Flashback Friday: Stories and Statistics from Kevin Harvick’s Victory in the 2002 Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

        On July 14, 2002, the stars of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series invaded Chicagoland Speedway for the second annual Tropicana 400 at the 1.5-mile track. 75,000 fans packed the Illinois grandstands and 43 drivers delivered a thrilling race. In the end, though, the battle for the win came down to some late strategy thanks to a beautiful accident. Going to complete lap 197, Kevin Harvick made an aggressive three-wide move onto the frontstretch apron underneath Kurt Busch and Dave Blaney as he tried to move into fourth spot. The apron caused Harvick to break loose and he barely saved his #29 Chevrolet before riding below the banking all the way into turn 1.

        After brilliant save attempts, the California driver ended up stopped in the turn 1 grass with all his track position gone and his tires flat spotted. It wasn’t all bad news for the reigning Rookie of the Year. He only dropped to 14th for the next restart and he had the freshest tires in the field and no damage to his RCR Chevrolet. Over the next run, he passed drivers on older tires and looked to be faster than the leaders. Laps were clicking away, though, and Ryan Newman had a sizeable lead with Harvick mired outside of the Top 5. Fortunately, Harvick caught a break with the seventh and final caution on lap 240. 

  Just about 15 seconds apart from each other, Newman and Joe Nemechek had tire issues in turn 1. While Newman kept his #12 Ford off the wall, Nemechek wasn’t so lucky as his #25 Chevrolet Monte Carlo grazed the outside wall in turn 1 and prompted the yellow flag. This allowed the teams that needed to stop do under yellow without the threat of green flag pit stop mistakes. On the other hand, Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Robby Gordon stayed out with enough fuel to make it to the end. This put the #29 Chevrolet in the lead with just 20 laps to go and that was the break that the struggling Harvick needed. 

        For the last 20 green flag laps, he put distance between himself and Gordon to take the white flag comfortably with nearly a second lead. He crossed the finish line ahead of the #24 by eight tenths of a second to grab his first checkered flag of the season. It turned out he had just enough gas to finish the race as he ran out on the frontstretch in the middle of his burnout. The entire Richard Childress Racing #29 team happily went to victory lane and celebrated a much-needed boost to their season. In addition to Harvick’s win, the rest of the NWCS field featured a variety of stories and statistics. Some of those include Kevin Harvick’s 2002 struggles in the first 17 races, Ryan Newman’s large number of laps led at Chicagoland, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s missed opportunity at a win, Jeff Gordon’s continued long winless streak, the Burton brothers’ Chicagoland struggles, and a short recap of the races for all eight of the drivers carrying Muppets on their cars for 400 miles of racing.

        While the 2001 season could be considered a success for Kevin Harvick and the #29 team considering everything all RCR faced as an organization, the first 17 races of 2002 were far from good. Other than a third-place finish at Darlington and a tenth at Bristol, the California driver finished outside of the Top 20 in eleven races. Eight of those finishes occurred in a row from Race #7 of the season at Texas until Race #15 at Michigan. During that eight-race streak, Harvick even missed an event after he was suspended for the Cup race at Martinsville due to an incident in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the half-mile track. Because of all the struggles, he was 30th in the points standings. Race #18 of the 36-race schedule at Chicagoland Speedway came as a possible turning point, though, as the young driver could claim to be the only Cup winner at the track when the series arrived at the Illinois track. 

        Despite a 32nd place starting spot, Harvick methodically moved through the field with his eyes on his best finish of the year. He finally made it to the Top 5 on the restart after the fifth caution on lap 192, but he promptly spun out just a couple of laps later. The aforementioned strategy shuffle allowed him to inherit the lead to steal his best finish of the season and capture a momentum shifting win. Interestingly, the win was his third career victory and it came just 364 days after his second one. On July 15, 2001, Harvick won the inaugural event at Chicagoland. His win made him the only winner two races into the track’s history.

        In the end, a flat tire on lap 240 cost Ryan Newman the win as he lost all his track position and didn’t have enough time to make it up on his four fresh tires. The Indiana Rookie of the Year contender fought back to fifth, but it wasn’t the points paying win he hoped for after his triumph in The Winston exhibition race just two months earlier. Yet, the hopeful NWCS star achieved some important feats in the race. Newman captured his third career pole and started his pursuit of the “Rocketman” nickname he has carried throughout his career. 

