Race details | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 25 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Date | September 1, 2002 | ||
Official name | Mountain Dew Southern 500 | ||
Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina | ||
Course | 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.800 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures hovering around 80.6 °F (27.0 °C); wind speeds gusting up to 11.3 miles per hour (18.2 km/h) [1] | ||
Average speed | 118.617 miles per hour (190.896 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
Time | no time trials | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Laps | 125 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | Turner Network Television | ||
Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach Jr. |
The 2002 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 53rd running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 1, 2002 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the twenty-fifth race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.
Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
The track, Darlington Raceway, is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval. The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees.
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Ford |
3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
4 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
6 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge |
7 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford |
8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac |
9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
10 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford |
The 1979 Southern 500, the 30th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 3, 1979, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1977 Southern 500, the 28th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 5, 1977, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1966 Southern 500, the 17th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1966, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1976 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 5, 1976, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1978 Southern 500, the 29th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 4, 1978, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1988 Southern 500, the 39th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 4, 1988, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1973 Southern 500, the 24th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on September 3, 1973, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 48th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 31, 1997 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Bobby Labonte won the pole position and Jeff Gordon won the race for the third time in his career and clinched the Winston Million.
The 1974 Southern 500, the 25th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race on September 2, 1974, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 2005 Dodge Charger 500, the 49th running of the event, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on May 7, 2005 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington County, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the tenth race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. The race was extended to 370 laps because of a green-white-checker finish. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing won the race.
The 2004 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 55th running of the event was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on November 14, 2004, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 miles speedway, it was the thirty-fifth race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.
The 2003 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 54th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 31, 2003 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the twenty-fifth race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Terry Labonte of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. This would prove to be his 22nd and final Cup series win.
The 2001 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 52nd running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 2, 2001 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the 25th race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing won the race.
The 1998 Pepsi Southern 500, the 49th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 6, 1998 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the twenty-fourth race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. His fourth consecutive Southern 500 victory.
The 1996 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 47th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 1, 1996 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the 23rd race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.
The 1995 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 46th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 3, 1995 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the twenty-third race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.
The 1994 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 45th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 4, 1994 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the 23rd race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Bill Elliott of Junior Johnson & Associates won the race snapping a winless streak dating back to the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta.
The 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500 presented by John Deere, the 70th running of the event was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 1-2, 2019, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 25th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 1985 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 1, 1985, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. It was race number 20 of 28 of the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Bill Elliott made history by winning the race and with it the Winston Million bonus; it was then the richest single race payday in motorsports history.
The 1960 Southern 500, the 11th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1960, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 364 laps on the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, it was the 35th race of the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series season.