RACE #1, FEBRUARY 17 - Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 500 - Started 39th, Finished 6th

Martin's car struggled off the truck, running the 45th fastest time during the first practice session. The car ran better times as the week progressed, but had mechanical problems during the 125's and failed to finish the race. A 1/4 inch adjustment to the spoiler made the Ford's more competitive for the 500. While forced to take a provisional and start 39th, Martin patiently worked his way to the front of the pack, moving into the top 10 on lap 76. He avoided the 'big one' on lap 148 and ran to an impressive sixth place finish. The new "6" team posted an impressive day in the pits and momentum has high heading into the rest of the season.

RACE #2, FEBRUARY 24 - North Carolina Speedway
Subway 400 - Started 17th, Finished 21st

The No. 6 team ran a special "Pfizer" paint scheme for the second race of the season. The team struggled with the car's setup for all three of the practice sessions, but did post the fourth-fastest time of Saturday's happy hour. Still had a hard time finding the right setup. Started the race 17th and experienced handling problems from the start. With the leaders running almost three-tenths of a second faster, Martin fell off the lead lap on lap 69. The team finally found the right adjustments during a stop on lap 287, and was able to run times as fast or faster than the leaders. However Martin was never able to get the lost lap back and went on to a 21st-place finish.

RACE #3, MARCH 3 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 - Started 6th, Finished 3rd

The No. 6 car was not extremely fast off the truck, but the team worked with the car all weekend attempting to solve problems with the car's handling. The car recorded the sixth fastest lap in qualifying and started on the third row (6th). By Happy Hour on Saturday, the No. 6 ran the third fastest time of any car. Martin ran virtually the entire race in the field's top 10. The team used impressive work in the pits, with a late stop of 13.95 seconds that beat all the cars that made the same adjustment. He came out fifth on lap 233, with every car in front of him having taken no tires or only two. Martin would have made a solid run at the win, had the field remained green for the rest of the race. Still, Martin ran to the first of 12 top-five finishes in 2002.

RACE #4, MARCH 10 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
MBNA America 500 - Started 39th, Finished 8th

The team took a new car to the Atlanta and again struggled throughout the weekend with the car's setup. They were forced to take a provisional after a slow lap in qualifying and started the race 39th. The weather continued to get cooler as the weekend progressed. Once the race started, Martin steadily worked his way up the field, breaking into the top 20 by lap 94. He broke into the top-10 by lap 214. Confusion in the pits was caused by the No. 7 car attempting to pit early (off lead lap). Martin overshot pit stall, but the team rebounded with excellent work in the pits. Still Martin returned to the field 14th and was forced to regain several positions. The car got stronger as the day progressed and Martin worked his way back up the field for the top-10 finish.

RACE #5, MARCH 17 - Darlington Raceway
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 - Started 31st, Finished 29th

The No. 6 was average off the truck running the 19th fastest lap in the first practice. Martin qualified early and ended up 31st as the lap times improved. The team continued to work with the setup throughout both practice sessions on Saturday, and had the car running its best by race time. With several cars forced to start in the back of the field after changing engines, the No. 6 actually started the race 25th. Martin led his first lap of the season on lap 198 after pitting late, and excellent work in the pits by the team sent Martin back out in third place. The car got caught up in lapped traffic and dropped back to seventh place, before beginning to gain speed on the leaders. However, Martin got caught up in a multi-car accident on lap 226. With the track completely blocked with wrecked traffic, Martin had no where to go and the car suffered severe damage. The team worked on the car and Martin was able to return to the track for the last 54 laps.

RACE #6, MARCH 24 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Food City 500 - Started 37th, Finished 11th

The car ran slow off of the truck, and Martin was forced to take a provisional at a track where he had captured the pole one year earlier. The car remained loose during qualifying and the No. 6 team was forced to take a provisional and start 38th .The team continued to work with the car's setup throughout Saturday and by the final practice on Saturday, Martin was able to post times that were as good as 2/3 of the field. Once again the car was in its best shape by race time. Martin worked the car through the field and was running in fourth place by lap 80. He worked his way up to second place on lap 167 and was gaining on the leader when the ninth caution of the day was called. Martin battled through lapped cars and several more cautions to finish 11th. The team posted several key pit stops throughout the day that helped Martin work his way up to 11th place.

