2002 Delphi Indy 300

September 2018 September 2018 United States Delphi Indy 300 Chicagoland Speedway diagram.svg September 8 2002 Indy Racing League 14 15 Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois Permanent racing facility 1.5 2.4 200 300 482.803 Dry and sunny Sam Hornish Jr. Panther Racing 24.5528 United States Buddy Rice Cheever Racing 24.4216 146 United States Sam Hornish Jr. Panther Racing United States Al Unser Jr. Kelley Racing United States Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn Racing United States The 2002 Delphi Indy 300 was an Indy Racing League (IRL) motor race that took place on September 8, 2002, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, in front of approximately 50,000 spectators. It was the 14th of 15 scheduled rounds of the 2002 Indy Racing League and the second annual running of the event. Panther Racing driver Sam Hornish Jr. won the 200-lap race from pole position with the closest margin of victory in the IRL of 0.0024 seconds over Al Unser Jr. of Kelley Racing. Third place was Hemelgarn Racing's Buddy Lazier. Hornish earned his second IRL pole position by posting the fastest qualifying lap. Hornish led the race until he was passed by Buddy Rice after the first restart, which was prompted by a caution on the 25th lap to tend to Laurent Redon's car. Hornish retook the lead after passing Unser on lap 75, but he was overtaken by Scott Sharp 42 laps later. On lap 151, Sharp was passed by Hornish for first place. On the 167th lap, Unser passed Hélio Castroneves and reclaimed the lead. For the rest of the race, Unser and Hornish traded the lead, and it was Hornish who won, his fourth of the season and seventh overall. During the race, there were five cautions and eighteen lead changes between four drivers. Hornish now led the points standings with 481 championship points. Castroneves, who led the championship before the race, fell to second, while Team Penske teammate Gil de Ferran fell to third after a heavy crash on the 52nd lap. Felipe Giaffone and Alex Barron remained fourth and fifth with one race remaining in the season. Background 2002 Indy Racing League#Confirmed entries The 2002 Delphi Indy 300 was confirmed as a part of the 2002 Indy Racing League (IRL) schedule for their racing series in June 2001.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/15153 Michigan, Nazareth join '02 IRL schedule July 1, 2001 Autosport https://web.archive.org/web/20160619052721/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/15153 June 19, 2016 June 19, 2016 It was the event's second consecutive running; it was the 14th race scheduled for 2002 by the IRL, out of 15,http://www.crash.net/indycar/news/14194/1/final-2002-irl-schedule-released.html Final 2002 IRL schedule released January 1, 2001 Crash https://web.archive.org/web/20180908125747/https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/14194/1/final-2002-irl-schedule-released September 8, 2018 live June 19, 2016 and it took place at the 1.5 mi km on Chicagoland Speedway D-shaped asphalt tri-oval race circuit,Chicagoland Speedway http://www.indyracing.com/tracks/tracks.php?id=14 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021022101204/http://www.indyracing.com/tracks/tracks.php?id=14 October 22, 2002 October 22, 2021 Indy Racing LeagueAugust 27, 2002 Delphi Indy 300/Chicagoland 100 Fast Facts http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=443 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021213225353/http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=443 December 13, 2002 October 22, 2021 Indy Racing League in Joliet, Illinois, on September 8, 2002, with a scheduled race distance of 200 laps (300 mi km on.September 6, 2002 This Weekend on TV C10 The Arizona Republic https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87539852/weekend-of-september-7-8-2002-on-tv/ subscription October 22, 2021 Newspapers.com Hélio Castroneves led the points standings with 437 points at this late stage of the season. He was one point ahead of teammate Gil de Ferran, who was seven points ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. in third. Felipe Giaffone was fourth with 391 points, 73 more than Alex Barron in fifth. Jaques Lazier was the event's reigning winner from the 2001 edition. The event featured 26 participants from 19 different teams, with two driver changes.2002 Chicagoland Indycars https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/2002-chicagoland-indycars/ live October 22, 2021 Motor Sport https://web.archive.org/web/20210515031820/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/2002-chicagoland-indycars/ May 15, 2021 Every competitor drove a Dallara IR-02 or G-Force GF05 car powered by a Chevrolet