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2003 Virginia 500

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2003 Virginia 500
Race details
Race 9 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2003 Virginia 500 program cover.
The 2003 Virginia 500 program cover.
Date April 13, 2003
Official name 54th Annual Virginia 500
Location Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.526 mi (0.847 km)
Distance 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km)
Average speed 75.557 miles per hour (121.597 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 20.079
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Laps 195
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network FOX
Announcers Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 2003 Virginia 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 54th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 13, 2003, before an audience of 86,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to pass Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte to capture his 62nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Labonte and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of Martinsville Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
0 Jack Sprague (R) Haas CNC Racing Pontiac NetZero HiSpeed
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Jerry Nadeau* MB2 Motorsports Pontiac U.S. Army
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Dodge Miller Lite
02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Pontiac Go Team VA
4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Got Milk?, Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge Sirius Satellite Radio
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Dealers, UAW
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge Alltel
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
16 Greg Biffle (R) Roush Racing Ford Grainger
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Dealers, UAW
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet The Home Depot
21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge Stacker 2
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW-Delphi
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac Tide
37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet Friendly's
38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Casey Mears (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
42 Jamie McMurray (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Texaco, Havoline
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Brawny
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 1-800-CALL-ATT
54 Todd Bodine BelCar Motorsports Ford National Guard
74 Tony Raines (R) BACE Motorsports Chevrolet BACE Motorsports
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo Muscle Team
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, April 11, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.250 and an average speed of 93.511 miles per hour (150.491 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.250 93.511
2 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 20.253 93.497
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 20.283 93.359
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, April 12, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.572 and an average speed of 92.047 miles per hour (148.135 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 20.572 92.047
2 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 20.582 92.003
3 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 20.607 91.891
Full second practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 12, at 11:10 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Kenny Wallace, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.548 and an average speed of 92.155 miles per hour (148.309 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 20.548 92.155
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.592 91.958
3 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 20.621 91.829
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, April 11, 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.[3] 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.[7]

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.079 and an average speed of 94.308 miles per hour (151.774 km/h).[8]

No drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.079 94.308
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 20.174 93.863
3 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 20.214 93.678
4 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 20.233 93.590
5 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 20.243 93.543
6 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.278 93.382
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.313 93.221
8 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 20.329 93.148
9 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 20.334 93.125
10 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 20.336 93.116
11 42 Jamie McMurray (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 20.336 93.116
12 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 20.337 93.111
13 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 20.337 93.111
14 0 Jack Sprague (R) Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 20.345 93.075
15 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 20.346 93.070
16 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20.362 92.997
17 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 20.369 92.965
18 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 20.375 92.937
19 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 20.381 92.910
20 16 Greg Biffle (R) Roush Racing Ford 20.383 92.901
21 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 20.389 92.874
22 41 Casey Mears (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 20.392 92.860
23 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 20.407 92.792
24 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 20.411 92.773
25 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 20.412 92.769
26 01 Jerry Nadeau MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 20.412 92.769
27 74 Tony Raines (R) BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 20.419 92.737
28 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 20.424 92.715
29 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 20.434 92.669
30 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 20.445 92.619
31 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 20.450 92.597
32 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 20.456 92.569
33 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 20.472 92.497
34 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 20.484 92.443
35 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 20.484 92.443
36 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 20.497 92.384
Provisionals
37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 20.509 92.330
38 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 20.503 92.357
39 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 20.605 91.900
40 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 20.505 92.348
41 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Motorsports Ford 20.590 91.967
42 37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet 20.699 91.483
43 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 20.676 91.584
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 190 running 180 $219,143
2 39 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 500 49 running 175 $138,348
3 2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 500 195 running 175 $112,542
4 10 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 500 0 running 160 $101,592
5 18 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 500 5 running 160 $98,950
6 8 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 500 11 running 155 $105,953
7 25 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 500 23 running 151 $97,275
8 5 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 500 13 running 147 $91,217
9 7 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 138 $70,250
10 4 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 500 0 running 134 $54,050
11 19 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 500 0 running 130 $78,650
12 9 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 500 0 running 127 $68,225
13 31 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 499 0 running 124 $88,358
14 16 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 499 1 running 126 $78,581
15 6 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 499 0 running 118 $53,750
16 29 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 499 13 running 120 $87,678
17 24 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 499 0 running 112 $85,433
18 20 16 Greg Biffle (R) Roush Racing Ford 499 0 running 109 $47,975
19 13 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 499 0 running 106 $63,575
20 37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 499 0 running 103 $94,303
21 38 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 499 0 running 100 $75,262
22 34 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 499 0 running 97 $66,725
23 30 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 499 0 running 94 $63,975
24 32 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 499 0 running 91 $74,562
25 12 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 499 0 running 88 $82,931
26 35 30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 498 0 running 85 $56,825
27 17 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 498 0 running 82 $67,010
28 36 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 498 0 running 79 $64,910
29 14 0 Jack Sprague (R) Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 497 0 running 76 $44,725
30 40 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Dodge 497 0 running 73 $84,178
31 15 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 497 0 running 70 $64,064
32 28 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MBV Motorsports Pontiac 497 0 running 67 $74,200
33 27 74 Tony Raines (R) BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 496 0 running 64 $45,025
34 33 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 496 0 running 61 $55,000
35 21 4 Mike Skinner Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 496 0 running 58 $46,950
36 22 41 Casey Mears (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 496 0 running 55 $54,400
37 41 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Motorsports Ford 492 0 running 52 $43,850
38 3 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 436 0 brakes 49 $74,665
39 11 42 Jamie McMurray (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 319 0 engine 46 $43,740
40 23 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 308 0 overheating 43 $51,665
41 26 01 Jerry Nadeau MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 267 0 oil pump 40 $43,615
42 42 37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet 230 0 throttle 37 $43,575
43 43 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 133 0 engine 34 $42,866
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (April 13, 2003). "Gordon scores at Martinsville, winning a late-race battle". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 30, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (April 14, 2003). "Gordon nudges Labonte out of way to win at Martinsville". Tyrone Daily Herald. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Martinsville 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 9, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  4. ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 11, 2003. Archived from the original on March 1, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Speeds from Saturday's first practice". That's Racin'. April 12, 2003. Archived from the original on March 1, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Saturday's final practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 12, 2003. Archived from the original on March 16, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Provisional Land Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  8. ^ Poole, David (April 11, 2003). "Jeff Gordon's 94.307 mph goodfor Sunday's Virginia 500 pole". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 10, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
Previous race:
2003 Aaron's 499
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2003 season
Next race:
2003 Auto Club 500