2002 Cup Series Results

Complete race results with winners, margins, and laps led — 36 races. Data current through the 2025 season; 2026 results added as races complete.

NASCAR Cup Series results from 1949 through 2026 — 78 seasons of racing history, plus 44 seasons of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results and 31 seasons of Craftsman Truck Series results. Every race on this page includes finishing order, stage points, laps led, and margin of victory.

Cup history splits into distinct eras: the strictly-stock and Grand National era (1949-1971) raced on dirt bullrings and new paved superspeedways with schedules as dense as 62 events; the Winston Cup modern era (1972-2003) standardized the schedule at 28-36 races per season; the Chase era (2004-2013) introduced a 10-race points-reset postseason; the elimination playoffs era (2014-2025) used four rounds of cuts to crown a Homestead-Phoenix winner-take-all champion; and the 2026+ Chase format brings back a cumulative-points Chase decided at Homestead-Miami. Modern races (2017+) have full stage breakdowns; historic races carry finishing order and laps led, since stages were not introduced until 2017.

Need the season opener? The Daytona 500 kicks off every modern Cup schedule. For postseason context, see The Chase.

Cup SeriesO'Reilly SeriesCraftsman Trucks
2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
2010s ▾
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
2000s ▾
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
1990s ▾
1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990
1980s ▾
1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980
1970s ▾
1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970
1960s ▾
1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960
1950s ▾
1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950
1940s ▾
1949
# Date Race Winner
1 Feb 17 Daytona 500 Ward Burton
2 Feb 24 Subway 400 Matt Kenseth
3 Mar 3 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 Sterling Marlin
4 Mar 10 MBNA America 500 Tony Stewart
5 Mar 17 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Sterling Marlin
6 Mar 24 Food City 500 Kurt Busch
7 Apr 8 Samsung/RadioShack 500 Matt Kenseth
8 Apr 14 Virginia 500 Bobby Labonte
9 Apr 21 Aaron's 499 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
10 Apr 28 NAPA Auto Parts 500 Jimmie Johnson
11 May 4 Pontiac Excitement 400 Tony Stewart
12 May 26 Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 Mark Martin
13 Jun 2 MBNA Platinum 400 Jimmie Johnson
14 Jun 9 Pocono 500 Dale Jarrett
15 Jun 16 Sirius Satellite Radio 400 Matt Kenseth
16 Jun 23 Dodge/Save Mart 350 Ricky Rudd
17 Jul 6 Pepsi 400 Michael Waltrip
18 Jul 14 Tropicana 400 Kevin Harvick
19 Jul 21 New England 300 Ward Burton
20 Jul 28 Pennsylvania 500 Bill Elliott
21 Aug 4 Brickyard 400 Bill Elliott
22 Aug 11 Sirius Satellite Radio @ The Glen Tony Stewart
23 Aug 18 Pepsi 400 presented by Farmer Jack Dale Jarrett
24 Aug 24 Sharpie 500 Jeff Gordon
25 Sep 1 Mountain Dew Southern 500 Jeff Gordon
26 Sep 7 Monte Carlo 400 with The Looney Tunes Matt Kenseth
27 Sep 15 New Hampshire 300 Ryan Newman
28 Sep 22 MBNA All-American Heroes 400 Jimmie Johnson
29 Sep 29 Protection One 400 Jeff Gordon
30 Oct 6 EA Sports Thunder 500 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
31 Oct 13 UAW-GM Quality 500 Jamie McMurray
32 Oct 20 Old Dominion 500 Kurt Busch
33 Oct 27 NAPA 500 Kurt Busch
34 Nov 3 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 Johnny Benson
35 Nov 10 Checker Auto Parts 500k Presented by Pennzoil Matt Kenseth
36 Nov 17 Ford 400 Kurt Busch

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the first NASCAR Cup Series race?
The first NASCAR Cup Series race — then called the Strictly Stock Division — was held on June 19, 1949 at the three-quarter mile Charlotte Speedway dirt oval in North Carolina. Jim Roper was declared the winner after Glenn Dunnaway was disqualified for illegal rear springs, making it the first of 200 sanctioned points races in Cup history's inaugural season of eight events.
How many NASCAR Cup races are there per season?
The modern NASCAR Cup Series runs 36 points-paying races per year plus 2 non-championship exhibition events (the Cook Out Clash and the All-Star Race). The regular season covers 26 races, followed by a 10-race Chase in 2026. Historic Cup schedules varied wildly — 1964 had 62 races, while 1949 had just 8.
What is a NASCAR stage?
Stages were introduced in 2017 to split each Cup race into three scoring segments. Drivers earn stage points (10 down to 1 for the top 10 at each stage break) plus a playoff point for winning a stage. Stage breaks also create competition cautions that reset strategy. Races before 2017 have no stage data — only finishing order, laps led, and margin of victory are available.
Who has the most NASCAR Cup Series wins?
Richard Petty holds the all-time Cup Series wins record with 200 victories across a career from 1958 to 1992. David Pearson is second with 105, followed by Jeff Gordon (93), Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84 each), and Cale Yarborough (83). No active driver has crossed 100 wins.
What was the first NASCAR race at Daytona?
The inaugural Daytona 500 was held on February 22, 1959 at the brand-new 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Lee Petty was declared the winner three days after the race in a photo-finish review over Johnny Beauchamp. The race has opened every Cup Series season since and is the most prestigious event on the schedule.
Where can I find historical NASCAR race results?
NASCAR Reference has complete race results from 1949 to 2026 for the Cup Series, 1982-2026 for the O'Reilly (Xfinity) Series, and 1995-2026 for the Craftsman Truck Series. Each result includes finishing order, laps led, margins of victory, and driver stats.

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