or Infiniti engine.Race result: Indy Racing League 2002: Race 14 in Joliet (Chicagoland, oval) on 08 Sep 2002 https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/motorsport/formula-level1/indycar/2002/joliet-chicagoland-oval-_race14_results.html live October 22, 2021 Speedsport Magazine https://web.archive.org/web/20170426042723/http://www.speedsport-magazine.com/motorsport/formula-level1/indycar/2002/joliet-chicagoland-oval-_race14_results.html April 26, 2017 1999 U.S. F2000 National Champion and two-time Indy Lights series winner Dan Wheldon joined Panther Racing to partner Hornish for the final two races of the season.http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/former-us-f2000-champ-wheldon-join-hornish-panther-remainder-irl-season#ixzz4Bxw2Qded Former U.S. F2000 champ Wheldon to join Hornish at Panther for remainder of IRL season June 9, 2002 https://web.archive.org/web/20160619051726/http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/former-us-f2000-champ-wheldon-join-hornish-panther-remainder-irl-season June 19, 2016 Autoweek June 18, 2016 In June, he visited Chicagoland Speedway to learn more about the IRL. Wheldon expressed his excitement to be associated with and work with Panther Racing, and expressed his belief that it would be a good opportunity to learn from the team's personnel. 1999 Indy Racing League champion Greg Ray was hired to drive the No. Car number 20 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car for the rest of the season after requesting a release from his former manager A. J. Foyt. Ray replaced regular driver Richie Hearn, who broke his foot at the Belterra Casino Indy 300 in August 2002.http://www.indyracing.com:80/press/story.php?story_id=461 Ray To Drive For Schmidt For Final Two Races Of Season Crowley Joe September 4, 2002 Indy Racing League https://web.archive.org/web/20021003213417/http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=461 October 3, 2002 dead September 3, 2018 mdy-all Practice and qualifying thumb|right|upright|Buddy Rice (pictured in 2007) qualified on the front row of the grid in second place. There were four practice sessions preceding Sunday's race; two on Friday and Saturday. The first and second sessions lasted 90 minutes, the third 60 minutes and the fourth 30 minutes. The racers were split into two groups, which were each allowed to run laps for half a session.Delphi Indy 300 Notes – Friday, Sept. 6 http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=470 Indy Racing League September 6, 2002 June 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20021003213924/http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=470 October 3, 2002Delphi Indy 300 Notes – Saturday, Sept. 7 http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=477 Indy Racing League September 7, 2002 June 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20021003214637/http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=477 October 3, 2002 The Friday practice sessions were held in warm, sunny weather. The first yellow caution flag flew when Hideki Noda's engine failed leaving the fourth turn and stopped on the backstretch; he did not participate in the second session because his team was changing his engine. The second occurred when Giaffone collided with the outside retaining barrier between turns three and four, and Hornish was involved, bending his left-front suspension, front wing, and puncturing his chassis tub. Both drivers were uninjured. Buddy Rice led the session with a time of 24.4578 seconds, followed by Eddie Cheever Jr. and Billy Boat. The top five were completed by Vítor Meira and Sarah Fisher.http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=19&id=3233 Buddy Rice Leads IRL Practice at Chicago Crask Andrew September 6, 2002 Speed https://web.archive.org/web/20021231023639/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=19&id=3233 December 31, 2002 dead June 19, 2016 Hornish's car's left-front section was repaired in time for the second session, where he set the fastest lap of 24.4910 seconds; Cheever was second and Rice third. Al Unser Jr. and Giaffone were fourth and fifth. Two caution flags came out for track inspections. The third practice session was held in sunny and warm weather, with Unser setting the fastest lap time of 24.5953 seconds. Rice was second, with Meira third. Boat was fourth, with Robbie Buhl fifth.https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-chicagoland-practice-session-three/105499/ IRL: Chicagoland practice session three September 7, 2002 motorsport.com https://web.archive.org/web/20180904192114/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-chicagoland-practice-session-three/105499/ September 4, 2018 live