| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 36 in the2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 Virginia 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | April 14, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 53rd Annual Virginia 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville, Virginia | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.526 miles (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 73.951 miles per hour (119.013 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 20.106 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 152 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy,Larry McReynolds,Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
| Booth announcers | Barney Hall,Joe Moore | ||
| Turn announcers | Mike Bagley | ||
The2002 Virginia 500 was the eighthstock car race of the2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 53rd iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, April 14, 2002, inMartinsville, Virginia atMartinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end,Bobby Labonte, driving forJoe Gibbs Racing, would hold off the field on the final restart with seven to go to win his 19th careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first and only win of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium,Matt Kenseth ofRoush Racing andTony Stewart ofJoe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Martinsville Speedway is aNASCAR-owned stock car racing track located inHenry County, inRidgeway, Virginia, just to the south ofMartinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in theNASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first pavedoval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 byH. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Kenny Wallace replacedKevin Harvick, who was parked by NASCAR for a deliberate collision againstCoy Gibbs during the supporting Trucks race (Advance Auto Parts 250); Harvick had been in probation for an altercation againstGreg Biffle at the Busch Series Bristol race weeks prior. Harvick was also fined $35,000 and had his probation from the altercation, originally intended to expire on August 28, 2002, extended to December 31 instead.[3]
The first practice session was held on Friday, April 12, at 11:20 AMEST, and would last for two hours.[4]Dale Earnhardt Jr. ofDale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.145 and an average speed of 168.723 miles per hour (271.533 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.193 | 93.775 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman(R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 20.197 | 93.751 |
| 3 | 41 | Jimmy Spencer | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 20.211 | 93.692 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Saturday, April 13, at 10:30 AMEST, and would last for 45 minutes.[4]Sterling Marlin ofChip Ganassi Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.145 and an average speed of 168.723 miles per hour (271.533 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 20.412 | 92.768 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.430 | 92.686 |
| 3 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.443 | 92.627 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 13, at 12:15 PMEST, and would last for 45 minutes.[4]Tony Stewart ofJoe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.347 and an average speed of 93.060 miles per hour (149.766 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.347 | 93.060 |
| 2 | 55 | Bobby Hamilton | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 20.409 | 92.782 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 20.440 | 92.641 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Friday, April 12, at 3:05 PMEST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[4] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[8]
Jeff Gordon ofHendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 20.106 and an average speed of 94.181 miles per hour (151.570 km/h).[9]
Randy Renfrow was the only driver to fail to qualify.
| Previous race: 2002 Samsung/RadioShack 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2002 season | Next race: 2002 Aaron's 499 |