        Starting first allowed him to the lead the first 56 laps of the race before the first round of green flag pit stops. He returned to the lead on lap 209 and led for 31 more circuits before his unfortunate flat tire. Despite not leading the most important lap, the Purdue University graduate led 87 laps in total of the 267 laps. At the time, it was the most laps he had led in a single race in his 26th series start. Of course, he led more laps in future races and victories, but the 2002 Tropicana 400 paved the way for the “Rocketman” to show his speed for a majority of an event for the first time in his career.

        For several runs of the race, it looked like Dale Earnhardt Jr. would capture his sixth career NWCS win. He was third when the final caution of the race waved on lap 240 and it appeared some good strategy would hand him the win. However, his team decided to change all four tires while everyone either to took two tires or just added fuel. Being back in traffic made the #8 Chevrolet struggle to handle. Junior could only muster a tenth-place finish when the checkered flag waved. The finish didn’t give the team complete disappointment, though. 

        After leading 133 of 188 laps in his dominating victory at Talladega Superspeedway in mid-April of 2002, Junior struggled to run up front and finish well. He led only 15 laps between California and the previous race at Daytona. His fortune changed at Chicagoland, though. He led 81 of the 267 laps and returned to the lap leading form he had early in the season where he sat 5th in the points at one point. While the win slipped away, Earnhardt Jr. gained some momentum by leading 30% of the race’s laps.

        As soon as Jeff Gordon started running full-time in the NWCS, he became a weekly contender for wins and championships. Yet, in July of 2002, the California born driver found himself in a slump he had only experienced once in his career. Gordon went 41 races before he won his first race in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. That streak was the longest of his career as he started winning races consistently after the Charlotte Motor Speedway win. When he entered Chicagoland Speedway twelve years after his first win, though, his winless streak stood at 25 races. It appeared he would come close to matching his longest winless streak, but his crew chief, Robbie Loomis, had a plan to try and end the streak.

        After running in or around the Top 10 all day from his 15th place starting spot, Gordon brought his #24 car down pit road under the sixth caution on lap 197 while most of the field stayed out. Despite the loss in track position and being off strategy, he could finish the race without stopping again. The seventh and final caution waved on lap 240 and it appeared the strategy move would put Gordon in contention for the win. Ultimately, though, the #24 restarted second and could not pass Harvick to take the win. The streak extended to 26 winless races and the #24 team left Illinois a bit disappointed as victory lane continued to elude them.

        Starting in 1994, the Burton brothers, Ward and Jeff, began a career battle in the NWCS. The Virginia natives, of course, wanted to beat each other as much as possible, but they wanted each other to have success. In 2002, Ward experienced the ultimate moment of success in stock car racing as he captured the win in the Daytona 500. Yet, the rest of the season until Chicagoland proved to be forgettable for both Burtons. At Texas and Charlotte, the two brothers both finished outside of the Top 35. Also, they had several bad runs and terrible finishes in addition to those shared bad days. Unfortunately, while they hoped Chicagoland would be a turning point, it proved not to be.

        On lap 4, Ward went for a spin on the frontstretch in a pack of traffic to bring out the first caution. Just 13 laps later, the driveshaft on his #22 Pontiac exploded and littered some debris on the 1.5-mile race track. The mechanical issue put Ward behind the wall early and he spent a portion of the race in the garage. He ended up in 41st place and 130 laps down to the leader. Jeff had a solid start to his afternoon in the race, but on lap 165 his good run disappeared. He reported to his crew chief, Frank Stoddard, that his engine was running on just seven cylinders. Seven laps later, he was on pit road with the #99 team pushing their car to the garage. The team’s day was done and the younger Burton brother finished in 39th, 100 laps down. It proved to be yet another difficult day for Ward and Jeff Burton as they combined to finish outside of the Top 35 together for the third time on the 2002 season. 



        Finally, some beloved characters in American culture made an appearance on eight NASCAR racecars at Chicagoland. The Muppets Show, created by Jim Henson, celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2002. To bring awareness to the event, several NASCAR teams were contacted to run cars with various Muppets characters on them. The schemes were released in March and fans anticipated each team’s arrival at the track in Chicagoland for the Tropicana 400. Unfortunately, some controversy surrounded the crossover as the actual Muppets weren’t allowed into the track due to legal issues. Despite the controversy, all eight teams competed with their respective paint schemes and had very different days.

