2002 Silly Season

The 2002 Silly Season was the period of time between the end of the 2002 Winston Cup Series and the beginning of the 2003 Winston Cup Series. During this period, the following changes occurred:

### Sponsorship

Terry Labonte, driving the #5 for Hendrick Motorsports full-time, signed new sponsor Safelite Auto Glass.

Jeff Gordon, driving the #24 full-time for Hendrick Motorsports, signed on sponsor Pitstop.

Larry Clement Racing signed on Wix Filters to sponsor their part-time #46 team for 2003.

Ricky Hendrick, driving the #15 for Dale Earnhardt Inc., full-time, signed on sponsor Godfather's Pizza.

### Team schedules

Two teams moved to a part-time schedule: the #14 for A.J. Foyt Racing and the #92 for Melling Racing.

### Team closures

Three teams shut down at the end of the season: the #7 Ford for Ultra Motorsports (full-time), the #72 for Marcis Auto Racing (part-time) and the #74 Chevrolet for BACE Motorsports (part-time).

### Retiring drivers

The following drivers retired at the end of the 2002 season: Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Jimmy Spencer and Ricky Rudd. All four drivers were active in the Winston Cup Series at the time of their retirement.

### New teams

Six new teams joined for the 2003 season: the #42 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, the #0 Pontiac for Haas-CNC Racing, the #01 Pontiac for MB2 Motorsports (formerly MBV Motorsports) the #81 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the #60 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports and the #98 Ford for Robert Yates Racing.

### Driver changes

Jimmie Johnson has signed a 3-year contract to drive the new #42 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing full-time. Johnson, who ran part-time in 2001, is still eligible for Rookie of the Year and plans to compete for the honours of the title.

Carl Edwards has signed a 4-year contract to drive the #2 Ford for Penske Racing full-time, replacing the retired Rusty Wallace. Edwards ran a part-time schedule in 2002, rendering him ineligible for the title.

Johnny Sauter has signed a 4-year contract to drive the #6 Ford for Roush Racing full-time. Sauter, who will replace the retired Mark Martin, will make his Cup debut next year and run for ROTY.

Casey Mears has signed a 3-year contract to drive the #21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing full-time, forcing current driver Elliott Sadler to leave the #21. Mears will make his Cup debut in 2003, allowing him to compete for ROTY.

Greg Biffle has signed a 3-year contract to drive the #28 Ford for Robert Yates Racing full-time. Biffle, who is replacing the retired Ricky Rudd, is making his Cup debut next season and intends to run for ROTY.

Matt Crafton has signed a 3-year contract to drive the new #01 Pontiac for MB2 Motorsports full-time. Crafton, who will make his debut in the 2003 season, will compete for Rookie of the Year.

Travis Kvapil has signed a 2-year contract to drive the #26 Ford for Haas-Carter Motorsports, replacing the retired Jimmy Spencer. Kvapil is making his Cup debut next year and as such will run for ROTY.

Josh Wise has signed to drive the #4 for Morgan-McClure Motorsports for 1 year.

Tommy Regan has signed to drive the #41 for A.J. Foyt Racing for 2 years.

Ron Fellows has signed to drive the #50 for Midwest Transit Racing for 1 year.

Scott Wimmer has signed to drive the #62 for Bill McAnally Racing for 1 year.

Brendan Gaughan has signed to drive the #68 for TWC Motorsports for 3 years.

Victor Gonzalez Jr. has signed to drive the #75 for Bob Schacht Motorsports for 1 year.

Jerry Robertson has signed to drive the #84 for Norm Benning Racing for 3 years.

Joey McCarthy has signed to drive the #87 for NEMCO Motorsports for 2 years.

Mike Olsen has signed to drive the #89 for Shepherd Racing Ventures for 2 years.

David Stremme has signed to drive the #81 for Dale Earnhardt Inc. for 1 year.

Ed Berrier has signed to drive the #98 for Robert Yates Racing for 1 year.

David Mayhew has signed to drive the #23 for Bill Davis Racing for 1 year.

Stuart Kirby has signed to drive the #46 for Larry Clement Racing for 3 years.

Michael Waltrip has signed to drive the #70 for Bogart Racing for 1 year.

Brandon Ash has signed to drive the #90 for Donlavey Racing for 2 years.

Ryan Newman has signed to drive the #95 for Sadler Brothers Racing for 2 years.

Rick Mast has signed to drive the #97 for Roush Racing for 1 year.

Dwayne Leik has signed to drive the #0 for Haas CNC Racing for 4 years.

Klaus Graf has signed to drive the #60 for Hendrick Motorsports for 3 years.