2002 Aaron's 499
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
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| Date | April 21, 2002 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) |
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| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures approaching 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds up to 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 159.022 miles per hour (255.921 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 51.349 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Laps | 133 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds | ||
The 2002 Aaron's 499 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on April 21, 2002, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. won the race, his first of the season and the second of his four straight wins at Talladega. His teammate Michael Waltrip finished second and Kurt Busch finished third.
The drivers who failed to qualify were Rick Mast, Shawna Robinson, Bobby Gerhart and Dick Trickle. Jimmie Johnson won the pole.
From the green flag, Jimmie Johnson got off to a good start, leading the first eight laps. On lap 8, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. passed Johnson and assumed the lead for all but two of the next 42 laps; Jeremy Mayfield led lap 33 and Michael Waltrip led lap 40. On lap 50, Sterling Marlin claimed the lead, and led two laps before Matt Kenseth passed him for the lead. Kenseth led until lap 56, when Earnhardt, Jr. regained the lead. Earnhardt, Jr. led until lap 65, when Mayfield assumed the lead, again for only a lap before losing the lead to Earnhardt. He continued to lead until lap 82 when Waltrip claimed it again. Waltrip led until lap 95, when Ryan Newman passed him and led lap 96. Earnhardt, Jr. claimed the lead on the next lap and led until lap 105, for a cycle of green flag pit stops. During these pit stops, the lead cycled through Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Kenseth before returning to Earnhardt, Jr. on lap 114. On lap 116, the first caution came out for debris. Kenseth assumed the lead under caution, but Earnhardt, Jr. got the lead back at the restart on lap 120. Over the next few laps, the lead would change between Martin, Kenseth and Newman, before Earnhardt, Jr. got a big lead on lap 131. He would lead the next 31 laps.
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