RACE #7, APRIL 7 - Texas Motor Speedway
Samsung/Radio Shack 500 - Started 8th, Finished 3rd

A record amount of rainfall in the Dallas area marked the weekend, as both practice sessions on Saturday were cancelled and Sunday's race was postponed until Monday. The car was moderately fast off the truck and the team felt confident from the start. Martin continued his string of top-10 starts at Texas by qualifying eighth on Friday. The cars would not touch the track again until rains subsided on Monday and the race was able to start. Martin proved to have a car that was very fast on the long runs, but had some trouble on the starts. All day the team would struggle on fresh tires, but move through the field once the car settled in. Martin led five laps during the race, on two separate occasions, before moving on to his second top-five of the season.

RACE #8, APRIL 14 - Martinsville Speedway
Virginia 500 - Started 17th, Finished 8th

Martin ran times just outside the field's top 10 off of the truck and for most of the weekend. He qualified 17th for Sunday's race and fell back to as low as 23rd early in the race before patiently finding his marks and working his way up the field. The team struggled with the car being loose and Martin didn't break into the top 10 until lap 325, but he was able to hang on to the top-10 finish.

RACE #9, APRIL 21 - Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron's 499 - Started 19th, Finished 37th

In the second restrictor-plate race of 2002, Martin started out slow off the truck, running the 30th fastest lap. The team qualified 19th on Friday, but by the final practice session on Saturday, the No. 6 posted the second fastest lap of the session. Martin led the race on three separate occasions and was moving through the field once again when he became the victim of a multi-car accident on lap 164. The accident claimed 24 cars. The No. 6 team worked feverishly on the car and was able to briefly return to the track, but the damage was too severe and Martin had to settle for a 37th -place finish.

RACE #10, APRIL 28 - California Speedway
NAPA Auto Parts 500 - Started 26th, Finished 5th

Martin started the day in the 13th row after qualifying 26th on Friday. It seemed a stroke of bad luck would cost the No. 6 team early. Martin - who had worked his way through the field and was running in 14th place - was forced to come into the pits for a green flag stop on lap 99 after a wheel had begun to get loose. After taking four tires and making a wedge adjustment, Martin reentered the field a lap down and in 31st position. Fortunately for the ViagraŽ racing team, caution would not come out for several laps, and when the other cars were forced to pit a few laps later, Martin gained his lap back and was running in 12th place by lap 119. After working his way up to fifth place late in the race, Martin fought off a vigorous charge from Dale Jarrett during the final six laps of the race to hang onto the spot. The finish - Martin's 191st career top-five- moved Martin up to sixth place in the point standings.

RACE #11, MAY 4 - Richmond International Raceway
Pontiac Excitement 400 - Started 18, Finished 4th

Martin raced to a fourth-place finish Sunday in the conclusion of the Pontiac Excitement 400. The race, which actually began on Saturday night before being red flagged due to persistent rainfall, marked Martin's 300th career Winston Cup top-10 finish in 505 starts. While slow on the start, the car proved to be one of the fastest cars on the track on the long runs, and Martin was able to move the car into third position, after passing Jeff Gordon on lap 359 of the 400 lap race. Ready to mount a run for the win, Martin was gaining a tenth of a second per lap on race leaders Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, when the day's 12th caution on lap 364 and halted Martin's serious shot at the win.

SPECIAL EVENT, MAY 18 - Lowe's Motor Speedway
The Winston - Started 5th, Finished 18th

Martin's car was fast off the truck, and boasted times in the top three in both of Friday's practice sessions. He qualified fifth (based on two laps and a pit stop), but was slowed in qualifying by a wet track; the result of a light rain fall that began and ended just moments before Martin was to take the track. The car started the race fast, moving to second by only the third lap and taking the lead on lap six and starting to distance himself from the field. Martin built as much as a three-car lead on the field. He finished the first segment fifth, after pitting under caution. Some teams found flaws in the rules that allowed them to finish ahead of Martin, despite the fact the No. 6 was undoubtedly the fastest car on the track. Mechanical problems on lap 52 ended Martin's night early, but the tone was set by the No. 6 team for the upcoming 600.

RACE #12, MAY 26 - Lowe's Motor Speedway
Coca-Cola 600 - Started 25th, Finished 1st

Martin's car was fast off of the truck, running times inside the field's top-five, but the car struggled during qualifying and started 25th. Martin ran times in or just outside the top 10 in the final two practice sessions, but late adjustments helped improve the speed of the car. With the car fast in race trim Martin broke into the top 20 on just the second lap and was running in the top 15 by lap 43. Excellent pit stops played an important role in the win, with the crew giving Martin several positions in the pits, including the top position on lap 360, which Martin would never relinquish. Martin held off teammate Matt Kenseth in the last laps for the win.