        Of all eight teams, Bill Elliott had the best afternoon at the Illinois track. Elliott put his #9 Dodge featuring the Swedish Chef on the second row for the initial start. He quickly moved into the second spot and set his sights on the lead. The 1988 NWCS champion spent the first half of the race solidly in the Top 5 before he dropped into the Top 10 around the halfway mark due to various strategies from his other competitors. When the seventh and final caution waved on lap 240, Elliott and his crew chief, Mike Ford, decided to use some strategy of their own. The Georgia driver took fuel only, which allowed him to restart sixth with just 20 laps left. Unfortunately, the move didn’t work out and Elliott ended up in seventh place at the finish, in a close battle for the sixth spot with Kurt Busch. It was his eighth Top 10 of the season and made him the highest finisher of the drivers with Muppet racecars.

  After the first set of green flag pit stops, it looked like Dale Jarrett would give Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy the best finish for the Muppets at Chicagoland. The 1999 NWCS champion moved from his 11th place starting spot to second following the first round of green flag pit stops on lap 84. On the run following the third caution on lap 138, though, Jarrett’s #88 Ford struggled with a tight condition and he slipped outside of the Top 10. From there, he struggled to find his way inside the Top 10 and when the checkered flag waved on lap 267, Jarrett finished exactly where he started in 11th. The race ended in a disappointing fashion for the Robert Yates Racing team, but the #88 finished second highest of the Muppets drivers.

        Of the 43 drivers in the field, Bobby Labonte had the quietest day with Pepe the King Prawn on his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac. The 2000 NWCS champion started in 12th spot, but struggled to stay inside the Top 15 in the first half of the race. Following the two rounds of green flag pit stops in the first 140 laps, Labonte found himself a lap down just inside the Top 20. Throughout the remainder of the race, he stayed consistently at the front of the drivers a lap down. Yet, he couldn’t move in front of the leader on restarts to earn his lap back and fight to move up the running order. The #18 Pontiac finished the day in 18th after a simply quiet and average day at the 1.5-mile track.

        Ricky Rudd had a very eventful day with Gonzo the Great on the hood of his #28 Robert Yates Racing Ford. After starting 38th, he powered through the field hoping to gain as many positions as possible in the early laps. He did advance through the running order, but he lost a lap to the leaders following the two rounds of green flag pit stops during the first half of the event. With still a lot of time left in the 267-lap race, Rudd hoped to earn his lap back. His pursuit of trying to move back onto the lead lap created some controversy with the leader following the fifth caution on lap 192. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed the pace car on the backstretch just after the yellow flag waved, Rudd drove up to the leader’s left side door and bumped him a little bit. The 23-time race winner was upset Earnhardt Jr. hadn’t allowed him to gain his lap back racing to the caution. The intense moment ended quickly, and the Virginia driver returned to working hard on restarts to earn his lap back. Rudd never did return to the lead lap and he finished the day in 19th. While it wasn’t a Top 10, the #28 did improve his starting spot by 19 positions.

        The worst starter of the eight Muppet drivers was Tennessee’s Casey Atwood. He qualified his #7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge featuring Rowlf the Dog in 41st for the 400-mile race. Fortunately, he moved up a few positions for the start as drivers dropped to the rear of the field. Atwood hoped to take his Ultra-Evernham Motorsports car into the Top 20 for a much-needed good run, but he struggled in the early portion of the event. He quickly went a lap down and appeared to be in position for his eighth finish outside of the Top 30 on the season. Yet, the two-time NASCAR Busch Series winner didn’t give up. He fought all race long and thanks to some attrition and adjustments, he crossed the finish line in 28th with a clean racecar. Interestingly, it was exactly where he finished a year before in his first trip to Chicagoland Speedway.

        With Animal on his #41 Target Dodge, Jimmy Spencer looked to capture a good finish for his race team. Unfortunately, track position and a late-race incident prevented him from earning a good finish. Spencer rolled off in 39th spot and made some moves early in the first half of the race to gain spots. He rode around inside the Top 25 until an incident ended his shot at finishing there. As Kevin Harvick spun in turn 1 on lap 197, Spencer crashed with several other drivers like Hut Stricklin, Kurt Busch, and Jerry Nadeau. When the smoke settled, the #41 had a huge hole in the nose and smoked heavily while driving away. Despite the damage, Spencer continued off the pace after some repairs. He ended up in 32nd spot when the checkered flag waved, 28 laps down. A clean day for Spencer and his team turned into a damaged racecar with a less than stellar finish.

        Unlike his Evernham Motorsports teammate, Bill Elliott, Jeremy Mayfield’s #19 Dodge featuring Dr. Honeydew and Beaker didn’t end the 400-mile race with an excellent finish. Mayfield started the 400-mile event in 20th and held station in the Top 20 for the first half of the event before mechanical troubles faced the team. A rear gear burnt up in his racecar and it forced him behind the wall as his fellow competitors continued to race. The #19 team did an admirable job repairing the car and returned their driver to the race, about 30 laps down to the leaders. For the remainder of the event, Mayfield rode around gaining points as drivers fell out of the event. When the checkered flag waved, he finished 34th, 33 laps down. A mechanical problem created an issue for the three-time NWCS race winner, but he showed speed in the early portion of the event.

        When Action Racing Collectibles originally announced the line-up of drivers with Muppets racecars, Johnny Benson Jr. was scheduled to drive the #10 Pontiac with Fozzie Bear for Nelson Bowers. Of course, things change often in NASCAR and Mike Wallace actually drove the racecar in the Tropicana 400. Benson had been involved in a vicious crash at Daytona the week before, which left him with bruises and injured ribs that kept him out of the racecar. Wallace, who had made sporadic appearances in NASCAR’s Top 3 series throughout the 2002 season, hopped into the car for the Chicagoland event. The Missouri driver gave the car a good run from his 36th place starting spot before engine woes started around lap 170. He reported to his team that his car was running on seven cylinders. His teammate, Ken Schrader, had dropped out of the race earlier with the same issue. Wallace only ran a few laps after reporting the issue before he pulled into the garage. He finished in 38th spot, 95 laps down to the leader. For the entire team and driver, it was a disappointing day as Wallace tried to highlight his skills and the #10 team tried to run without their usual driver.


  The 2002 Tropicana 400 provided everything a NASCAR fan could want in a race. Consistent battles for position at the front of the field, green flag pit stops, drivers moving from the back to the front, spins and crashes, interesting strategy calls, and a late-race battle between two of the most talented competitors in the sport. All 75,000 fans got exactly what they paid for thanks to Kevin Harvick’s late duel with Jeff Gordon and Harvick’s late race strategy gamble. Plus, some very interesting stories and statistics emerged from the race thanks to many of the drivers in the field. Finally, fans young and old were able to see the Muppets sail around Chicagoland Speedway at over 180 miles per hour.

  On Sunday, 16 years after the second Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Illinois for the 18th race at the 1.5-mile track. Just like 2002, the series heads to the speedway with a lot of potential storylines brewing. In the last two races at Chicagoland, only one driver has visited victory lane: Martin Truex Jr. He captured the victory in 2016 and won last season en route to his first Cup championship. Truex will be a legitimate threat for the win again. Chase Elliott hasn’t won a Cup race in 93 career starts, but he has an average finish of 2.5 at Chicagoland and a goal of winning this weekend. Kevin Harvick won the first two Cup races at the Illinois track, but he hasn’t been to victory lane there since. With five wins on the 2018 season thus far, he will be another contender for the win. The stars of the MENCS hope to thrill the fans on Sunday just like the NWCS drivers did in 2002. 
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 4- Ward Burton went for a spin exiting turn 4 as he raced in a pack of traffic. He spun to a stop on the frontstretch apron without damage and continued in the race.

2nd Caution: Lap 17- Debris from Ward Burton’s exploded driveshaft littered turns 3 and 4.

3rd Caution: Lap 138- Michael Waltrip blew an engine entering turn 1, which littered debris and oil on the track. Waltrip came to a stop alongside the wall with his day finished.

4th Caution: Lap 182- Debris was spotted on the 1.5-mile track in turn 4.

5th Caution: Lap 192- Elliott Sadler broke loose exiting turn 4 and spun down the frontstretch. He ended up stopped on the apron without damage before he continued on.

6th Caution: Lap 197- Kevin Harvick shot to the apron past the start/finish line to pass Kurt Busch and Dave Blaney. The apron made Harvick’s #29 loose and he ended up spinning in turn 1 after riding the apron to save his car. He spun harmlessly into the grass and continued after he refired his racecar. Hut Stricklin, Jerry Nadeau, Jimmy Spencer, and Elliott Sadler also spun during the incident.

