# 2002 Brickyard 400

The 2002 Brickyard 400, the 9th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 4, 2002, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Contested at 160 laps on the 2.5 mile (4.023 km) speedway, it was the twenty-first race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Bill Elliott of Evernham Motorsports won the race.
This was the first race to feature the Steel and Foam Reduction (SAFER) barrier at Indianapolis that would be used to make racing accidents safer.

## Background

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis. It is a four-turn rectangular-oval track that is 2.5 miles (4.023 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 9 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, has no banking. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a zero degree banking. The racetrack has seats for more than 250,000 spectators.

## Summary

Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer, locked in a burgeoning feud dating back to Bristol, collided on lap 36. Busch hit the turn 3 wall. Veteran Bill Elliott added the Brickyard to his long resume, and Rusty Wallace finished second for the third time.
Following the race, Tony Stewart was fined $50,000 and placed into probation not by NASCAR, but by his sponsor, The Home Depot, for punching a photographer post-race.

## Race results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Ford |
| 5 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 11 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac |
| 12 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac |
| 13 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac |
| 15 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford |
| 16 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge |
| 18 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 19 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 07 | Ted Musgrave | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge |
| 22 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrlet |
| 23 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 44 | Jerry Nadeau | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 25 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 26 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 27 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 28 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 29 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 30 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge |
| 31 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 32 | 98 | Kenny Wallace | Innovative Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford |
| 34 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford |
| 35 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 36 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 10 | Johnny Benson | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac |
| 38 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 39 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 40 | 09 | Geoff Bodine | Phoenix Racing | Ford |
| 41 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 42 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford |
| 43 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Racing | Pontiac |
Failed to qualify: Ron Hornaday Jr. (#49), Derrike Cope (#37), Scott Wimmer (#27), Tony Raines (#74), Jim Sauter (#71), Stuart Kirby (#57), P. J. Jones (#50)

## Race statistics

* Time of race: 3:11:57
* Average Speed: 125.033 miles per hour (201.221 km/h)
* Pole Speed: 182.96
* Cautions: 8 for 36 laps
* Margin of Victory: 1.269 sec
* Lead changes: 16
* Percent of race run under caution: 22.5%
* Average green flag run: 13.8 laps