"It will be a tough battle between those two," says Penske President Don Miller. "They will both have good equipment and good teams behind them. This should be the best competition for Rookie of the Year that we've seen in a decade."
| 2002 NASCAR WINSTON CUP SCHEDULE |
| Date | Event | Location | Network |
| Feb. 10 | Budweiser Shootout | Daytona | TNT |
| Feb. 14 | Gatorade 125s | Daytona | TNT |
| Feb. 17 | Daytona 500 | Daytona | NBC |
| Feb. 24 | North Carolina 400 | Rockingham | FOX |
| March 3 | UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 | Las Vegas | FOX |
| March 10 | Atlanta 500 | Atlanta | FOX |
| March 17 | Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 | Darlington | FOX |
| March 24 | Food City 500 | Bristol | FOX |
| April 7 | Texas 500 | Texas | FOX |
| April 14 | Martinsville 500 | Martinsville | FX |
| April 21 | Talladega 500 | Talladega | FOX |
| April 28 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | California | FOX |
| May 4 | Pontiac Excitement 400 | Richmond | FX |
| May 18 | The Winston | Charlotte | FX |
| May 26 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte | FOX |
| June 2 | MBNA Platinum 400 | Dover | FX |
| June 9 | Pocono 500 | Pocono | FOX |
| June 16 | Michigan 400 | Michigan | FOX |
| June 23 | Sonoma 350K | Sears Point | FOX |
| July 6 | Pepsi 400 | Daytona | FOX |
| July 14 | Tropicana 400 | Chicagoland | NBC |