# 2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400

The 2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 34th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 3, 2002, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, MBV Motorsports driver Johnny Benson Jr. would manage to defend for the lead within the last 26 laps of the race to take his first and only NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch, both drivers for Roush Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | MW Windows |
| 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 |
| 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 | Kenny Wallace | 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 |
| 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 | M&M's |
| 40 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Target |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Pop Secret |
| 44 | Greg Biffle | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific Brawny |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Sprint |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 54 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | BelCar Motorsports | Chevrolet | National Guard |
| 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D |
| 59 | Carl Long (R) | Price Motorsports | Dodge | Check into Cash |
| 60 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | Haas Automation |
| 66 | Hideo Fukuyama | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Japan and United States Standing Together |
| 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Camp 28 Saloon, Wehr's |
| 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 |
| 91 | Hank Parker Jr. | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | USG |
| 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, November 1, at 11:20 am EST. The session would last for two hours. Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.744 and an average speed of 154.195 miles per hour (248.153 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing South | Ford | 23.744 | 154.195 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.867 | 153.400 |
| 3 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.874 | 153.355 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, November 2, at 9:30 am EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.201 and an average speed of 151.283 miles per hour (243.466 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.201 | 151.283 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.203 | 151.270 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.218 | 151.177 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, November 2, at 11:15 am EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Todd Bodine, driving for Haas-Carter Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.280 and an average speed of 150.791 miles per hour (242.675 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 24.280 | 150.791 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.351 | 150.351 |
| 3 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 24.430 | 149.865 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, November 1, 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.
Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.494 and an average speed of 155.835 miles per hour (250.792 km/h).
Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing South | Ford | 23.494 | 155.835 |
| 2 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 23.691 | 154.540 |
| 3 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 23.703 | 154.462 |
| 4 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.718 | 154.364 |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.751 | 154.149 |
| 6 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.757 | 154.110 |
| 7 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.763 | 154.072 |
| 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 23.786 | 153.923 |
| 9 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.787 | 153.916 |
| 10 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.793 | 153.877 |
| 11 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.820 | 153.703 |
| 12 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.845 | 153.542 |
| 13 | 44 | Greg Biffle | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 23.862 | 153.432 |
| 14 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 23.871 | 153.374 |
| 15 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 23.874 | 153.355 |
| 16 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 23.884 | 153.291 |
| 17 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.886 | 153.278 |
| 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.902 | 153.176 |
| 19 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.919 | 153.067 |
| 20 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.923 | 153.041 |
| 21 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.935 | 152.964 |
| 22 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.936 | 152.958 |
| 23 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 23.943 | 152.913 |
| 24 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.963 | 152.786 |
| 25 | 91 | Hank Parker Jr. (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.963 | 152.786 |
| 26 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.980 | 152.677 |
| 27 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.983 | 152.658 |
| 28 | 60 | Jack Sprague (R) | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 24.002 | 152.537 |
| 29 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.003 | 152.531 |
| 30 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 24.016 | 152.448 |
| 31 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.022 | 152.410 |
| 32 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.061 | 152.163 |
| 33 | 02 | Hermie Sadler (R) | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.061 | 152.163 |
| 34 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 24.067 | 152.125 |
| 35 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 24.072 | 152.094 |
| 36 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 24.127 | 151.747 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 24.142 | 151.653 |
| 38 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.338 | 150.431 |
| 39 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 24.135 | 151.697 |
| 40 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 24.228 | 151.114 |
| 41 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 24.166 | 151.502 |
| 42 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 24.133 | 151.709 |
| 43 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 24.178 | 151.427 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.186 | 151.377 |
| 45 | 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 24.214 | 151.202 |
| 46 | 59 | Carl Long (R) | Price Motorsports | Dodge | 24.248 | 150.990 |
| 47 | 54 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | BelCar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.331 | 150.475 |
| 48 | 66 | Hideo Fukuyama | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 24.445 | 149.773 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 26 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 393 | 28 | running | 180 | $162,965 |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 144 | running | 155 | $130,923 |
| 3 | 7 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 105 | running | 170 | $80,400 |
| 4 | 29 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 160 | $106,267 |
| 5 | 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 155 | $106,713 |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 150 | $69,625 |
| 7 | 11 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 4 | running | 151 | $92,453 |
| 8 | 19 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 142 | $64,175 |
| 9 | 23 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 138 | $60,175 |
| 10 | 6 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 68 | running | 139 | $53,675 |
| 11 | 9 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 130 | $74,981 |
| 12 | 37 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 127 | $80,900 |
| 13 | 16 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 392 | 0 | running | 124 | $48,750 |
| 14 | 24 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 121 | $91,478 |
| 15 | 2 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 392 | 1 | running | 123 | $90,067 |
| 16 | 27 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 115 | $68,100 |
| 17 | 30 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 112 | $65,200 |
| 18 | 35 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 392 | 0 | running | 109 | $73,383 |
| 19 | 36 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 106 | $53,900 |
| 20 | 20 | 28 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 103 | $89,567 |
| 21 | 17 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 392 | 0 | running | 100 | $53,500 |
| 22 | 12 | 36 | Ken Schrader | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | out of gas | 97 | $61,239 |
| 23 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing South | Ford | 391 | 41 | running | 99 | $60,050 |
| 24 | 40 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 91 | $74,125 |
| 25 | 13 | 44 | Greg Biffle | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 88 | $44,350 |
| 26 | 32 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 85 | $86,528 |
| 27 | 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 82 | $84,785 |
| 28 | 21 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 79 | $51,335 |
| 29 | 42 | 7 | Casey Atwood | Ultra-Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 76 | $42,650 |
| 30 | 14 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 73 | $40,525 |
| 31 | 15 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 70 | $39,875 |
| 32 | 38 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 67 | $68,583 |
| 33 | 25 | 91 | Hank Parker Jr. (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 389 | 0 | running | 64 | $39,625 |
| 34 | 22 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | running | 61 | $59,100 |
| 35 | 28 | 60 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 386 | 0 | running | 58 | $39,375 |
| 36 | 43 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 386 | 0 | running | 55 | $39,325 |
| 37 | 31 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 379 | 0 | running | 52 | $39,275 |
| 38 | 39 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 341 | 0 | running | 49 | $47,215 |
| 39 | 10 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 301 | 1 | water pump | 51 | $65,221 |
| 40 | 34 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 289 | 0 | crash | 43 | $82,090 |
| 41 | 33 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 260 | 0 | engine | 40 | $39,020 |
| 42 | 3 | 26 | Todd Bodine | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 256 | 1 | crash | 42 | $64,322 |
| 43 | 41 | 14 | Mike Wallace | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Pontiac | 120 | 0 | crash | 34 | $38,232 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 59 | Carl Long (R) | Price Motorsports | Dodge | | | | | |
| 47 | | 54 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | BelCar Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 66 | Hideo Fukuyama | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||