September 3, 2018 mdy-all The starting grid was determined by qualifying an hour after the third practice session ended. Each driver completed two laps, and the competitor with the slowest time did not qualify. The weather was pleasant and sunny. Hornish set a new track record at Chicagoland Speedway,Associated Press Auto racing: Hornish captures pole for Delphi Indy 300 https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20020908/auto08/auto-racing-hornish-captures-pole-for-delphi-indy-300 The Seattle Times September 8, 2002 June 18, 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160618194607/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20020908&slug=auto08 June 18, 2016 his second of the season and his career, with a time of 24.5528 seconds at a speed of 222.867 mph km/h on after winning the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead–Miami Speedway.http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/09/07/Hornish-Jrtakes-pole-at-Delphi-Indy-300/29241031419561/ Hornish Jr.takes pole at Delphi Indy 300 September 7, 2002 June 19, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20180905023217/https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/09/07/Hornish-Jrtakes-pole-at-Delphi-Indy-300/29241031419561/ September 5, 2018 live mdy-all United Press InternationalSeptember 7, 2002 Qualifying: Hornish Jr on pole https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/20516/qualifying-hornish-jr-on-pole live https://web.archive.org/web/20200901212829/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/20516/qualifying-hornish-jr-on-pole September 1, 2020 August 26, 2020 Autosporthttp://www.speedtv.com:80/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=19&id=3245 Hornish Takes Chicagoland Pole as Penske Duo Struggles Crask Andrew September 7, 2002 Speed https://web.archive.org/web/20021231023905/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=19&id=3245 December 31, 2002 dead September 3, 2018 mdy-all Rice, who was 0.0570 seconds slower than Hornish, joined him on the front row of the grid. Unser qualified third, with Boat fourth. Completing the top ten were Cheever, Wheldon, Laurent Redon, Buhl, and Giaffone. The rest of the field lined up as De Ferran, Fisher, Jeff Ward, Eliseo Salazar, Airton Daré, Scott Sharp, Tony Renna, Alex Barron, Raul Boesel, Ray, Castroneves, Buddy Lazier, Will Langhorne, George Mack, and Noda. Scott Mayer did not qualify due to fluctuating oil pressure; the IRL barred him from competing due to inexperience.http://www.crash.net:80/news_detail.asp?championship_id=12&news_id=46964&language_id=1 Hornish wins pole as Penske struggles September 8, 2002 Crash https://web.archive.org/web/20030123234004/http://www.crash.net/news_detail.asp?championship_id=12&news_id=46964&language_id=1 January 23, 2003 dead September 3, 2018 mdy-all After qualifying, Hornish said he would put forward his strong form into the race, "When we start on the pole and the people were are running with for the championship are 11th and 20th or whatever, it helps out quite a bit." The final practice session was held on Saturday afternoon in hot weather. The first caution came after 18 minutes when race officials discovered debris in turn two. Wheldon slowed in the fourth turn with his engine failing and engaged neutral gear before stopping nine minutes later. Hornish led with a lap of 24.3401 seconds with Unser Jr. second-quickest. Rice was third, with Wheldon fourth, and Cheever fifth.http://www.indyracing.com:80/scoring/2002/2002chicago/pdf-reports/practicefinalreport.pdf Final Practice Session – Results Summary – Delphi Indy 300 September 7, 2002 Indy Racing League https://web.archive.org/web/20030517002242/http://www.indyracing.com/scoring/2002/2002chicago/pdf-reports/practicefinalreport.pdf May 17, 2003 dead September 4, 2018 mdy-all Qualifying classification +Final qualifying classification Pos Position No. Car number Driver Team Time Speed Speed in MPH Gap 1 4Sam Hornish Jr. USAPanther Racing 24.5528 222.867 01 — 2 53Buddy Rice USACheever Racing 24.6100 222.349 02 +0.0572 3 7Al Unser Jr. USAKelley Racing 24.6363 222.111 03 +0.0835 4 98Billy Boat USACURB Motorsports 24.6811 221.708 04 +0.1283 5 2Vítor Meira BRATeam Menard24.7269 221.297 05 +0.1741 6 51Eddie Cheever Jr. USACheever Racing 24.7287 221.281 06 +0.1759 7 15Dan Wheldon GBRPanther Racing 24.7658 220.950 07 +0.2130 8 34Laurent Redon FRAConquest Racing 24.7660 220.948 08 +0.2132 9 24Robbie Buhl USADreyer & Reinbold Racing 24.7663 220.945 09 +0.2135 10 21Felipe Giaffone BRAMo Nunn Racing 24.8056 220.595 10 +0.2528 11 6Gil de Ferran BRATeam Penske 24.8105 222.552 11 +0.2577 12 23Sarah Fisher USADreyer & Reinbold Racing24.8393 220.296 12 +0.2865 13 9Jeff Ward USAChip