2003 Virginia 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 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[edit]
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[edit]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice[edit]
First practice[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Race results[edit]
| 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[edit]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Friday's Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 11, 2003. Archived from the original on March 1, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ "Speeds from Saturday's first practice". That's Racin'. April 12, 2003. Archived from the original on March 1, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday's final practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 12, 2003. Archived from the original on March 16, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
