Inconsistency plagued Bill Davis Racing in 2002

This is the first in a series documenting the top 14 NASCAR Winston Cup teams of 2002. The top 14 teams represent the Top 25 drivers in 2002.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Bill Davis Racing enjoyed the highest of highs when Ward Burton won the season-opening Daytona 500, but crew chief and driver changes seemed to be the team's biggest newsmakers in 2002.

Bill Davis has owned and operated his Winston Cup Series team since 1993. The team won its first race when Ward Burton was at Rockingham in 1995.

Bill Davis Racing in 2002  Key events for Bill Davis Racing in 2002:  February 17: Burton outlasts field to win Daytona 500  July 4: Ward signs two-year contract extension at BDR  July 21: Burton starts 31st, wins at New Hampshire  August 28: Wallace replaces Stricklin in No. 23 Dodge  August 29: Burton fined $5,000 for Bristol incident  October 1: Baldwin out, Stoddard in at Bill Davis Racing

This year, Burton provided the highwater mark of BDR's 10 Winston Cup seasons when he won the season-opening Daytona 500. Burton couldn't translate that win into a championship -- he finished 25th in the points with seven DNFs.

The inconsistency took its toll. Longtime crew chief Tommy Baldwin was allegedly having some problems with the team and management, which all came to a head on Oct. 1 when Baldwin and BDR officially parted ways.

That opened the door for Frank Stoddard, who took over as crew chief for the remainder of the season.

No. 23 Dodge struggles through missed races, driver changes

	Burton's win at Loudon in July came after he started 31st. Credit: Autostock

Hut Stricklin got off to a rocky start when his No. 23 Dodge failed to qualify for the Daytona 500. That was one of two races they missed , and Stricklin failed to garner a top-10 finish.

After the Sharpie 500 at Bristol, Kenny Wallace replaced Stricklin. Crew chief Felippe Lopez stayed with the team and towards the end of the year a marked improvement seemed to be underway.

With Wallace and Lopez, the No. 23 Dodge crew had two top-10 starts and three top-15 finishes. Wallace will be back in the car next year bringing his Busch Series sponsor, Stacker2, along with him.

The overall highlight for the BDR team may have been via Busch Series driver Scott Wimmer in the unsponsored No. 23 Pontiac.

On the verge of shutting down the team in July, Wimmer and the team answered with four victories in the final eight races. Their wins, 11 top-fives and 17 top-10s placed the second-year team third in the final Busch point standings.