Ganassi Racing 24.8686 220.037 13 +0.3158 14 11Eliseo Salazar CHLA. J. Foyt Enterprises 24.8743 219.986 14 +0.3215 15 14Airton Daré BRAA. J. Foyt Enterprises 24.8848 219.893 15 +0.3320 16 8Scott Sharp USAKelley Racing 24.8858 219.884 16 +0.3330 17 78Tony Renna USAKelley Racing 24.8899 219.848 17 +0.3371 18 44Alex Barron USABlair Racing 24.9494 219.324 18 +0.3966 19 12Raul Boesel BRABradley Motorsports 24.9560 219.266 19 +0.4032 20 20Greg Ray USASam Schmidt Motorsports 24.9829 219.030 20 +0.4301 21 3Hélio Castroneves BRATeam Penske 25.0026 218.857 21 +0.4498 22 91Buddy Lazier USAHemelgarn Racing 25.0097 218.795 22 +0.4569 23 55Will Langhorne USATreadway Racing 25.0314 218.605 23 +0.4786 24 31George Mack USA310 Racing 25.1640 217.454 24 +0.6112 25 28Hideki Noda JPNIndy Regency Racing 25.9775 210.644 25 +1.4247 DNQ Did not qualify 18Scott Mayer USAPDM Racing—— 26 —Source: Race The conditions on the grid were dry and sunny. The air temperature was at 86 F C on with the track temperature at 113 F C on and calm winds. Approximately 50,000 spectators attended the event.Cavin Curt September 9, 2002 Hornish edges Unser to win D16 The Indianapolis Star https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87538933/2002-delphi-indy-300-the-indy-star/ subscription October 22, 2021 Newspapers.comSturbin John September 9, 2002 Close call goes Hornish's way https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-close-call-goes/208176913/ October 13, 2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram 1C, 7C Newspapers.com USAC Chaplin Dave Cochran began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. Singer Elle Gerdes performed the national anthem, and J.T. Battenberg III, chairman, president, and CEO of the Delphi Corporation commanded the drivers to start their engines. The race commenced at 12:10 p.m. Central Daylight Time (UTC−05:00). and was broadcast live on television on ABC and by IMS Radio Network on radio via local Chicago affiliates WJOL and WAIT. Bob Jenkins hosted ABC's broadcast, with commentary provided by Scott Goodyear, and Paul Page. Jack Arute and Gary Gerould served as pit lane reporters. The IMS Radio broadcast team consisted of host Mike King, analyst Johnny Parsons Jr., turn commentator Mark Jaynes and pit lane reporters Kim Morris and John Murphy. Hornish maintained his pole position advantage to lead the field into the first corner. After starting 11th, De Ferran was seventh by the start of lap four. Nine laps later, De Ferran overtook Meira in turn two for sixth. The first caution flag was waved on the next lap when Rédon's engine failed in turn two, and he returned to pit road to retire. Several drivers chose to stop for fuel and tyres during the caution. Ward and Noda stopped for new front wings to be installed on their cars for aerodynamic reasons. The green flag was shown on lap 25 to resume racing. Hornish maintained his lead into turn one, but he was passed on the left two corners later by Rice. By lap 28, De Ferran had moved to fifth place. Three laps later, Unser was passed by Boat in turn one. Unser passed De Ferran on the outside of turn three on the 43rd lap for fourth. Unser used Noda's slower car to pass Hornish for second at turn one on lap 46. Unser led the field by 0.0375 seconds on lap 48 after drawing alongside Rice for one lap. Hornish quickly passed Rice. The second caution flag was displayed on lap 52.Delphi Indy 300 Notes – Sunday, Sept. 8 http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=485 Indy Racing League September 8, 2002 June 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20021003215837/http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?story_id=485 October 3, 2002 left|thumb|upright|Sam Hornish Jr. (pictured in 2008) edged out Al Unser Jr. by 0.0024 seconds to win his fourth victory of the season. De Ferran swerved to avoid Renna's lapped car, which slowed with no fuel pressure, and lost control of his vehicle entering turn two due to air catching his front wing.https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-de-ferran-in-hard-crash-at-chicagoland/105571/?nrt=86 IRL: De Ferran in hard crash at Chicagoland September 8, 2002 motorsport.com https://web.archive.org/web/20180904225637/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-de-ferran-in-hard-crash-at-chicagoland/105571/?nrt=86 September 4, 2018 live September 4, 2018 mdy-all He sustained heavy car to his car's right-hand corner against the right-hand side concrete wall, and stopped on the backstretch. Debris from his car landed on the circuit,https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/De-Ferran-in-Good-Shape-After-Crash-10538145.php De Ferran in Good Shape After Crash September 7, 2002 