The 2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 9, 2003, 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. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would make a late charge against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon near the end of the race, passing him with nine laps to go to win his 20th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | March 9, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 45th Annual Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.54 mi (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Average speed | 146.048 miles per hour (235.041 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 106,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing | ||
| Time | 28.963 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 172 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
editPractice
editOriginally, three practice sessions were going to be held, with one on Friday and two on Saturday. However, fog on Saturday would force NASCAR to combine the two practices on Saturday into one session.[2]
First practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, March 7, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.895 and an average speed of 191.867 miles per hour (308.780 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.895 | 191.867 |
| 2 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.963 | 191.417 |
| 3 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.970 | 191.370 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 8, at 10:15 AM EST, and would last for one hour and 45 minutes.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.570 and an average speed of 187.487 miles per hour (301.731 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.570 | 187.487 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 29.664 | 186.893 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 29.691 | 186.723 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, March 7, at 3:05 PM EST.[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.[5]
Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 31.211 and an average speed of 173.016 miles per hour (278.442 km/h).[6]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Jeff Fultz.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
edit| Fin[7] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 172 | running | 185 | $209,233 |
| 2 | 30 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 68 | running | 175 | $142,778 |
| 3 | 37 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 325 | 23 | running | 170 | $113,917 |
| 4 | 24 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 160 | $91,850 |
| 5 | 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 17 | running | 160 | $113,328 |
| 6 | 3 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 325 | 1 | running | 155 | $94,450 |
| 7 | 5 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 325 | 1 | running | 151 | $79,550 |
| 8 | 27 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 325 | 1 | running | 147 | $80,125 |
| 9 | 13 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 19 | running | 143 | $58,225 |
| 10 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 324 | 21 | running | 139 | $94,450 |
| 11 | 23 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 130 | $84,400 |
| 12 | 22 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 127 | $76,375 |
| 13 | 20 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 124 | $51,775 |
| 14 | 34 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 324 | 0 | running | 121 | $93,675 |
| 15 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 324 | 0 | running | 118 | $88,392 |
| 16 | 15 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 324 | 0 | running | 115 | $75,512 |
| 17 | 18 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 112 | $77,912 |
| 18 | 12 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 323 | 0 | running | 109 | $84,871 |
| 19 | 17 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 106 | $87,968 |
| 20 | 39 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 103 | $80,196 |
| 21 | 16 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 100 | $93,968 |
| 22 | 10 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 322 | 0 | running | 97 | $59,435 |
| 23 | 33 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 322 | 0 | running | 94 | $70,535 |
| 24 | 36 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | running | 91 | $47,635 |
| 25 | 28 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | running | 88 | $59,035 |
| 26 | 40 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 322 | 0 | running | 85 | $58,774 |
| 27 | 6 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 321 | 0 | running | 82 | $68,070 |
| 28 | 35 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 321 | 0 | running | 79 | $49,920 |
| 29 | 19 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 320 | 0 | running | 76 | $84,988 |
| 30 | 32 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 318 | 0 | running | 73 | $47,085 |
| 31 | 14 | 01 | Jerry Nadeau | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 316 | 0 | crash | 70 | $46,510 |
| 32 | 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 308 | 2 | engine | 72 | $65,835 |
| 33 | 26 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Dodge | 305 | 0 | engine | 64 | $80,687 |
| 34 | 38 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 296 | 0 | running | 61 | $54,325 |
| 35 | 21 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 295 | 0 | engine | 58 | $54,290 |
| 36 | 31 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 293 | 0 | engine | 55 | $46,255 |
| 37 | 43 | 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 267 | 0 | overheating | 52 | $46,220 |
| 38 | 42 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 182 | 0 | engine | 49 | $46,175 |
| 39 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 164 | 0 | engine | 46 | $85,723 |
| 40 | 9 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 143 | 0 | engine | 43 | $66,090 |
| 41 | 25 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 141 | 0 | crash | 40 | $46,050 |
| 42 | 29 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 133 | 0 | engine | 37 | $79,843 |
| 43 | 41 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 104 | 0 | engine | 34 | $45,069 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 35 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford | ||||||
| 45 | 57 | Jeff Fultz | Team CLR | Ford | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "B. Labonte Wins Fight to the Finish". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Atlanta 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Atlanta 1 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-09. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Atlanta 1 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-09. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "PLUS: AUTO RACING; Newman Wins Pole For Race in Atlanta". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2003-03-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ "2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (March) - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-10.