2002 EA Sports 500

{{short description|30th race of 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report

| Type = NASWINSTON

| Description =

| Race Name = EA Sports 500

| Details ref = {{cite web|url=http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/AL/Talladega/2002-10-06|title=2002 EA Sports 500 weather information|work=The Old Farmers' Almanac|access-date=2013-05-22}}

| Fulldate = {{Start date|2002|10|06}}

| Year = 2002

| Race_No = 30

| Season_No = 36

| Image = Talladega Superspeedway.png

| Caption = Layout of Talladega Superspeedway

| Location = Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama

| Course_mi = 2.66

| Course_km = 4.2829

| Distance_laps = 188

| Distance_mi = 500.1

| Distance_km = 804.83

| Weather = Hot with temperatures approaching {{convert|89.1|F|C}}; wind speeds up to {{convert|6|mph|km/h}}

| Avg = {{convert|183.665|mi/h}}

| Pole_Driver = Jimmie Johnson

| Pole_Team = Hendrick Motorsports

| Pole_Time = No time trials

| Most_Driver = Dale Earnhardt Jr.

| Most_Team = Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

| Most_laps = 56

| Car = 8

| First_Driver = Dale Earnhardt Jr.

| First_Team = Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

| Network = NBC

| Announcers = Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.

| Ratings =

}}

The 2002 EA Sports 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on October 6, 2002, at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

Summary

The race was the 30th in the 2002 Winston Cup season, and was broadcast by NBC. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports was awarded the pole position after qualifying was canceled, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., who won the previous race, led the most laps and won his second consecutive EA Sports 500. The race was also the first Winston Cup race at Talladega after the track had installed SAFER barriers. Vocal group Little Big Town performed the national anthem, while former National Football League quarterback Ken Stabler was the grand marshal.

To spread out the tightly grouped packs, NASCAR officials reduced the size of the fuel cells from {{convert|22|USgal|litre}} to {{convert|13|USgal|litre}}. The race also featured a record $250,000 leader bonus if the winner of the race becomes the Cup points leader, with Johnson, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace being the eligible drivers.{{cite news|last=Korth|first=Joanne|url=http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/06/news_pf/Sports/Drivers__chiefs_like_.shtml|title=Drivers, chiefs like the small gas tanks as attempt at safety|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=2002-10-06|access-date=2013-06-22}}

=Race=

On the warm-up lap, Mark Martin's steering box locked, causing him to crash into pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson.{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/bn/2008/10/40_years_of_talladega.html|title=40 years of Talladega -- Birmingham News special report|newspaper=The Birmingham News|date=2008-10-02|access-date=2013-04-03}} As a result of the incident, Martin was black-flagged, while Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus requested NASCAR to inspect the car and repair the damaged right front fender. Johnson made a pit stop on lap one.{{cite web|url=http://www.jayski.com/next/2002/2002talla2.htm|title=EA Sports 500|work=Jayski's Silly Season Site|access-date=2013-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002143011/http://www.jayski.com/next/2002/2002talla2.htm|archive-date=2013-10-02|url-status=dead}} Jeff Gordon led the first three laps, but on lap 125, he was forced to move the car to the garage after his crew found smoke under the hood, ending his race. Gordon was not the only Hendrick Motorsports to fail to finish; the other Hendrick drivers, Johnson, Terry Labonte and Joe Nemechek, also failed to finish due to engine problems.

In the end, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his third consecutive Talladega race after leading the last 39 laps,{{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2002_EA_Sports_500/W|title=2002 EA Sports 500|work=Racing-Reference}} making him the first driver to win both Talladega races (EA Sports 500 and the Aaron's 499) since his father accomplished the feat in 1999. Though Talladega has been known for featuring crashes known as "The Big One",{{cite web|last=Caraviello|first=David|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2012/10/08/dcaraviello-talladega-another-big-one.html|title=Caraviello: Talladega's Big One is just around the corner|publisher=NASCAR|date=2012-10-08|access-date=2013-04-03}} no cautions occurred during the race. It would be the last incident-free race in NASCAR's premiership until the 2012 Auto Club 400, which raced 125 laps of 200 before the caution took place for rain that ended the race on Lap 129, and the 2019 Pennzoil 400, which only was stopped twice for end-of-segment breaks.

=Results=

Source:

* Driver failed to finish race

Standings after the race

class="wikitable"
Pos ! Driver ! Points ! Differential
1 \| Tony Stewart \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3958 \| 0
2 \| Mark Martin \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3901 \| -72
3 \| Jimmie Johnson \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3886 \| -82
4 \| Ryan Newman \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3821 \| -137
5 \| Rusty Wallace \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3811 \| -172
6 \| Matt Kenseth \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3757 \| -201
6 \| Jeff Gordon \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3757 \| -201
8 \| Bill Elliott \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3729 \| -229
9 \| Ricky Rudd \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3712 \| -246
10 \| Sterling Marlin \| style="text-align:center;"\| 3703 \| -255

class="wikitable"

Pos

! Driver

! Points

! Differential

1

| Tony Stewart

| style="text-align:center;"| 3958

| 0

2

| Mark Martin

| style="text-align:center;"| 3901