2002 Delphi Indy 300

2002 Delphi Indy 300^[1]

Race details
Race 14 of 15 in the 2002 Indy Racing League season
Date	September 8, 2002
Location	Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi / 2.4 km
Distance	200 laps 300 mi / 482.803 km
Weather	Dry and sunny
Pole position
Driver	Sam Hornish Jr. (Panther Racing)
Time	24.5528
Fastest lap
Driver	Buddy Rice (Cheever Racing)
Time	24.4216 (on lap 146 of 200)
Podium
First	Sam Hornish Jr. (Panther Racing)
Second	Al Unser Jr. (Kelley Racing)
Third	Buddy Lazier (Hemelgarn Racing)

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 Rédon'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 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.