Race details | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 35 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
Date | November 9, 2003 | ||
Official name | 39th Annual Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | ||
Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
Scheduled Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
Average speed | 111.677 miles per hour (179.727 km/h) | ||
Attendance | 60,000 | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
Time | 23.533 | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | |
Laps | 140 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | TNT | ||
Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
Radio in the United States | |||
Radio | Motor Racing Network |
The 2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 35th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 39th and to date, final iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 9, 2003, before a crowd of 60,000 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Evernham Motorsports driver Bill Elliott charged to the front after starting from the rear to win his 44th and to date, final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first and only win of the season. [1] Meanwhile, fourth-place finisher, Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth, would lock up the championship, clinching the championship by points to win his first and to date, only NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship. [2] To fill out the podium, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports and Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School. [3]
Originally, three practices were going to be held, with one on Friday and two on Saturday. However, rain would cancel one session on Saturday and delay the second Saturday session. [4]
The first practice session was held on Friday, November 7, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours. [4] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.533 and an average speed of 155.577 miles per hour (250.377 km/h). [5]
Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 23.533 | 155.577 |
2 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.674 | 154.651 |
3 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 23.711 | 154.409 |
Full first practice results |
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, November 8, at approximately 12:10 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. [4] Jeff Burton of Roush Racing ould set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.089 and an average speed of 151.986 miles per hour (244.598 km/h). [6]
Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.089 | 151.986 |
2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 24.206 | 151.252 |
3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 24.209 | 151.233 |
Full Happy Hour practice results |
Qualifying was held on Friday, November 7, 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. [4] 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]
Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would win the pole, setting a time of 23.533 and an average speed of 155.577 miles per hour (250.377 km/h). [8]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Hermie Sadler, Tim Sauter, and Rich Bickle.
The 2000 Coca-Cola 600 was the 12th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 28, 2000, before an audience of 183,500 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Taking advantage of a misfortunate Jerry Nadeau, Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth managed to make a late-race pass with 26 laps left in the race, leading the rest of the race to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. With this win, he became the first ever rookie to win the Coca-Cola 600. To fill out the top three, Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt finished second and third, respectively.
The 2003 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the sixth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 2, 2003, in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing would dominate the late stages of the race to win his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first and only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2003 MBNA America 400 was the 28th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 21, 2003, before a crowd of 137,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would come back from two laps down and save fuel at the end to win his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his seventh win of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports and Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2003 Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods was the 30th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, and the third iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 5, 2003, before a crowd of 80,000 in Kansas City, Kansas, at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5 miles permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, a cunning pit strategy for Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman would propel him to his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his eighth win of the season. To fill out the podium, Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was the 33rd stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the forty-fourth iteration of the event. The race was held over two days from Sunday, October 26, 2003, to Monday, October 27 due to rain on lap 39 on Sunday, forcing the delay of the event. The race was held in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would win under caution when with three laps to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Ryan Newman into the wall. The win was Gordon's 64th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season. To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing and Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2004 Nextel All-Star Challenge was the second exhibition stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the 20th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 22, 2004, in Concord, North Carolina at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 90 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would complete a late race pass of eventual second-place driver, Penske-Jasper Racing driver Ryan Newman to win his first and only Nextel All-Star Challenge win. To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing finished third.
The 2002 Subway 400 was the second stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 24, 2002, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would dominate the late stages of the race and win under caution when NASCAR determined oil and debris had made racing conditions unsafe with five to go. The win was Kenseth's second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first win of the season. To fill out the podium, Sterling Marlin of Chip Ganassi Racing and Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fifth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 3, 2002, in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Sterling Marlin, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would escape a penalty and hold off the field within the closing laps of the race to win his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports and Mark Martin of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 MBNA America 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fifth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 10, 2002, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would pass the worn-out car of Ward Burton with 23 to go to win his 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 Samsung/RadioShack 500 was the seventh stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the sixth iteration of the event. The race originally was scheduled to be held on Sunday, April 7, 2002, but was delayed to Monday, April 8, 2002, due to rain. The race was held in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would come from the back to win his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports and Mark Martin of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 Sirius Satellite Radio 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 16, 2002, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would defend the field on old tires on the final restart with three to go to win his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing and Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 New England 300 was the 19th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 21, 2002, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, took advantage of a disaster-stricken Matt Kenseth to win his fifth and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeff Green of Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2000 Dura Lube/Kmart 400 was the second stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 27, 2000, in Rockingham, North Carolina at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would hold off Dale Earnhardt and win after leading the final 113 laps. This was Labonte's 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 Checker Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil was the 35th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 15th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 10, 2002, before a crowd of 100,000 in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would pull off a clutch two-tire strategy on the final restart of the race to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his fourth of the season. To fill out the podium, Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
This is about the Summer 2001 race at Michigan. For the race at Daytona, see 2001 Pepsi 400.
The 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 33rd stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 4, 2001, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Nemechek, driving for Andy Petree Racing, managed to dominate the late stages of the race to win his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. The other podium finishers were Kenny Wallace, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and Johnny Benson Jr., driving for MBV Motorsports, who placed second and third respectively.
The 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 was the 31st stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, October 11, 2003, before a crowd of 160,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would make a late race pass on Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman with eight to go to win his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1999 Dura Lube/Big K 400 was the second stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 21, 1999, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to pull away with nine to go to win his 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2000 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 31st stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 22, 2000, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final 43 laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to make a pass for the lead and defend the field to take his 24th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top 3, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Robert Yates Racing driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 34th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 3, 2002, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, MBV Motorsports driver Johnny Benson Jr. would manage to defend for the lead within the last 26 laps of the race to take his first and only NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch, both drivers for Roush Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.