RACE #13, JUNE 2 - Dover International Speedway
MBNA Platinum 400 - Started 13th, Finished 41st

The team took a brand new car, which was fast off the truck running the second fastest time in the first practice session, but times fell off a bit, and the team qualified 13th. With adjustments, car was fast in race trim and Martin led 77 of the first 125 laps. Martin was running in the top three by lap 29 and key work in the pits gave Martin the lead on lap 44. Martin would hold the lead, staying out in front of second place by as much as a straightaway, before getting caught up in an accident involving lapped traffic on lap 125. The team worked to repair the car and Martin came back on the track on the lead lap in 29th place. With the car in bad shape Martin fell three laps down by lap 203. The car returned to the pits on lap 218 to replace the nose; returned to the track but lost water pressure and had to go to the garage on lap 241. The team continued to work on the car and returned to the track on lap 305, but the car was just in too bad of shape to continue and retired again to the garage for good after completing 283 laps and with a 41st place finish.

RACE #14, JUNE 9 - Pocono Raceway
Pocono 400 - Started 6th, Finished 2nd

Water seeping into track cancelled both practice sessions on Friday and the car wasn't able to take to the track until Saturday. Running the same car as the 600 win, the car was moderately fast off the truck, running the 11th fastest time. With adjustments and in race trim, the car picked up two-tenths of a second by happy hour and ran the fastest time of the field. Martin started the race sixth based on owner points as qualifying was cancelled on Friday. The car was fast during the race, running in the top 10 for most of the day. The team was the last car to pit on lap 159 and was the only car in the race that could have went the remaining 41 laps without stopping for fuel, but caution on lap 168 for debris on the track halted Martin's bid for a second straight win. Martin was able to gain three positions in the last 20 laps to take a second place finish.

RACE #15, JUNE 16 - Michigan International Speedway
Sirius Satellite Radio 400 - Started 9th, Finished 9th

Martin struggled right off the truck with the setup of the car (loose), and the team continued to struggle with the car's setup throughout the weekend. Martin did run a good lap during qualifying and started the race ninth (qualifying was delayed for an hour and a half for rain, after about half of the field had gone. Martin went before the rain started.) The struggles continued during the one practice session that was held on Saturday (rain forced the cancellation of the first session). Once the race started the team continued to struggle with the car, with Martin complaining of it being way too tight. The ViagraŽ Racing team never really found the answer, despite making numerous adjustments throughout the race. The massive adjustments slowed down the pit stop times and hurt the track position. Still Martin was able to finish strong, gaining four positions after a red-flag restart in the last three laps of the race. Martin posted his 10th top-10 finish of 2002.

RACE #16, JUNE 23 - Infineon Raceway
Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Started 12th, Finished 7th

The car was moderately fast off of the truck on Friday and steadily improved throughout the first session; posting the seventh fastest time of the practice. Not wanting to damage the car, Martin took a cautious approach in qualifying on Friday and started the race 12th. By the final practice on Saturday, the ViagraŽ Ford Taurus posted the second fastest time of the session. Martin gained 11 positions in the last 23 laps to run to a seventh-place finish. After running in the top five for most of the day, Martin found himself running in 18th place with only 23 laps to go in the first road course of the season. Martin had been running fifth when caution came out on lap 86. The No. 6 team opted to come into the pits while several cars gambled with fuel and chose to stay out.

RACE #17, JULY 6 - Daytona International Speedway
Pepsi 400 - Started 18th, Finished 5th

Persistent rains forced the cancellation of all but one of the weekend's practice sessions, and qualifying was postponed from Thursday night until Friday morning. Martin worked his way up the field and into the top 10 by lap 65. After continuing to shuffle in and out of the draft, Martin was running in sixth place when the ninth and final caution of the day was called with only three laps to go on lap 157. Martin raced back to the caution, passing the No. 8 car for the fifth position, as the race would finish under the yellow flag.

RACE #18, JULY 14 - Chicagoland Speedway
Tropicana 400 - Started 13th, Finished 9th

Martin ran inside the top 10 for much of the day. After falling to 11th place on lap 191, Martin made his way back to eighth place on lap 202, before moving to seventh place on lap 234. The No. 6 ViagraŽ Ford Taurus had climbed to sixth place when the day's fifth and final caution was called on lap 241. Martin came into the pits for fuel only. Three cars didn't pit and the No. 6 returned to the field in seventh position when the field went green with 20 laps remaining on lap 247. Despite running on old tires, Martin was able to stay in the top-10, holding off the Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final three laps of the race and moving on to claim the ninth-place finish.