The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register September 4, 2018 Associated Press https://web.archive.org/web/20180904061324/https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/De-Ferran-in-Good-Shape-After-Crash-10538145.php September 4, 2018 live mdy-all and he was briefly knocked unconscious. Safety crews turned off De Ferran's car so that the IRL medical team could transport him to the medical helicopter to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, Illinois with a concussion and a hairline fracture on his left wrist.https://autoweek.com/article/car-news/crash-chicagoland-forces-de-ferran-irl-finale-texas Crash at Chicagoland forces de Ferran from IRL finale at Texas September 9, 2002 Autoweek https://web.archive.org/web/20180904191907/https://autoweek.com/article/car-news/crash-chicagoland-forces-de-ferran-irl-finale-texas September 4, 2018 live September 4, 2018 mdy-all During the 22-lap caution, the field made pit stops for tires, fuel, and new front wings for aerodynamic reasons. On the 74th lap, Unser returned the field to green flag racing. Hornish retook the lead from Unser on the inside in the third corner of that lap. Hornish's 0.6869-second lead was erased on lap 87 when Salazar's rear wing fell backward; he spun on the backstretch, but no other cars collided with him, prompting the third caution flag. Several drivers made pit stops for fuel, tires, and new front wings for aerodynamic purposes, as with the previous two cautions. On lap 94, racing resumed, with Hornish leading the pack of cars into turn one. By the 108th lap, Castroneves had moved to sixth place. Six laps later, the fourth caution flag was waved due to debris on the track. Several drivers, including Hornish, went down pit road for tyres and fuel. Sharp won the race off pit road and took the lead for the lap 120 restart. Boat slowed in turn four on that lap due to an electrical problem that shut down his engine. He retired on pit lan. On the 136th lap, Hornish and Lazier were alongside each other at turn two in the battle for second place. Three laps later, Hornish passed Lazier for second. Sharp had been gained on by Hornish by lap 144, who got alongside him for the lead in the fourth turn. Sharp beat him by 0.0042 seconds on that lap. On the 145th lap, green flag pit stops began, with Lazier entering pit road for tyres and fuel. Six laps later, Sharp made his first pit stop. Daré collided with the right-hand side wall as he exited turn two on lap 153. His car was severely damaged in the rear, but he climbed out without assistance. The crash prompted the fifth (and final) caution flag. Pit stops for fuel and tyres were made under caution. Castroneves led the field into the first turn at the lap 166 restart. On the following lap, Unser became the new leader with Hornish returning to second. Hornish retook the lead from Unser on the outside during the 169th lap.O'Leary Ryan September 9, 2002 Close encounter of the finish-line https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-close-encounter-of-the-finish/208177512/ October 13, 2026 The Times of Northwest Indiana C1, C6 Newspapers.com On the next lap, Unser attempted to re-pass Hornish but the latter responded by blocking his path.Kersey Brian Associated Press Hornish wins Delphi Indy 300 by 0.0024 seconds http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2002-09-08-delphi-finish_x.htm USA Today September 8, 2002 June 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160618194647/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2002-09-08-delphi-finish_x.htm June 18, 2016 Unser overtook Hornish on lap 172, but the latter retook the lead before the start-finish line. During lap 173, Boesel passed Rice and Cheever to take sixth. On the 178th lap, Hornish went up the track slightly, and Unser moved underneath him to lead the lap. As the rest of the field formed into a pack,September 8, 2002 Chicagoland: Hornish wins closest finish https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/20522/chicagoland-hornish-wins-closest-finish live https://web.archive.org/web/20200901185650/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/20522/chicagoland-hornish-wins-closest-finish September 1, 2020 August 26, 2020 Autosport Hornish and Unser raced alongside each other and exchanged the lead for the remaining 21 laps but Hornish won his fourth race of the season and seventh in 35 IRL events. Hornish's margin of victory over Unser was 0.0024 seconds (about 3 in on), the closest finish in IRL history,http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/2245334.stm#map Hornish edges Delphi Indy 300 September 8, 2002 BBC Sport https://web.archive.org/web/20170904214055/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/2245334.stm#map