|| *Comments on the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400:* View the most recent comment <#37> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. JJ Lehto posted: 02.20.2005 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This is the race that cost Sterling Marlin the championship. 2. Anonymous posted: 03.15.2005 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Michael Waltrip had managed to put most of the field a lap down thanks to fuel mileage before he got wrecked on the restart thanks to checking up lapped traffic. 3. Jake posted: 05.04.2005 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt Kenseth and Dale Jr. had to pit under green for flat tires. In the process, they ended up 2 laps down. Both came back to win and finish 4th. 4. smoke20ri posted: 04.04.2006 - 2:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought Sterling got hurt at Kansas. Or was Kansas the end result of this race? 5. Alex posted: 06.01.2006 - 5:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon's record consecutive races finishes streak ended in this race. A blown engine handed Gordon his first DNF. 6. Steve posted: 12.09.2006 - 5:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember Sterling getting out of the car like it was yesterday. He climbed halfway out when he suddenly grimaced, and then Benny Parsons in the TV booth said, "Ooo! I saw pain (expressed) on Sterlin's face!". I think he was driving hurt after this crash. He finished midpack at Loudon and Dover, but he was running in the Top 10 at Kansas when he crashed. 7. Brock posted: 02.10.2007 - 7:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty Wallace was catching Kenseth in the late stages when he cut down a tire. Tony Stewart's driveshaft broke not long after, stopping his car at the start/finish line. 8. mk17ce99 posted: 05.05.2007 - 8:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth was down 2 laps twice throughout this race and came back to win the race and nearly lead the most laps. 9. BurtonRuddfan posted: 07.02.2007 - 6:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a large margin of victory for a short track race. There was such a long from the last caution to the end of the race. 10. Anonymous posted: 08.04.2007 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First Cup start for Tim Sauter 11. Mr. Big posted: 05.04.2008 - 9:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) This is the race that started the downward spiral Sterling's career has turned into. 12. Schafe posted: 06.14.2008 - 3:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So...I can't seem to remember...why was Biffle placed in that 55 car for a few races? 13. Anonymous posted: 08.20.2008 - 12:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Hamilton was hurt in the Thursday night truck race, and was sidelined for Richmond, New Hampshire, Dover, Kansas, and Talladega. Biffle was picked to fill in initially, and Ron Hornaday (with more experience) was chosen for Talladega. 14. Anonymous posted: 08.24.2008 - 12:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Though I can't imagine why they chose Biffle. He was (and still is) contracted to Roush Racing, a dyed-in-the-wool Ford team, so I'm not sure why Andy Petree didn't choose Chevy drivers Sprague, McMurray, or Tim or Johnny Sauter from BGN. Or just put Hornaday in the car for the other 4 races. 15. RaceFanX posted: 09.20.2008 - 10:16 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Roush wanted Biffle to get experience and they'd had trouble getting him into races in the part-time #16 Ford that year so they lent him to Petree so he could get some seat time in equipment that was pretty good. NBC's actually missed Marlin's wreck at the start of the race, only catching the end of it on video. Very bad night for Chip Ganassi Racing, both cars wrecked out by lap 9 to finish last and next-to-last. 16. Anonymous posted: 01.25.2009 - 11:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Todd Bodine's last Cup top 5. 17. Clayton posted: 11.17.2009 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ricky Rudd got punched after a brief altercation with a Robert Yates engine builder Larry Lackey. Cameras caught an ambush between Rudd and Lackey and Lackey had a bloody face and Rudd had an ice pack over his left eye the next week. Rudd announced three weeks earlier that he was leaving for the Wood Brothers and many think that may have caused it. Whatever did, Lackey was fined by NASCAR and fired the next week by Yates. 18. Cooper posted: 05.04.2011 - 11:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) NASCAR made a bad decision to start the race. The track was very slick due to a showcar that blew an engine prior to the race. They put some speedy dry on the track prior to the green flag to help dry the track. In addition they ran extra pace laps because of the question involving the surface. The result was disastrous for Sterling Marlin who had to check up due to a Jeff Burton solo spin. to this day I still don't know why NASCAR couldn't wait an extra 15 minutes to start the race. All the drivers told them it was almost impossible to drive on but NASCAR ignored this and in my opinion caused Sterling Marlin the championship. Sterling who looked injured, continued to race the following weeks only to look mediocre at best. After the crash at Kansas it was revealed that he had a broken vertabrae in his neck. Whether it was from this crash or the crash at Kansas still ponders my mind today. 19. RaceFanX posted: 07.21.2011 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #30 Jeff Green- America Online/Daffy Duck #48 Jimmie Johnson- Lowe's/Tweety & Sylvester #29 Kevin Harvick- GM Goodwrench Service/Tasmanian Devil #4 Mike Skinner- Kodak/Yosemite Sam #25 Joe Nemechek- UAW-Delphi/Speedy Gonzales #31 Robby Gordon- Cingular Wireless/Pepé Le Pew #55 Greg Biffle- Schneider Electric/Square D/Marvin The Martian #5 Terry Labonte- Kellogg's- Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote Chevrolet again ran a Looney Toons promotion to tie into this race dubbing it "The Rematch" after most of them crashed the year before. Again though none of the cartoon cars could find victory lane and Chevrolet retired the promtion for a 'rock'n roll' themed one in 2003. If you notice a popular Looney Toon missing there you aren't alone. Jeff Gordon was again to have the "Bugs Bunny" car for this race but his rather nice sky blue and green car was wrecked in practice. Gordon's backup didn't have the special paint job and he drove his normal one in the race itself. The diecast of it was still pretty popular though and as said Gordon fell out of this one early. Tying in with the Cup promotion Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Busch race the night before in a car featuring Gossamer the big orange monster and other Looney Toons while his half-brother Kerry Earnhardt ran another Yosemite Sam car. 20. RaceFanX posted: 07.21.2011 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Robby Gordon one should be "Cingular Wireless/Pepe Le Pew," I originally tried to spell it with an accent. 