RACE #19, JULY 21 - New Hampshire International Speedway
New England 300 - Started 17th, Finished 16th

Martin climbed as high as eighth place during the race, and was running in 11th place late in the race. With only one groove in which to race, track conditions were tough for the race and several cars slammed into the wall in turns three and four - bringing an early end for many of the field's drivers and teams. Martin and the No. 6 team opted to get what they could out of the race, rather than take a chance of loosing control into the wall and dropping valuable points in the championship race.

RACE #20, JULY 28 - Pocono Raceway
Pennsylvania 500 - Started 17th, Finished 13th

Martin drove to a hard fought 13th-place finish in the oft-delayed race. In a race marred by difficulty, caution was issued on just the first lap when the No. 1 and the No. 8 cars were involved in a wreck that destroyed a section of the infield fence. The race was red-flagged due to the accident after only five laps, as it took speedway workers over an hour to repair the heavy damage. Martin moved up the field and was running in 11th position when caution was called on lap 23 due to persistent rainfall. The heavy rains increased and three laps later the race was red-flagged again and did not restart until over two hours later. Once the race resumed, Martin ran in the top 10 for much of the day. The team was forced to change the car's battery on lap 105, after a problem with the car's alternator. Martin was able to use the remaining laps to move back up on the field, gaining three positions in the last 16 laps and moving on to the 13th-place finish.

RACE #21, AUGUST 4 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Brickyard 400 - Started 9th, Finished 28th

Martin, who's car was one of the fastest on the track all weekend, qualified and started ninth; that was the lowest position the No. 6 ViagraŽ Taurus would run in the entire day, until the late problems. The veteran driver quickly maneuvered through the field, breaking into the top five by only the sixth lap. By lap 12 Martin had worked his way into third position. Mark Martin ran inside the field's top 10 for the entire race during the Brickyard 400, until mechanical problems struck with just 18 laps remaining. Intense heat marked the day, as Martin, who actually led the race with only 46 laps to go and ran inside the top five for the majority of the race, had to settle for a disappointing 28th-place finish.

RACE #22, AUGUST 11 - Watkins Glen International
Sirius Satellite Radio 250 - Started 15th, Finished 10th

Martin, whose car was the sixth fastest off the truck on Friday, started the race from the eighth row in 15th position, based on Friday's qualifying session. The car struggled early, with Martin dropping to 17th place by only the eighth lap. He rebounded and worked his way up the field. Martin would hold position on the road course, weathering several cautions during the final 27 laps, including the day's seventh and final caution with only two laps remaining. The race was red-flagged and restarted with only one lap to go. Despite having trouble with the clutch and running low on fuel, Martin was able to hold position and move on to the 10th-place finish.

RACE #23, AUGUST 18 - Michigan International Speedway
Pepsi 400 - Started 17th, Finished 5th

Mark Martin used the final 12 laps of the race to gain five places and run to his eighth top-five finish of the season, with a fifth-place finish. Martin, who led 20 laps of the race, used the strong run to gain 10 points on then leader Sterling Marlin in the championship race. Martin was the race's leader when caution came out on lap 162. The No. 6 ViagraŽ Racing Team opted to pit and take four tires, while the majority of the field took only two. The No. 6 Ford Taurus returned to the field in 16th place when the field went green on lap 168 with 32 laps remaining. The fresh tires allowed Martin to work his way up to ninth place by lap 185 when the day's seventh and final caution was called for oil on the track. Martin stayed out and was able to maneuver up to fifth place in the race's final 12 laps.

RACE #24, AUGUST 24 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Sharpie 500 - Started 21st, Finished 23

Martin and the No. 6 team struggled for much of the night, first with a 'tight' handling car and then after getting caught up in an accident on lap 378 of the 500-lap race. Martin had problems with the car's handling early in the race, as the No. 6 ViagraŽ Ford Taurus was tight from the green flag, with Martin dropping to 24th place by lap seven. The car's nature surprised Martin and crew chief Ben Leslie, as the car had been 'loose' for most of the weekend, including Friday night's final practice. However once the race went green again on lap 378, the No. 31 car caused the No. 48 car of Jimmy Johnson to spin out of control and down the track. Martin was unable to avoid the out of control car of Johnson, causing substantial damage to the front end of the No. 6. The team was forced to pit several times under caution and when the race finally went green again on lap 384, Martin was two laps down and in 25th position. The team continued to fight for the next 116 laps of the race, battling for key positions in the points race, and moving on to a tough fought 23rd place finish. In the end, despite the severe damage, Martin was beginning to run times as fast or faster than several of the race's leaders.