7th Caution: Lap 240- As Ryan Newman coasted on the backstretch with a flat right front tire, Joe Nemechek had a left front go flat, which sent his #25 Chevrolet up the track and into the outside wall. Nemechek only made slight contact with the wall and he continued after repairs from his Hendrick Motorsports team.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kevin Harvick
2nd: Jeff Gordon
3rd: Tony Stewart
4th: Jimmie Johnson
5th: Ryan Newman

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Kurt Busch
7th: Bill Elliott
9th: Mark Martin
10th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11th: Dale Jarrett
13th: Terry Labonte
14th: Matt Kenseth
18th: Bobby Labonte
21st: Elliott Sadler
25th: Rusty Wallace
33rd: Joe Nemechek
39th: Jeff Burton
42nd: Michael Waltrip




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
~~racing-reference.info/race/2002_Tropicana_400/W
-Full Race:
~~www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp68t_QrbO4&t=1398s
-Images:
~~www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jimmy-spencer-dirves-his-ganassi-racing-dodge-intrepid-on-news-photo/1157200#/jimmy-spencer-dirves-his-ganassi-racing-dodge-intrepid-on-july-13-picture-id1157200
~~www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/ricky-rudd-drives-his-havoline-racing-ford-on-july-14-2002-news-photo/1157369#ricky-rudd-drives-his-havoline-racing-ford-on-july-14-2002-during-the-picture-id1157369
~~www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/casey-atwood-drives-his-ultra-motorsports-dodge-intrepid-on-news-photo/1157197
~~www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jeremy-mayfield-drives-his-evernham-motorsports-dodge-news-photo/1157167#/jeremy-mayfield-drives-his-evernham-motorsports-dodge-intrepid-on-13-picture-id1157167
~~www.sorte.org/tropicana400-2002/index2.html
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photos/?race_type_id=117&year=2002&driver_id%5B0%5D=590
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photos/?race_type_id=117&year=2002&driver_id=30&location_id=69
~~www.qvc.com/Bill-Elliott-Swedish-Chef-1%3A24-Scale-Die-Cast-Car.product.C19823.html
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/1012764072-2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002/1012764072/?p=2&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002-1012764124/1012764124/?p=3&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/1012763808-2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002/1012763808/?p=5&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/1012763729-2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002/1012763729/?p=4&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/1012763748-2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002/1012763748/?p=4&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/1012763709-2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002/1012763709/?p=3&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1
~~www.motorsportimages.com/photo/1012763707-2002-nascar-chicagoland-usa-july-13-14-2002/1012763707/?p=7&search=2002%20Tropicana%20400&is_popup=1

Flashback Friday 5 Stages of Analysis: Rudd Takes Fresh Tires and Great Luck to Victory Lane at Infineon

        Thanks to pitting for fresh tires on the final caution and being second when Jerry Nadeau’s rear gear broke with three laps to go, Ricky Rudd grabbed the lead at Infineon and drove to his second win at the newly configured road course. Today’s race started rather slowly with only two cautions in the first 67 laps and it looked to be anybody’s race as most of the field remained on the lead lap. However, when the third and final caution waved on lap 84, strategy began to take control of who would win the race. During the caution, Bill Elliott, Jerry Nadeau, Terry Labonte, Jeff Green, and a couple other drivers stayed on track while Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, John Andretti, and the rest of the leaders pitted for four tires. However, the nine drivers that stayed out would be just on the edge of making it on fuel while the rest of the field would be good to make it to the end. On what would be the final restart, Elliott maintained the lead before Nadeau gained on him in turn 7 and passed him for the lead. From there, Nadeau blistered away from the field as the drivers with fresh tires began to make their charge. Busch came out first of the drivers who took four tires, but he couldn’t make much ground as Rudd passed him to become the highest running driver with fresh tires. As the laps progressed, Rudd maneuvered through the drivers with older tires and with about eight laps to go, he was in second with his sights set on the lead. However, Nadeau held a consistent margin on older tires and with four laps to go, it looked the underdog driver was poised to win his second NASCAR Winston Cup Series race. However, the rear gear in his car broke driving through turn 11 on lap 108 and he pulled off on the frontstretch, ending his chance at the victory. Rudd inherited the lead and from there, he stretched his lead on Tony Stewart and grabbed the checkered flag for his first win since last fall at Richmond. Ultimately, today’s race delivered the thrills of NASCAR stock car racing on road courses. Strategy, tight racing, worn out equipment, and mechanical problems created a thrilling conclusion to NASCAR’s annual trip to the wine country of Sonoma, California. 

Stage 1:
Clutch Closer: Rudd Leads Only Three Laps, But Takes the Victory in Impressive Fashion

        Ricky Rudd might have only led three laps today, but he ended up leading the most important one: the last lap. Rudd and his team came in clutch in the final run of the race to grab the win and a much-needed boost of momentum after several good runs in the past couple of races turned into average finishes. While Rudd wasn’t leading for most of the event, he did have a very consistent race. He started in seventh and on the first run of the race, he lost a couple of positions and found himself at the back of the Top 10 as green flag pit stops began. His stop went well and he returned to the track having moved up a couple of positions. After the first caution waved on lap 38, Rudd ended up fifth on the restart after a couple of drivers in front of him pitted. On the next run, he managed to move to fourth and he stayed there until the second caution waved on lap 67. Again, he restarted in the Top 5 after pit stops and it looked like he was prepared to have a very good finish before the third caution on lap 84 completely changed the team’s fortunes. During pit stops, Rudd’s crew worked flawlessly and he came out second of the drivers with four tires just behind Kurt Busch. However, nine drivers with older tires stood in front of him and it would be a tough battle to find the lead. When the race restarted, Busch and Rudd made quick work of the drivers on old tires and Rudd even passed Busch to become the highest running driver with fresh rubber. With eight laps to go, Rudd found himself in second place with his sights set on the leader, Jerry Nadeau. While Rudd was faster than the leader, he wasn’t gaining enough time to pass him before the checkered flag. Yet, after weeks of bad luck, a piece of luck benefitted the Virginia driver. With three laps to go, something broke in the rear end of Nadeau’s car heading through turn 10 and he stopped his car off track on the frontstretch. Rudd inherited the lead and he put some distance on Tony Stewart, who grabbed second place. After driving cleanly for the last three laps, Rudd took the checkered flag and drove his Texaco/Havoline Ford to victory lane at the newly renamed Infineon Raceway. Thanks to a clutch pit stop from his crew and a little bit of luck, Ricky Rudd managed to close in the last few laps to grab a popular win in the NASCAR garage.

Stage 2:
Move of the Race: Green and Labonte Stay Out Late to Take Impressive Top 5 Finishes

        At the start of today’s race, grabbing Top 5 finishes was the last thought on the minds of Jeff Green and Terry Labonte. Yet, when 350 kilometers of right and left turns were finished, both drivers found themselves with hard fought Top 5’s after both teams made excellent strategy moves. Labonte started the race in a dismal 39th spot while Green rolled off in 33rd. Early on, neither driver made any progress and it looked like they would need strategy to move up. Before Labonte could even make a strategy call, he had a tire go down on track on lap 28, which altered the team’s strategy due to the early pit stop. He limped to pit road and his team replaced all four tires before sending him back on track after losing significant time. After the first caution on lap 38, both drivers found themselves outside the Top 20 and another run passed without many gains. When the second caution waved on lap 67, the two drivers came to pit road with the rest of the field for service. On the next run, the two drivers had a luxury most of the field didn’t have. They could run a little bit slower and save some fuel, which could help them make it to the end of the race without pitting again. When the third caution waved on lap 84, all the leaders came to pit road, but Green and Labonte stayed out with seven other drivers. They had saved fuel between the second and third cautions, which allowed them to stay out and finally gain some track position. On what would be the final restart, Green moved into second place while Labonte sat at the edge of the Top 5. As the drivers with fresh tires started moving to the front, Green and Labonte stayed strong at the front. They managed to stay in the Top 5 throughout the final run and when the checkered flag waved, Labonte beat Kurt Busch to the line in a photo finish for third while Green brought his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet home in fifth. The finishes were impressive not only because of where they started, but because neither driver had finished in the Top 5 in the first fifteen races of the year. In the end, an interesting strategy call to stay out on the final caution gave Green and Labonte impressive finishes at Infineon Raceway.

Stage 3:
Comeback of the Race: Stewart Salvages Second Place After Pitting Off Sequence 

        While Tony Stewart started on the pole and came home in second place, his race wasn’t spent just at the front of the field. In fact, most of his day was spent battling from the back part of the Top 20 after pitting when the majority of the field stayed out. On the start, Stewart was in control as he drove away from the field, but he didn’t hold the lead for long. Jeff Gordon, who started fourth, caught up to him on lap 2 and took the lead. From there, Stewart maintained his spot in the Top 5 as the race began to move towards the first set of pit stops. He was the first driver to make a green flag pit stop on lap 32 and that meant he would be on a three-stop strategy while the rest of the field was focused on only pitting twice all day. After the green flag pit stops cycled through, Stewart inherited the lead and led until the first caution came out on lap 38. Instead of maintaining the lead, Stewart and his team decided to be conservative and pit for four tires and fuel, which would get them back on sequence with the leaders of the race. However, he came out of the pits in 26th with a lot of positions to make up to get into the Top 5. Throughout the next run, Stewart passed drivers cautiously as he moved to the front. When the second caution waved on lap 67, he was near the Top 10 with an excellent racecar and a drive to win. On the restart, he moved up a little bit and when the third caution waved on lap 84, he was prepared to make his final charge to the front. He came down pit road with the rest of the leaders and he came out fourth of the drivers with four fresh tires. On the final restart, Stewart passed several cars with old tires and he even passed Kurt Busch for position in the last few laps. With three laps to go, he was in a similar position as Ricky Rudd. He was in third position and it didn’t look like he had enough time to gain two more sports. However, Nadeau’s issue put him into second and he crossed the finish line with a hard-fought second place finish. Early in the race, it looked strategy would derail Tony Stewart’s desire to win a second straight race at the Sonoma road course, but he made an incredible comeback to grab a second-place finish and gain some points in the championship standings. 

Stage 4:
Memorable Moment: Nadeau Almost Takes Underdog Victory Before Mechanical Problems

        2002 has not been kind to Jerry Nadeau. After two full seasons with Hendrick Motorsports and eleven races to start this season, Nadeau was released from the team and made a free agent during a time when other organizations don’t typically need drivers. However, an unfortunate injury to Johnny Benson Jr. allowed him to get in the #10 Pontiac for two races, but further opportunities did not arise and it looked like Nadeau would go from starting to sitting on the sidelines. Today, though, he had another opportunity to prove that he can contend in a NWCS car. Buckshot Jones drove the #44 for Petty Enterprises to start the year before Steve Grissom replaced him. While Grissom is now the regular driver, he is inexperienced on road courses and the organization decided to put Nadeau in the #44 since he is skilled at tracks with right turns. On the start, Nadeau was proving that the Petty’s decision was a smart one. He started 22nd and was the biggest mover in the first run as he moved towards the Top 15. After the first caution, he continued to move up positions and at the halfway point of the race, he was running solidly in the tenth place. As it looked like he was poised for a career saving run, his fortunes turned for the worst on lap 67. While running tenth, he drove into turn 10 too hot and he spun into the dirt on the outskirts of the track. He completed two spins and drove out of the dirt with his racecar mostly intact despite a hole in the left front of his nose. The spin brought out the second caution and he came to pit road for fresh tires and fuel along with the leaders. Since he restarted towards the back of the field, he saved some fuel and when the third caution waved on lap 84, he was able to stay out along with several other drivers. In hindsight, the spin turned out to be a positive as he sat in second place for the final restart, which might not have happened without the spin. On what would be the final restart, Nadeau pressured Bill Elliott for the lead and when the field came to turn 7, Elliott slipped up and Nadeau powered to the front. He drove away quickly and within just a few laps, he had opened up a five second advantage on the field. The ultimate underdog story was beginning to take shape as Nadeau still held the lead on old tires with four laps to go. Yet, hiss luck ran out. While still maintaining a healthy gap on Rudd with three laps to go, he began to slow on track in turn 10 and he drove through turn 11 before coming to a stop off the track on the frontstretch. It was a broken rear gear for Nadeau and as he sat off track in disgust, Rudd drove to the win and saddled Nadeau with a disappointing 34th place finish. In the future, when today’s race is viewed on paper, it will just appear that Jerry Nadeau brought home a rough finish for his team. However, fans watching today will be left with the memory of a driver in an underfunded ride fighting for the win and his career around the Infineon Raceway in the ultimate showcase of talent and determination.

