Race details [1] | |||
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Race 25 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Date | August 31, 2003 | ||
Official name | Mountain Dew Southern 500 | ||
Location | Darlington Raceway Darlington County, South Carolina, U.S. | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.800 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures hovering around 93.2 °F (34.0 °C); wind speeds approaching 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) [2] | ||
Average speed | 120.733 miles per hour (194.301 km/h) [1] | ||
Attendance | 75,000 [1] | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Penske Racing | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | |
Laps | 120 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | NBC | ||
Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach Jr. |
The 2003 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 54th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 31, 2003 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the twenty-fifth race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Terry Labonte of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. This would prove to be his 22nd and final Cup series win.
It is the last Southern 500 held on Labor Day weekend until 2015.
Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
The track, Darlington Raceway, is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval. [3] The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. [3] The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees. [3] Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people. [3]
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's / Got Milk? |
2 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service |
3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
4 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Havoline |
5 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW |
6 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW / Mountain Dew |
7 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
8 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | Give Kids the World / Tide |
9 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's |
10 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | Grainger |
The 2006 Dodge Charger 500, the 57th running of the event that dates to the 1957 Rebel 300, was held on May 13, 2006 at Darlington Raceway as the eleventh race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Kasey Kahne won the pole.
The 1954 Southern 500, the fifth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 6, 1954, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1979 Southern 500, the 30th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 3, 1979, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1977 Southern 500, the 28th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 5, 1977, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1966 Southern 500, the 17th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1966, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1976 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 5, 1976, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1978 Southern 500, the 29th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 4, 1978, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1973 Southern 500, the 24th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on September 3, 1973, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1953 Southern 500, the fourth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 7, 1953, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
The 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 48th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 31, 1997, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Bobby Labonte won the pole position and Jeff Gordon won the race for the third time in his career and clinched the Winston Million.
The 2013 Bojangles' Southern 500, the 64th running of the event, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 11, 2013, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States. The race was contested over 367 laps on the 1.366–mile (2.198 km) oval, it was the eleventh race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his third win of the 2013 season, while his teammate Denny Hamlin finished second. Jeff Gordon grabbed his 300th top 5 finish in his 700th Sprint Cup start, while Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.
The 1974 Southern 500, the 25th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race on September 2, 1974, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Richard Petty started on pole but Cale Yarborough led the most laps and won the event by a full lap ahead of second-place finisher Darrell Waltrip. Jerry Schild would score his only top-ten finish at this event, and David Sisco finished a career-best third place.
The 2005 Dodge Charger 500, the 56th running of the event, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on May 7, 2005 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington County, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the tenth race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. The race was extended to 370 laps because of a green-white-checker finish. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing won the race.
The 2004 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 55th running of the event was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on November 14, 2004, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 miles speedway, it was the thirty-fifth race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.
The 2002 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 53rd running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 1, 2002 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the twenty-fifth race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.
The 2001 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 52nd running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 2, 2001 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the 25th race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing won the race.
The 1996 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 47th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 1, 1996 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile speedway, it was the 23rd race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.
The 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500, the 70th running of the event was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 1-2, 2019, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 25th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 1985 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 1, 1985, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. It was race number 20 of 28 of the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Bill Elliott made history by winning the race and with it the Winston Million bonus; it was then the richest single race payday in motorsports history.
The 1960 Southern 500, the 11th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1960, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 364 laps on the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, it was the 35th race of the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series season.