RACE #25, SEPTEMBER 1 - Darlington Raceway
Mountain Dew Southern 500 - Started 2nd, Finished 11th

Persistent rainfall forced the cancellation of both qualifying and practice on Friday, and forced a two and a half-hour delay in the start of Sunday's race. Martin started on the front row in the second slot, based on his position in the point standings entering the weekend, and the veteran driver wasted no time moving to the front. The race's first 19 laps were run under caution, as NASCAR officials made sure the track was dry enough for safe racing conditions. Once the green flag fell on lap 20, Martin immediately passed points leader Sterling Marlin for the lead. Martin would lead the next 25 laps of the race. The team began to struggle with the car's setup and Martin started to lose places, several key pit stops allowed the car to keep gaining positions, but in the end Martin was unable to keep the car in the top 10. The car was good on long runs, but several cautions during the final laps hurt Martin's chances of a top-10 finish.

RACE #26, SEPTEMBER 7 - Richmond International Raceway
Chevy Monte Carlo 400 - Started 4th, Finished 6th

The ViagraŽ Racing Team was strong the entire weekend, posting fast times right off the truck and running to one of its best qualifying positions of the season; a fourth place starting position. By the final practice on Friday evening, the No. 6 Ford Taurus was running so strong that Martin and the team opted to forgo the final half-hour of the session. Martin avoided several early accidents, and ran in the top 10 for most of the race. The car began to level off late in the race and Martin dropped back to 14th, by lap 290. Martin was able to gain most of the positions back and moved to the sixth-place finish.

RACE #27, SEPTEMBER 15 - New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire 300 - Started 7th, Finished 16th

Rain was a factor all weekend, delaying qualifying by three hours on Sunday, and forcing the race's premature end on lap 207. Rain also forced the race to be red flagged after only 22 laps. Martin's car was good off the truck and in qualifying. The car was top-10 all day and was running in seventh place when the right-rear tire went flat on lap 146. Martin managed to keep the car out of the wall and was able to come in and change the tire. He returned to the field in 33rd place, but was able to work his way back up to 16th when rain began to fall again, forcing the races early end. With the finish, Martin assumed the points lead for the first time since the 2000 season.

RACE #28, SEPTEMBER 22 - Dover International Speedway
MBNA American Heroes 400 - Started 32nd, Finished 2nd

The team missed the setup for qualifying and had to start a dismal 32nd. However the car was strong and by happy hour on Saturday, the ViagraŽ Ford Taurus was the fourth fastest car on the board. The team used a two-tire stop strategy on lap 53, to move from 21st to third. The move worked, as Martin was able to move up with the race leaders and avoid a wreck that happened in the back of the field just moments later. By lap 372 Martin had moved to second place, where he made a couple of strong runs at the leader, before settling for the second place finish, and retaining the point's lead.

RACE #29, SEPTEMBER 29 - Kansas Speedway
Protection One 400 - Started 9th, Finished 25th

Mark Martin and the ViagraŽ Racing Team battled all weekend and for the first 157 laps of the Protection One 400, before finding the right mix for speed. After struggling in practice and for much of the race, Martin had moved up to ninth place with only 31 laps remaining. The veteran was poised to keep his points lead in tact, when the car began experiencing mechanical problems just a few moments later.

RACE #30, OCTOBER 6 - Talladega Superspeedway
EA Sports 500 - Started 2nd, Finished 30th

Unyielding rains forced the cancellation of qualifying on Friday, and Martin started the race second according to the point standings. In one of the most bizarre incidents of the year, the car experienced a steering problem during the pace laps on Sunday, forcing Martin to collide with the 48 car and run down into the infield. The problem corrected itself, but NASCAR asked Martin to pit just before the green flag, and the No. 6 returned to the field in 43rd place; half a lap down. The field caught Martin by lap 14, but he continued to run with the leaders, despite being a lap down. By lap 142 Martin was running in 27th place and just behind the field's leader when a blown tire forced Martin to pit again. When he returned to the field he was two laps down and in 32nd position. He was able to gain a couple more positions and retain his second place standing in the points.