September 4, 2017 live September 3, 2018 mdy-all surpassing the record from the 2002 Boomtown 500 at Texas Motor Speedway that June. Lazier took third, beating Castroneves for the position on the final lap, and Cheever took fifth. Giaffone finished sixth and was mathematically eliminated from title contention. Sharp, Meira, Rice, and Wheldon completed the top ten finishers. The final classified finishers were Boesel, Barron, Mack (who had mid-race engine issues), and Ray.https://www.racing-reference.info/race/2002_Delphi_Indy_300/O 2002 Delphi Indy 300 Racing-Reference https://web.archive.org/web/20230128082651/https://www.racing-reference.info/race/2002_Delphi_Indy_300/O January 28, 2023 live September 4, 2018 mdy-all During the race, there were eighteen lead changes among four different drivers. Hornish led the most laps (102 total) on nine occasions. Post-race Hornish appeared in victory lane to celebrate his fourth victory of the season in front of the crowd; he earned $126,600 for winning the race. He said of his success at Chicagoland Speedway, "The fastest way around is to push another car around. But it's really hard to pass when you have to push a car aside. Having a guy that's experienced like Al, and all the races I've been in with him and all the respect I have for him, it's just like a high-speed pace lap." Hornish said he knew he was winner because he noticed Unser's front wing was behind his. Unser said he enjoyed competing against Hornish, and the duel reminded him of his close victory over Scott Goodyear at the 1992 Indianapolis 500, "We just came up short again. I honestly thought that we won the race. I thought I had him. It was that close. I tell you, they don't come any closer than that.", and, "That was the closest wheel-to-wheel racing I think you'll see in the country today. There are fenders on those cars down south for a reason, and that's to rub on each other." Third-placed Lazier revealed his team were out of sequence during the fuel pit stops but it later worked in their favor, "We were just running wheel to wheel, as close as you could get. I'd get a run on someone, and my momentum would be stopped, and four or five guys would get by me until I would get my momentum back. But if you're patient and you bide your time, then you'll start picking them off. It was a lot of fun out there, but it sure was hair-raising." Cheever accused Castroneves of intentionally blocking him and putting him in danger during the event's final laps, "I want to sit down with (IRL vice president of operations) Brian (Barnhart) and show him the last laps with Helio Castroneves. I want Brian's opinion on whether or not that is blocking. He (Castroneves) totally moved me under the white line. Those aren't the rules of the game."Hilderbrand Brian Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Cheever accuses Castroneves of blocking http://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/sep/11/columnist-brian-hilderbrand-cheever-accuses-castro/ Las Vegas Sun September 11, 2002 June 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160618194530/http://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/sep/11/columnist-brian-hilderbrand-cheever-accuses-castro/ June 18, 2016Sturbin John September 9, 2002 De Ferran questionable for Chevy 500 after crash https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-de-ferran-quest/208176680/ October 13, 2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram 7C Newspapers.com Castroneves' response was, "As far as I'm concerned, my friend, I was racing, I was trying to be there and win the race and, hey, tough luck. In that particular time, he might be frustrated because he couldn't pass the guy and he tried to attack him. I know Eddie and hopefully he doesn't have any hard feelings." Nevertheless, he spoke of his hope that he would win the title at Texas the following weekend. Four days after the race, Castroneves and Rice were fined an undisclosed sum of money for violating IRL rules 8.1 and 8.3.https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/16323/1/castroneves-rice-fined-for-poor-conduct Castroneves, Rice fined for poor conduct September 12, 2002 Crash https://web.archive.org/web/20180904192210/https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/16323/1/castroneves-rice-fined-for-poor-conduct September 4, 2018 live September 3, 2018 Barnhardt said of his reasoning in issuing the fines, "What makes this type of racing possible is a code of ethics that's been developed by the drivers and Indy Racing League officials over the past seven years. Both Helio and Buddy displayed actions on the track during the race Sunday that were not appropriate." De Ferran was released