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2002 The Winston

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2002 The Winston
LocationLowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
DateMay 18, 2002
Laps90
(segment #1: 40 laps, segment #2: 30 laps, segment #3: 20 laps)
Distance
WinnerRyan Newman
Segment #1 winnerJimmie Johnson
Segment #2 winnerJimmie Johnson
The Winston Open winnerJeremy Mayfield
No Bull Sprint winnerRyan Newman
Average speed110.005 MPH
Most laps ledJimmie Johnson
Television
NetworkFX
AnnouncersMike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

The 2002 edition of the NASCAR All-Star Race (known as The Winston for sponsorship purposes) was held on May 18, 2002, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It featured the last multiple-segment Open where only segment winners advanced until 2015, and had a 27-car field, the largest in All-Star race history. Ryan Newman won the race and became the second driver since Michael Waltrip to win the event after coming out from the Open. Newman (Segment 2) and Jeremy Mayfield (Segment 1) advance to The Winston after winning the two segments of the Open races.

It was the first of two editions of the all-star event to feature eliminations. Temperatures hovered around the 66.5 °F (19.2 °C) mark throughout the event while winds were gusting in at up to 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h).[1]

Summary

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Drivers and eligibility

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The Winston Open/No Bull 5 Sprint

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Jeremy Mayfield won the pole for the event and won the race, thus advancing to The Winston. Ken Schrader started the race on the pole but finished in 3rd. Ryan Newman who almost made the race in 2001 until losing an engine with just two laps to go during the Open advanced with the win. This was the last Open with multiple segments where only the winners of each segment advanced until the 2015 edition.

The Winston Open top five results

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No Bull 5 Sprint top five results

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Race recap

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During the first segment of the race they ran the first 40 laps. On the 14th lap, Sterling Marlin, Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Bobby Hamilton were all caught up in a four car crash as the wreck happened in turn two. Jeff Burton had to make a mandatory pit stop and with the strategy of crew chief Frank Stoddard, he made the pit stop on the last lap and their stall was just near the start/finish line and finished 2nd. Jimmie Johnson won the first segment, while the 27-car field would be cut to 20 cars under the first of two eliminations in this format. In addition to the four eliminated in the Lap 14 crash, Mike Wallace, Steve Park and Ward Burton were eliminated on track.

Ryan Newman was the last driver to transfer in segment two, but during that segment, he spun out Elliott Sadler and sent him towards the wall. After the accident, Sadler throw his helmet towards Newman's car, then later apologized to his sponsor about his behavior during an interview with Dick Berggren. Later, Jeff Burton also was withdrawn with a clutch problem in this segment.

Johnson would win the second segment. The format called for elimination of ten cars at the end of this segment, leaving Jeremy Mayfield, Bobby, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip eliminated in segment two on the track.

In the last segment, only ten cars were left and late in the segment, Kurt Busch spun out Robby Gordon, driving for RCR's #31 chevy. Robby Gordon would finish in 7th place, but was visibly furious with Kurt who later admitted that he intentionally spun Gordon to make the race "more competitive." Busch was later fined $25,000 for his actions.

The caution led to a final 5 lap shootout, and Ryan Newman held off a hard-fought Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wins the Winston of 2002 and wins a total of $750,000 and the second driver (Michael Waltrip in 1996) to win The Winston after coming from the Opener and the only driver from the No Bull 5 Sprint.

The Winston results

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  1. #12 - Ryan Newman (the Winston winner and No Bull 5 Sprint winner)
  2. #8 - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  3. #17 - Matt Kenseth
  4. #97 - Kurt Busch
  5. #48 - Jimmie Johnson (segment 1 and 2 winner)
  6. #20 - Tony Stewart
  7. #31 - Robby Gordon
  8. #29 - Kevin Harvick
  9. #32 - Ricky Craven
  10. #9 - Bill Elliott
  11. #24 - Jeff Gordon
  12. #15 - Michael Waltrip
  13. #28 - Ricky Rudd
  14. #25 - Joe Nemechek
  15. #5 - Terry Labonte
  16. #18 - Bobby Labonte
  17. #19 - Jeremy Mayfield (the Winston Open winner)
  18. #6 - Mark Martin
  19. #21 - Elliott Sadler
  20. #99 - Jeff Burton
  21. #22 - Ward Burton
  22. #1 - Steve Park
  23. #33 - Mike Wallace
  24. #40 - Sterling Marlin
  25. #55 - Bobby Hamilton
  26. #88 - Dale Jarrett
  27. #2 - Rusty Wallace

References

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