2002 Daytona 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
Track map of Daytona International Speedway showing mainly the speedway.
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| Date | February 17, 2002 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km) |
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| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds approaching 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 130.810 miles per hour (210.518 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 78 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 10.9/26 (18.8 million viewers) |
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The 2002 Daytona 500, the 44th running of the event, was held on February 17 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida as the first of 36 races of the 2002 Winston Cup Season. Rookie Jimmie Johnson, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, won the pole with fellow Daytona 500 rookie Kevin Harvick qualifying second, making this the first time the field would be led by two first-time Daytona 500 participants. Ward Burton, driving the No.22 Dodge for Bill Davis Racing, won the race. This race was the last for long-time veteran driver Dave Marcis.
As part of the television contract signed at the end of the 2000 NASCAR season, the 2002 Daytona 500 was televised by NBC. Allen Bestwick provided the play-by-play in the booth with color commentators Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. The prerace show was hosted by Bill Weber, who reported from the pits with Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, and Dave Burns. This was the first time NBC televised the Daytona 500.
Jimmie Johnson qualified on the pole with a speed of 185.831 miles per hour (299.066 km/h). Two-time race winner Jeff Gordon and defending Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip both won each of the Gatorade 125's.
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