RACE #31, OCTOBER 13 - Lowe's Motor Speedway
UAW-GM Quality 500 - Started 2nd, Finished 16th

Rain forced the postponement and eventual cancellation of Thursday night's qualifying efforts and Martin started second based on points. The ViagraŽ Ford Taurus looked poised for another strong run at Charlotte before experiencing mechanical problems on lap 274. Still, Martin was able to lead three laps late in the race and earn five bonus points in the championship race. Martin ran the majority of the race inside the top-10 before losing a cylinder on lap 274. He still went on to fight for the 16th-place finish.

RACE #32, OCTOBER 20 - Martinsville Speedway
Old Dominion 500 - Started 20th, Finished 10th

Martin and the team struggled with the car for the first half of the 500-lap race, before settling in for the final 250 laps. Martin didn't break into the top 10 until lap 444, but the veteran hung on the rest of the way, holding off a feverish run by points leader Tony Stewart in the final laps to hold on to 10th place.

RACE #33, OCTOBER 27 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
NAPA Auto Parts 500 - Started 3rd, Finished 8th

Martin and the team struggled with the car for most of the weekend, but started third -based on the point standings - after qualifying was rained out on Friday evening. The beginning of the race was no different, as Martin found himself back in ninth place by only the fifth lap. After only 17 laps the field was red-flagged for rain, with Martin in 14th place. The race resumed almost two hours later. The car started to come in by lap 109. The team used a quick pit stop to break into the top-10 on lap 144. After 241 laps caution was again called for rain and seven laps later the race was called, with Martin running in eighth place.

RACE #34, NOVEMBER 3 - North Carolina Speedway
Pop Secret 400 - Started 5th, Finished 2nd

The No. 6 Viagraâ Ford Taurus was strong all weekend, qualifying fifth on Friday and posted the second fastest time in Saturday's final practice. Sunday's race was no different. By lap 33 Martin was running the fastest times on the track and by lap 41 the ViagraŽ Ford took the lead for the first time of the day. Martin, who led a race-high 144 laps and earned 10 bonus points for the day, passed teammate Kurt Busch on lap 366 to move into second place, and spent the last 20 laps of the race battling eventual winner Johnny Benson for the lead. Martin would pull within inches of passing Benson, but was unable to regain the lead as Benson went on to win his first career Winston Cup race.

RACE #35, NOVEMBER 10 - Phoenix International Raceway
Checker Auto Parts 500K - Started 7th, Finished 4th

Martin and the No. 6 team posted their second straight top-five finish at Phoenix. Martin ran inside the field's top-five virtually the entire race after qualifying and starting seventh. The veteran driver moved into fourth place with 36 laps remaining and held position for the remainder of the race. Martin passed point leader Tony Stewart on lap 241 to move into fifth place. The veteran driver would run inside the top five for the remaining 78 laps of the race. Martin had moved to fourth place when the day's fourth caution was called on lap 257. The ViagraŽ Racing team came in for a wedge adjustment, four tires and fuel. The team took only two tires and Martin returned in fifth place when the field went green on lap 264. Nineteen laps later Martin made the move to fourth place, and moved on to the top-five finish. Roush teammate Matt Kenseth went on to win the race as Roush boasted three drivers in the field's top-10.

RACE # 36, NOVEMBER 17 - Homestead Miami Speedway
Ford 400 - Started 34th, Finished 4th

Martin and the ViagraŽ Racing team concluded their 2002 season with their third straight top-10 run and their fifth top-10 finish in as many weeks. The fourth place finish marked Martin's 12th top five run of the season and the 22nd time the Viagraâ Racing team finished inside the field's top-10. The team struggled with the car on Friday and qualified a disappointing 34th. With second place locked up coming into the race, Martin wasted little time moving up through the field. By lap 12 the veteran driver had the No. 6 Ford Taurus running 25th. Martin broke into the field's top-20 by lap 49. Martin broke into the field's top-10 by lap 180. Caution was again called for the sixth and final time of the day on lap 236, but the Viagraâ Racing team opted to stay out running in sixth when the field went green with only 24 laps remaining. Martin struggled with the car, dropping back to eighth place by lap 257, but the veteran mounted a late run, gaining three spots to fourth place when the checkered flag dropped on the race and the 2002 season. The strong run moved Martin to within 38 points of the championship and marked the third straight week he finished better than eventual champion Tony Stewart.