2002 Sure For Men Rockingham 500
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 15 of 19 in the 2002 CART season | |
Rockingham Motor Speedway Oval Course
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| Date | 14 September, 2002 |
| Official name | 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 |
| Location | Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northamptonshire, England |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.479 mi / 2.380 km |
| Distance | 211 laps 312.069 mi / 502.18 km |
| Weather | Cloudy, Cool |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Kenny Bräck (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Time | 24.908 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Jimmy Vasser (Team Rahal) |
| Time | 25.217 (on lap 210 of 211) |
| Podium | |
| First | Dario Franchitti (Team Green) |
| Second | Cristiano da Matta (Newman/Haas Racing) |
| Third | Patrick Carpentier (Forysthe Racing) |
The 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 14 September 2002 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England in front of an estimated crowd of 38,000 people. It was the 15th round of the 2002 CART season, the second annual edition of the Rockingham 500, and the only race of the year to be held in Europe. The 211-lap race was won by Team Green driver Dario Franchitti who started from fifth position. Cristiano da Matta finished second for the Newman/Haas Racing team, and Forsythe Racing driver Patrick Carpentier came in third.
Kenny Bräck won the pole position and maintained his advantage heading into the first lap. He led for a total of 134 laps, more than any other competitor. Franchitti employed a strategy that enabled him to drive in clean air while other drivers made pit stops. Bräck reclaimed the lead for the lap-163 restart, but lost it six laps later when a crew member dropped a wheel nut which cost him time. Franchitti took over the lead and held it for the remainder of the event to clinch the victory. It was Franchitti's third win of the season, his first on an oval track, and the tenth (and final) of his CART career. There were five cautions and nine lead changes during the course of the race.
The result meant da Matta was 58 points ahead of Bruno Junqueira in the Drivers' Championship. Franchitti maintained third place but was closer to Junqueira, with Carpentier and Christian Fittipaldi rounding out the top five. Toyota extended their advantage over Honda in the Manufacturers' Championship while Ford Cosworth remained in third, with four races left in the season. The race attracted 60 million worldwide television viewers. It was the final United Kingdom CART race to be held at Rockingham Motor Speedway as it moved to Brands Hatch, Kent in 2003.
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