The 2003 Pennsylvania 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 27, 2003, before a crowd of 100,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would manage to hold off eventual-second-place finisher Kurt Busch of Roush Racing to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series and his fourth win of the year.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Pennsylvania 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 27, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual Pennsylvania 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 127.705 miles per hour (205.521 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 100,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Time | 52.830 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 88 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
Entry list
edit*Withdrew.[2]
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, July 25, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.224 and an average speed of 169.097 miles per hour (272.135 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 53.224 | 169.097 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.269 | 168.954 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 53.560 | 168.036 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, July 26, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.251 and an average speed of 165.896 miles per hour (266.984 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 54.251 | 165.896 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.468 | 165.235 |
| 3 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 54.480 | 165.198 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 26, at 11:15 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.224 and an average speed of 169.097 miles per hour (272.135 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 54.732 | 164.438 |
| 2 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.796 | 164.246 |
| 3 | 1 | Jeff Green | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 54.850 | 164.084 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, July 25, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[2] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would win the pole, setting a time of 52.830 and an average speed of 170.358 miles per hour (274.165 km/h).[7]
Brett Bodine would be the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
edit| Fin[8] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 200 | 88 | running | 185 | $180,575 |
| 2 | 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 175 | $152,695 |
| 3 | 18 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 25 | running | 170 | $131,037 |
| 4 | 17 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 18 | running | 165 | $94,355 |
| 5 | 6 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $100,581 |
| 6 | 19 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 17 | running | 155 | $97,107 |
| 7 | 26 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $65,190 |
| 8 | 23 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $76,390 |
| 9 | 22 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $79,390 |
| 10 | 20 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $97,790 |
| 11 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 200 | 23 | running | 135 | $88,107 |
| 12 | 31 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 127 | $88,428 |
| 13 | 9 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 2 | running | 129 | $68,590 |
| 14 | 3 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $85,240 |
| 15 | 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $67,840 |
| 16 | 30 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 115 | $47,490 |
| 17 | 11 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 112 | $85,123 |
| 18 | 37 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 109 | $74,977 |
| 19 | 38 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 106 | $81,896 |
| 20 | 29 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 200 | 1 | running | 108 | $78,265 |
| 21 | 8 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 100 | $91,168 |
| 22 | 21 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 3 | running | 102 | $61,690 |
| 23 | 40 | 01 | Mike Wallace | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 94 | $59,765 |
| 24 | 36 | 43 | Christian Fittipaldi | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 199 | 0 | running | 91 | $83,893 |
| 25 | 16 | 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 88 | $56,240 |
| 26 | 34 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 198 | 0 | running | 85 | $47,590 |
| 27 | 24 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 82 | $47,340 |
| 28 | 12 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 195 | 0 | running | 79 | $47,190 |
| 29 | 43 | 50 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 188 | 0 | running | 76 | $44,015 |
| 30 | 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 | engine | 73 | $89,448 |
| 31 | 39 | 1 | Jeff Green | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 | running | 70 | $71,402 |
| 32 | 28 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 178 | 0 | running | 67 | $51,954 |
| 33 | 5 | 0 | John Andretti | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 176 | 0 | running | 64 | $44,265 |
| 34 | 35 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 170 | 0 | running | 61 | $51,165 |
| 35 | 10 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 164 | 8 | crash | 63 | $50,990 |
| 36 | 25 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | crash | 55 | $90,168 |
| 37 | 33 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 153 | 14 | engine | 57 | $105,203 |
| 38 | 15 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 123 | 0 | crash | 49 | $50,500 |
| 39 | 27 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 121 | 0 | engine | 46 | $50,385 |
| 40 | 32 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 115 | 0 | engine | 43 | $50,230 |
| 41 | 14 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | crash | 40 | $75,923 |
| 42 | 41 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 66 | 0 | fuel pump | 37 | $42,000 |
| 43 | 42 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Ford | 44 | 0 | handling | 34 | $42,186 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew | ||||||||||
| 44 | 4 | Brett Bodine | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | ||||||
| WD | 04 | ? | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "NASCAR.com - Lap by Lap: Pennsylvania 500 - July 29, 2003". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2003-08-01. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - Pocono 2 Race Info Page". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Pocono 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Pocono 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Pocono 2 Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Provisional Land Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ Writer, Dick Brinster AP Sports. "Newman wins Pocono pole". Gadsden Times. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ "2003 Pennsylvania 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.