from hospital a day later following overnight observation.September 10, 2002 De Ferran won't be allowed to race in final IRL event https://www.newspapers.com/article/kingsport-times-news-de-ferran-wont-be/208178538/ October 13, 2026 Kingsport Times-News 8D Newspapers.com Knight Ridder Service He was later deemed unfit by Henry Block, the IRL's director of medical services, to compete in the season-closing Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway held the following week.Injury keeps de Ferran from run at IRL title https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/09/10/injury-keeps-de-ferran-from-run-at-irl-title/ Chicago Tribune September 10, 2002 June 18, 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160618194814/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-09-10/sports/0209100229_1_irl-title-ferran-penske-teammates June 18, 2016 Block stated that it was preferable not to put De Ferran in further danger due to his injuries, "Recovery periods for any type of concussion vary for many reasons, but rarely do symptoms completely disappear in seven to 10 days." De Ferran expressed his disappointment but stated that he would respect Block's decision. He was replaced by Championship Auto Racing Teams driver Max Papis for the Chevy 500. Giaffone was not perturbed at being eliminated from title contention, saying he felt his first season with Mo Nunn Racing went as better than expected. Redon said he did not know the cause of his engine failure.O'Leary Ryan September 11, 2002 Young Guns 2 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-young-guns-2-the-times-of-no/208178766/ October 13, 2026 The Times of Northwest Indiana C6 Newspapers.com Hornish's victory erased his eight-point defiict to Castroneves and moved into the lead of the points standings, with 481 championship points. Castroneves dropped to second place with 469 championship points, while teammate De Ferran remained third with 443 championship points. Giaffone and Barron completed the top five with 419 and 336 championship points, respectively. Race classification +Final race classification Pos Position No. Car number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Points 1 4Sam Hornish Jr. USAPanther Racing 20001 2:04.39.5354 1 521 1 27Al Unser Jr. USAKelley Racing 200 02 +0.0024 3 40 391Buddy Lazier USAHemelgarn Racing 200 03 +0.0596 22 35 4 3Hélio Castroneves BRATeam Penske 200 04 +0.1072 21 32 5 51Eddie Cheever Jr. USACheever Racing 200 05 +0.1584 6 30 6 21Felipe Giaffone BRAMo Nunn Racing 200 06 +0.5240 10 28 7 8Scott Sharp USAKelley Racing 200 07 +0.7270 16 26 8 2Vítor Meira BRATeam Menard 200 08 +0.8735 5 24 9 52Buddy Rice USACheever Racing 200 09 +0.8857 2 22 10 15Dan Wheldon GBRPanther Racing 200 10 +0.9387 7 20 11 12Raul Boesel BRABradley Motorsports 200 11 +1.1150 19 19 12 44Alex Barron USA Blair Racing 199 12 +1 Lap 18 18 13 55Will Langhorne USATreadway Racing 180 13 Mechanical 23 17 14 31George Mack USA310 Racing 180 14 +20 Laps 24 16 15 78Tony Renna USAKelley Racing 153 15 Crash 17 15 16 13Airton Daré BRAA. J. Foyt Enterprises 153 16 Crash 15 14 17 20Greg Ray USASam Schmidt Motorsports 140 17 +60 Laps 20 13 18 11Eliseo Salazar CHLA. J. Foyt Enterprises 131 18 Engine 14 12 19 98Billy Boat USACURB Motorsports 120 19 Engine 4 11 20 24Robbie Buhl USADreyer & Reinbold Racing 113 20 Engine 9 10 21 9Jeff Ward USAChip Ganassi Racing 106 21 Engine 13 9 22 23Sarah Fisher USADreyer & Reinbold Racing 61 22 Engine 12 8 23 6Gil de Ferran BRATeam Penske 51 23 Crash 11 7 24 28Hideki Noda JPNIndy Regency Racing 45 24 Handling 25 6 25 34Laurent Redon FRAConquest Racing 14 25 Engine 8 5Sources:Race – Delphi Indy 300 http://www.indyracing.com:80/scoring/2002/2002chicago/postrace/live.htm Indy Racing League September 8, 2002 September 4, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20021022000441/http://www.indyracing.com/scoring/2002/2002chicago/postrace/live.htm October 22, 2002 dead mdy-all Notes 1 1 — Includes two bonus points for leading the most laps. Standings after the race + Drivers' Championship standings Pos Position +/– Driver Points 1 10px 1 Sam Hornish Jr. USA 481 2 10px 1 Hélio Castroneves BRA 469 (−12) 3 10px 1 Gil de Ferran BRA 443 (−38) 4 10px Felipe Giaffone BRA 419 (−62) 5 10px Alex Barron USA 336 (−145)Source:IndyCar Series Standings 2002 https://motorsportstats.com/series/indy-car-series/standings/2002 Motorsport Stats October 22, 2021 Note: Only the top five positions are included for the drivers' standings. References 30em Indy Racing League Delphi Indy 300 2002 2002 Gateway Indy 250 2002 Chevy 500 2001 Delphi Indy 300 2003 Delphi Indy 300 Illinois Sports Category:2002 in IndyCar Category:2002 in sports in Illinois Category:Chicagoland Indy 300