Stage 5:
Terrible Luck: Winston Cup Points Leaders Fall Victim to Road Course Mayhem and Part Failures

        Whenever the NWCS heads to road courses, the top drivers in the points always drive cautiously due to the likelihood of crashes, mechanical failures, and strategy miscues. However, today’s race turned bad for five of the Top 6 drivers in the points standings following last week’s race at Michigan. The first driver to have issues in the race was points leader, Sterling Marlin. Marlin started the race in 36th, which put him in a tough spot to start the event. He made a few moves early, but he was still deep in the field with potential chaos in front of him. After about ten laps, Johnny Benson Jr. went off track and kicked some dirt onto the racing surface. Marlin came by and hit some of the debris, which caused his water pump belt and other belts to break on the car. Over the next few laps, his engine began to overheat and on lap 13, he came to pit road for his team to fix the issue. However, the issue was too much to fix on pit road and his team rolled him into the garage for more service. When the team felt the belts were sufficiently fixed, Marlin returned to the track, but he only ran a couple more laps before his car began to smoke again. He returned to the garage and remained there, which handed him a dismal 43rd place finish. It looked like his closest points competitors would be able to capitalize and gain some points, but they quickly ran into their own problems and allowed Marlin to hold the points lead. Jeff Gordon started the race from fourth, but he maneuvered his way into the lead on lap 2. In the first run of the race, he was absolutely dominating in impressive fashion. However, when he was about to make his green flag pit stop on lap 33, he reported to his team that he was unable to shift gears and he drove to the garage. His team replaced the rear gear, but he lost several laps and his opportunity to gain points disappeared. Shortly after Gordon’s problems, Matt Kenseth, who came into the race fifth in the points, began to drop oil on the track. The oil on track brought out the first caution on lap 38 and Kenseth brought his car to the garage, which cost him several laps and prevented him from gaining points. As the race neared the finish, it looked like Jimmie Johnson and Rusty Wallace would gain points after outlasting the road course chaos. However, Johnson broke a rear gear like his teammate with seven laps to go, which ended his excellent day, and Wallace had an incident on the last lap that sent him from the Top 15 to a 27th place finishing position. Only Mark Martin walked away with a great finish as he took a seventh-place finish. After a rough day for the series points leaders, it will be interesting to see which driver rebounds the best as the field heads towards the end of the season.

        After a day filled with shifting gears and battling around tricky right turns, NASCAR’s best drivers head to a different race track after a much-needed weekend off. In two weeks, the NWCS will battle on a Saturday night at the two and a half mile Daytona International Speedway where drivers must manage diverse obstacles compared to today’s race. Daytona is home to the infamous superspeedway racing where drafting, huge packs, big crashes, and pulse pounding action lead to an unpredictable race for all 43 drivers involved. While today’s race proved to be difficult for the Winston Cup points leaders, Daytona will be just as problematic due to its unpredictability. In addition to the possibility of chaos for the Winston Cup points leaders, even more storylines surround the annual July 4th trip to Daytona. Ricky Rudd finally visited victory lane today and with his new momentum, he will be a threat to battle and take his second consecutive win on the season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip have been dominate at Daytona in the last two years with wins in two of the last three races at DIS and they will certainly be threats for the victory in two weeks. Finally, Ward Burton might have won the Daytona 500 earlier this year, but he has struggled throughout the season and he could use a rebound heading into 2003 with another win at the World Center of Racing. While today’s race at Infineon was not filled with cautions, the field battled closely, managed strategy, and showed how stock cars can put on an excellent show at road courses like Infineon Raceway.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 38- Oil from Matt Kenseth’s car was spotted on the track.

2nd Caution: Lap 67- Jerry Nadeau drove too hard through turn 10 and spun into the turn’s dirt, but he continued without damage.

3rd Caution: Lap 84- Boris Said spun exiting turn 10 and backed into the tire barrier hard, destroying the back end of his car. 

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Ricky Rudd
2nd: Tony Stewart
3rd: Terry Labonte
4th: Kurt Busch
5th: Jeff Green

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Mark Martin
8th: Bill Elliott
9th: Ryan Newman
13th: Bobby Labonte
14th: Kevin Harvick
15th: Dale Jarrett
22nd: Michael Waltrip
27th: Rusty Wallace
29th: Jeff Burton
30th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
35th: Jimmie Johnson
37th: Jeff Gordon
39th: Matt Kenseth
43rd: Sterling Marlin



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2002_Dodge_Save_Mart_350/W
-Image:
https://twitter.com/basso488/status/613199117267959808
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNIHje13UFI&t=81s