2002 Protection One 400

2002 Protection One 400

Race details
Race 29 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2002 Protection One 400 program cover.
Date	September 29, 2002
Official name	Second Annual Protection One 400
Location	Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas Speedway
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	1.5 miles (2.41 km)
Distance	267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Scheduled distance	267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Average speed	119.394 miles per hour (192.146 km/h)
Attendance	78,000
Pole position
Driver	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Time	30.350
Most laps led
Driver	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	116
Winner
No. 24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio	Motor Racing Network

The 2002 Protection One 400 was the 29th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 29, 2002, before a crowd of 78,000 in Kansas City, Kansas, at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would pull away on the final restart with three laps to go to win his 61st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third and final win of the season.^[1][2] To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace, both driving for Penske Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.

Sterling Marlin suffered a neck injury from a crash during the race, which resulted in him missing the rest of the season.^[3]

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The NTT IndyCar Series also raced there until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation.

• (R) denotes rookie driver.

The first practice session was held on Friday, September 27, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for 2 hours.^[4] Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.430 and an average speed of 177.456 miles per hour (285.588 km/h).^[5]

The second practice session was held on Saturday, September 28, at 9:30 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes.^[4] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.898 and an average speed of 174.769 miles per hour (281.263 km/h).^[6]

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, September 28, at 11:15 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes.^[4] Steve Park of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.554 and an average speed of 171.135 miles per hour (275.415 km/h).^[7]

During the opening minutes of the session, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would crash in turn two, forcing the team to go to a backup car.^[8]

Qualifying was held on Friday, September 27, at 3:05 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.^[4] 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 champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.^[9]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would win the pole, setting a time of 30.350 and an average speed of 177.924 miles per hour (286.341 km/h).^[10]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Brett Bodine, Kirk Shelmerdine, and Carl Long.