21. Tom posted: 12.31.2011 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (5) Rudd was always a mouthy little squirt. 22. Evan posted: 02.10.2012 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) * The diecast of the Looney Tunes cars in this race had a hard time selling my local Kmart and Walmart stores had them through the 2003 NASCAR season and had trouble selling them even after Hot Wheels released all their 2003 cars reatilers just left them on the shelves and did not bother to order more, they were so desperate they skipped the year 2003 to try and sell them all. This is what started the downfall of the Winners Circle brand until Action basically bought out the remaining maufacturing contracts to make diecast of the main drivers leaving Hot Wheels and Racing Champions to drop out after 2005. * Also, this was not the last stop for the Looney Tunes cars as they would return at Phoenix to promote the film Looney Tunes Back in Action. * Two drivers Jerry Nadeau and Bobby Hamilton did not participate in their Looney Tunes rides due to Hamilton's injuries and Nadeau switching over to the 44 car at Petty Enterprises. * One scheme was never ran, I did not know that Jeff Gordon crashed his Bugs Bunny car, I just knew he ran his regular scheme that night. * The best finishing car was Daffy Duck/Jeff Green, NBC made a point to show where the Looney Tunes Drivers were running through the entire race as well as inviting Mel Blanc's son up into the booth to talk during a caution period. * The Rematch added two characters Speedy Gonzales on the 25 and Pepe Le Pew on the 31 and Tweety and Sylvester moved over to the 48. * Jeff Gordon just had a terrible weekend, he participated in a golf cart race with a costumed Bugs Bunny and fell off the back of the cart and then he crashes the 24 Bugs Bunny.Dupont car in practice and suffers an engine failure. I guess Jeff was glad to get out of Richmond after that week. 23. Evan posted: 02.10.2012 - 10:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The day before the race, there was a golf cart race that featured the 8 drivers paired with their respective Looney Tunes Character ran at the track for entertainment purposes. Jeff Green/Daffy Duck Jimmie Johnson/Tweety Bird and Sylvester Jeff Gordon/Bugs Bunny Kevin Harvick/Taz Andy Petree(in for Bobby Hamilton)/Marvin Martian Joe Nemecheck/Speedy Gonzales Mike Skinner/Yosemite Sam Robby Gordon/Pepe Le Pew Here is the finishing order of that race Finishing Order: 1. Jeff Green 2. Robby Gordon 3. Andy Petree 4. Jimmie Johnson 5. Kevin Harvick 6. Joe Nemechek 7. Mike Skinner 8. Jeff Gordon out The big highlight or lowlight of the golf cart race was Jeff Gordon falling from his golf cart and brusing his hand. Gordon suffered minor injuries. He was able to race but fell out early barely breaking a sweat. Also, Andy Petree participated in the race for his driver Bobby Hamilton injured in a crash in the Truck Race. 24. Anonymous posted: 02.11.2012 - 11:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was Terry Labonte not in that golf cart race eventhough he had a looney toons car as well? 25. Evan posted: 02.11.2012 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry participated in the one they had in 2001, he did not compete in this golf cart race with Wile E Coyote and the Roadrunner. He either had other obligations or just did not feel like racing in the event. 26. Anonymous posted: 02.11.2012 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You're dithpicable. Okay, not really. 27. Daniel posted: 05.25.2012 - 12:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #51 Carl Long Out using fastest 43: #02 Hermie Sadler 28. Matthew Tesfaye posted: 08.03.2012 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The turning point of the 2002 championship 29. JL70fan posted: 05.28.2013 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) sponsor correction: #71 - George & Sons / Wehrs Chevrolet George & Sons was on the hood while Wehrs Chevy was on the quarter panels 30. b4il3y posted: 05.14.2014 - 4:21 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Tom posted: 12.31.2011 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: Like this comment (0) Dislike this comment (1) Rudd was always a mouthy little squirt. Rudd could whip your ass handly as he could mine. 31. Evan posted: 09.26.2014 - 11:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Race Sponsor This race was titled as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with the Looney Tunes. Source:I watched the event. 32. NASCARLover22 posted: 09.06.2015 - 2:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew #89 Morgan Shepherd Sponsor: Racing with Jesus Owner: Morgan Shepherd Manufacturer: Ford http://www.jayski.com/next/2002/2002rir2.htm 33. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.24.2016 - 9:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates: #28 Havoline/God Bless America #51 Revival Soy #97 Rubbermaid/Sharpie 34. Wil posted: 05.22.2018 - 2:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael Waltrip had a car likely capable of winning the race, but got loose and wrecked while leading. He showed more speed than he's given credit for and probably should've won on a non-superspeedway in the 15, but he was always too reckless. 35. BadBooking posted: 05.29.2020 - 8:18 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Here's something fun in retrospect: Had the playoffs started after Richmond but with the 2004 rules, there would be TWELVE drivers in the hunt for the championship! The 400 point rule would have come into play hence allowing Dale Jarrett and Kurt Busch to enter the fray. 36. SweetRich21/43 posted: 07.31.2020 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators were Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach. The pit road reporters were Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider and Dave Burns. 37. Chad posted: 04.01.2021 - 7:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race ended Sterling Marlin's chance of a championship due to injuries in the Lap 11 crash with Jimmy Spencer and Jeff Burton. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: