2002 Protection One 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
|
The 2002 Protection One 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | September 29, 2002 | ||
| Official name | Second Annual Protection One 400 | ||
| Location | Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 119.394 miles per hour (192.146 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 78,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Time | 30.350 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 116 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2002 Protection One 400 was the 29th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 29, 2002, before a crowd of 78,000 in Kansas City, Kansas, at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would pull away on the final restart with three laps to go to win his 61st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace, both driving for Penske Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
Sterling Marlin suffered a neck injury from a crash during the race, which resulted in him missing the rest of the season.