2002 Daytona 500

2002 Daytona 500

Race details[1][2]
Race 1 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2002 Daytona 500 logo
Date	February 17, 2002 (2002-02-17)
Location	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km)
Distance	200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds approaching 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[3]
Average speed	130.810 miles per hour (210.518 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports
Time	48,431
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Duel 2 Winner	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Most laps led
Driver	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing
Laps	78
Winner
No. 22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	10.9/26 (18.8 million viewers)

The 2002 Daytona 500, the 44th running of the event, was held on February 17 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida as the first of 36 races of the 2002 Winston Cup Season. Rookie Jimmie Johnson, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, won the pole with fellow Daytona 500 rookie Kevin Harvick qualifying second, making this the first time the field would be led by two first-time Daytona 500 participants. Ward Burton, driving the No.22 Dodge for Bill Davis Racing, won the race. This race was the last for long-time veteran driver Dave Marcis.

As part of the television contract signed at the end of the 1999 NASCAR season, the 2002 Daytona 500 was televised by NBC. Allen Bestwick provided the play-by-play in the booth with color commentators Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach Jr. The prerace show was hosted by Bill Weber, who reported from the pits with Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, and Dave Burns. This was the first time NBC televised the Daytona 500.