke's Mayonnaise |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Rubbermaid / Sharpie |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| Official entry list |||||
*Driver changed to Joe Nemechek for the race, as Benson Jr. had suffered injuries during the 2002 Hardee's 250, the preliminary Busch race.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, May 3, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours. Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.996 and an average speed of 128.589 miles per hour (206.944 km/h).
During the session, Dale Jarrett and Kurt Busch would both crash in separate incidents.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.996 | 128.589 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.010 | 128.509 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.010 | 128.509 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, May 3, at 4:45 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Johnny Benson Jr. of MBV Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.502 and an average speed of 125.569 miles per hour (202.084 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.502 | 125.569 |
| 2 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.535 | 125.371 |
| 3 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.556 | 125.249 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 3, at 6:15 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Johnny Benson Jr. of MBV Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.527 and an average speed of 125.424 miles per hour (201.850 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.527 | 125.424 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.579 | 125.122 |
| 3 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.593 | 125.035 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 3, 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 champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.
Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 21.195 and an average speed of 127.388 miles per hour (205.011 km/h).
Kevin Grubb was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.195 | 127.388 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.230 | 127.178 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.250 | 127.059 |
| 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.264 | 126.975 |
| 5 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.312 | 126.689 |
| 6 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.328 | 126.594 |
| 7 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.333 | 126.564 |
| 8 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.337 | 126.541 |
| 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.338 | 126.535 |
| 10 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 21.340 | 126.523 |
| 11 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.347 | 126.481 |
| 12 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.353 | 126.446 |
| 13 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.369 | 126.351 |
| 14 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.377 | 126.304 |
| 15 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.381 | 126.280 |
| 16 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.383 | 126.269 |
| 17 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.397 | 126.186 |
| 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.402 | 126.156 |
| 19 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.402 | 126.156 |
| 20 | 44 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.413 | 126.092 |
| 21 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 21.431 | 125.986 |
| 22 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.437 | 125.951 |
| 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.438 | 125.945 |
| 24 | 90 | Rick Mast | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 21.440 | 125.933 |
| 25 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.445 | 125.904 |
| 26 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.449 | 125.880 |
| 27 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.457 | 125.833 |
| 28 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 21.485 | 125.669 |
| 29 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.486 | 125.663 |
| 30 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.488 | 125.651 |
| 31 | 14 | Stacy Compton | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.537 | 125.366 |
| 32 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.538 | 125.360 |
| 33 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 21.542 | 125.337 |
| 34 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.555 | 125.261 |
| 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.557 | 125.249 |
| 36 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.585 | 125.087 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.887 | 123.361 |
| 38 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.781 | 123.961 |
| 39 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.814 | 123.774 |
| 40 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.824 | 123.717 |
| 41 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.670 | 124.596 |
| 42 | 26 | Frank Kimmel | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 22.343 | 120.843 |
| 43 | 59 | Randy Renfrow | Price Motorsports | Dodge | 22.029 | 122.566 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 54 | Kevin Grubb | Team Bristol Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.632 | 124.815 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 28 | running | 180 | $185,653 |
| 2 | 11 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 400 | 48 | running | 175 | $121,950 |
| 3 | 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $126,067 |
| 4 | 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $106,708 |
| 5 | 17 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $67,950 |
| 6 | 7 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $68,000 |
| 7 | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $99,403 |
| 8 | 20 | 44 | Steve Grissom | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $60,875 |
| 9 | 10 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 138 | $59,975 |
| 10 | 40 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 400 | 75 | running | 139 | $74,275 |
| 11 | 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 130 | $87,692 |
| 12 | 16 | 10 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 127 | $74,710 |
| 13 | 14 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 2 | running | 129 | $43,575 |
| 14 | 38 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 121 | $73,531 |
| 15 | 22 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 118 | $68,335 |
| 16 | 32 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 115 | $54,700 |
| 17 | 36 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 5 | running | 117 | $62,289 |
| 18 | 30 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 109 | $42,050 |
| 19 | 33 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 106 | $45,525 |
| 20 | 41 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 103 | $74,508 |
| 21 | 21 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 100 | $52,550 |
| 22 | 29 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 97 | $45,325 |
| 23 | 6 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running | 94 | $40,825 |
| 24 | 27 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 398 | 3 | running | 96 | $51,850 |
| 25 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 88 | $84,750 |
| 26 | 31 | 14 | Stacy Compton | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 395 | 0 | running | 85 | $43,475 |
| 27 | 37 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 82 | $51,650 |
| 28 | 19 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 378 | 0 | running | 79 | $43,125 |
| 29 | 28 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 377 | 10 | engine | 81 | $50,500 |
| 30 | 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 364 | 125 | running | 83 | $98,375 |
| 36 | 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 55 | $76,862 |
| 31 | 26 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 | running | 70 | $40,325 |
| 32 | 8 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 351 | 0 | running | 67 | $86,053 |
| 33 | 15 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | crash | 64 | $69,058 |
| 34 | 5 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | crash | 61 | $70,050 |
| 35 | 24 | 90 | Rick Mast | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | crash | 58 | $40,125 |
| 37 | 34 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | crash | 52 | $66,081 |
| 38 | 39 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 309 | 14 | running | 54 | $87,753 |
| 39 | 12 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 308 | 90 | crash | 51 | $84,317 |
| 40 | 25 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 0 | running | 43 | $85,603 |
| 41 | 13 | 25 | Jerry Nadeau | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 225 | 0 | crash | 40 | $47,765 |
| 42 | 42 | 26 | Frank Kimmel | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 213 | 0 | crash | 37 | $64,892 |
| 43 | 43 | 59 | Randy Renfrow | Price Motorsports | Dodge | 58 | 0 | oil pump | 34 | $39,667 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 54 | Kevin Grubb | Team Bristol Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||