Location | Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina |
Date | May 18, 2002 |
Laps | 90 (segment #1: 40 laps, segment #2: 30 laps, segment #3: 20 laps) |
Distance | |
Winner | Ryan Newman |
Segment #1 winner | Jimmie Johnson |
Segment #2 winner | Jimmie Johnson |
The Winston Open winner | Jeremy Mayfield |
No Bull 5 Sprint winner | Ryan Newman |
Average speed | 110.005 MPH |
Most laps led | Jimmie Johnson |
Television | |
Network | FX |
Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds |
The 2002 edition of The Winston was held on May 18, 2002 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It featured the last No Bull 5 Sprint ever 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 and the only driver out of the No Bull 5 Sprint. Newman (No Bull 5 Sprint) and Jeremy Mayfield (Winston Open) advance to The Winston after winning the Openings.
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).
Jeremy Mayfield won the pole for the event and won the race, thus advancing to The Winston. Jeff Green started the race on the pole but finished in 7th. 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 No Bull 5 Sprint race as it discontinued in 2003.
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.