The 2002 New England 300 was the 19th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 21, 2002, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, took advantage of a disaster-stricken Matt Kenseth to win his fifth and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second and final win of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Jeff Green of Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.

2002 New England 300
Race details
Race 19 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2002 New England 300 program cover
The 2002 New England 300 program cover
Date July 21, 2002
Official name 10th Annual New England 300
Location Loudon, New Hampshire,
New Hampshire International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.058 mi (1.703 km)
Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Scheduled Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Average speed 92.342 miles per hour (148.610 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Evernham Motorsports
Time 28.971
Most laps led
Driver Matt Kenseth Roush Racing
Laps 77
Winner
No. 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The race was marred by poor track conditions, as the sealer of the racetrack came apart due to a repave the speedway had which affected the corners of the track.[3][4]

Background

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The layout of New Hampshire International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

Entry list

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  • (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, Darryl Worley
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge
10 Jerry Nadeau MBV Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
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 AT&T Broadband
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 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 "Give Kids the World!"
36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
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 Brawny
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Sprint
48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
66 Geoff Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Discover Card
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford Red Line Oil, Berlin City Ford
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, July 19, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[5] John Andretti of Petty Enterprises would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.795 and an average speed of 132.273 miles per hour (212.873 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Speed Time
1 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 28.795 132.273
2 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 28.890 131.838
3 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.897 131.806
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 20, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[5] Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.560 and an average speed of 128.850 miles per hour (207.364 km/h).[7]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Speed Time
1 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 29.560 128.850
2 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.635 128.524
3 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 29.660 128.415
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

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The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 20, at 11:15 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[5] Bobby Hamilton of Andy Petree Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.463 and an average speed of 129.274 miles per hour (208.046 km/h).[8]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Speed Time
1 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.463 129.274
2 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.584 128.745
3 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 29.626 128.563
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, July 19, at 3:00 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.[5] 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.[9]

Bill Elliott of Evernham Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 28.971 and an average speed of 131.469 miles per hour (211.579 km/h).[10]

No drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 28.971 131.469
2 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.036 131.175
3 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 29.048 131.121
4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.075 130.999
5 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 29.096 130.905
6 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 29.099 130.891
7 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 29.103 130.873
8 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.110 130.842
9 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 29.117 130.810
10 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.122 130.788
11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.142 130.698
12 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.193 130.470
13 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.195 130.461
14 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 29.196 130.456
15 10 Jerry Nadeau MBV Motorsports Pontiac 29.201 130.434
16 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.204 130.421
17 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.227 130.318
18 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.238 130.269
19 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.240 130.260
20 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.240 130.260
21 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.245 130.238
22 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.253 130.202
23 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 29.283 130.069
24 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.306 129.967
25 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Dodge 29.321 129.900
26 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.372 129.674
27 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 29.378 129.648
28 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.383 129.626
29 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.396 129.569
30 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.429 129.423
31 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 29.438 129.384
32 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 29.444 129.357
33 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.453 129.318
34 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.461 129.283
35 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 29.504 129.094
36 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.558 128.859
Provisionals
37 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 29.565 128.828
38 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.798 127.821
39 23 Hut Stricklin Bill Davis Racing Dodge 30.109 126.500
40 14 Stacy Compton A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 29.728 128.122
41 66 Geoff Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 30.787 123.715
42 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Ford 30.516 124.813
43 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford 30.436 125.141
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[11] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 31 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 300 29 running 180 $231,850
2 30 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 0 running 170 $113,750
3 33 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 300 40 running 170 $127,500
4 3 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 300 59 running 165 $120,525
5 7 12 Ryan Newman (R) Penske Racing Ford 300 1 running 160 $90,900
6 32 26 Todd Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 300 0 running 150 $92,737
7 26 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 0 running 146 $84,081
8 23 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 300 0 running 142 $64,925
9 24 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 0 running 138 $97,803
10 38 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 300 10 running 139 $77,275
11 34 41 Jimmy Spencer Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 300 0 running 130 $70,125
12 21 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 300 1 running 132 $94,892
13 4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 300 0 running 124 $95,903
14 18 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 300 0 running 121 $91,142
15 13 48 Jimmie Johnson (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 0 running 118 $54,950
16 17 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 300 0 running 115 $85,233
17 8 28 Ricky Rudd Robert Yates Racing Ford 300 0 running 112 $91,392
18 15 10 Jerry Nadeau MBV Motorsports Pontiac 300 37 running 114 $76,825
19 14 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 300 0 running 106 $57,775
20 16 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 300 0 running 103 $60,425
21 9 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Ford 300 0 running 100 $57,650
22 19 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 0 running 97 $77,658
23 28 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 300 43 running 99 $64,925
24 20 36 Ken Schrader MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 300 0 running 91 $64,714
25 27 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 300 0 running 88 $75,508
26 10 55 Bobby Hamilton Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 300 0 running 85 $55,725
27 36 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 300 1 running 87 $47,500
28 25 44 Steve Grissom Petty Enterprises Dodge 300 0 running 79 $46,825
29 11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 0 running 76 $97,028
30 40 14 Stacy Compton A. J. Foyt Enterprises Pontiac 300 0 running 73 $44,325
31 39 23 Hut Stricklin Bill Davis Racing Dodge 299 0 running 70 $43,625
32 22 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 299 0 running 67 $73,300
33 6 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 299 77 running 74 $71,225
34 1 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 291 0 running 61 $75,556
35 5 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 285 0 running 58 $50,800
36 35 7 Casey Atwood Ultra-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 257 0 crash 55 $42,600
37 37 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 241 0 running 52 $42,450
38 2 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 230 1 running 54 $44,800
39 12 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 121 1 crash 51 $89,803
40 43 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford 43 0 handling 43 $42,145
41 29 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28 0 crash 40 $50,050
42 42 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Ford 10 0 oil pressure 37 $42,000
43 41 66 Geoff Bodine Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 0 0 rear end 0 $42,164
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Rodman, Dave (2002-07-22). "W. Burton snaps slump with rallying win". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-16. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  2. ^ "Ward Burton Overcomes Poor Track Conditions To Win New England 300". Tyler Morning Telegraph. 2002-07-22. p. 25. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Rodman, Dave (2002-07-21). "Some question new surface at Loudon". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-02. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  4. ^ Rodman, Dave (2002-07-21). "NHIS surface makes trouble for some". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-14. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  5. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 New Hampshire 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  6. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 New Hampshire 1 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-14. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  7. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 New Hampshire 1 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-14. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  8. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2002 New Hampshire 1 Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-15. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  9. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2002 Provisional/Owners Points Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  10. ^ Rodman, Dave (2002-07-20). "Elliott rolls to Bud Pole at New Hampshire". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-04. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  11. ^ "2013 Indiana 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
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