2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400
35th race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 35 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | November 9, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 29th 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 | ||
Motor car race
The 2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 35th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th 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.
Background
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]
Entry list
Practice
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]
First practice
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 | ||||||
Second and final practice
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
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.
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin[9] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 393 | 140 | running | 185 | $207,648 |
| 2 | 18 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 78 | running | 175 | $105,590 |
| 3 | 3 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 393 | 96 | running | 170 | $88,700 |
| 4 | 23 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 160 | $92,650 |
| 5 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 393 | 49 | running | 160 | $98,785 |
| 6 | 4 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 150 | $61,775 |
| 7 | 9 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 146 | $91,442 |
| 8 | 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 142 | $98,208 |
| 9 | 29 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 138 | $100,403 |
| 10 | 31 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 393 | 0 | running | 134 | $99,425 |
| 11 | 10 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 130 | $56,675 |
| 12 | 20 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 127 | $81,681 |
| 13 | 26 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 124 | $92,042 |
| 14 | 8 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 121 | $72,825 |
| 15 | 34 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 118 | $91,403 |
| 16 | 27 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 115 | $69,475 |
| 17 | 19 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 112 | $82,925 |
| 18 | 13 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 390 | 30 | running | 114 | $53,325 |
| 19 | 41 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 106 | $88,703 |
| 20 | 17 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 103 | $79,612 |
| 21 | 15 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 390 | 0 | running | 100 | $86,325 |
| 22 | 16 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 97 | $96,203 |
| 23 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 94 | $86,242 |
| 24 | 2 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 91 | $52,175 |
| 25 | 6 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 390 | 0 | running | 88 | $61,875 |
| 26 | 37 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 389 | 0 | running | 85 | $83,731 |
| 27 | 22 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 82 | $66,849 |
| 28 | 42 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 389 | 0 | running | 79 | $47,260 |
| 29 | 25 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 388 | 0 | running | 76 | $76,825 |
| 30 | 36 | 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 388 | 0 | running | 73 | $75,142 |
| 31 | 35 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 387 | 0 | running | 70 | $46,800 |
| 32 | 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 387 | 0 | running | 67 | $54,675 |
| 33 | 39 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 386 | 0 | running | 64 | $55,450 |
| 34 | 38 | 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 386 | 0 | running | 61 | $54,425 |
| 35 | 21 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 375 | 0 | running | 58 | $46,300 |
| 36 | 28 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 374 | 0 | crash | 55 | $46,255 |
| 37 | 11 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 343 | 0 | engine | 52 | $64,200 |
| 38 | 32 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 339 | 0 | engine | 49 | $91,923 |
| 39 | 30 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | crash | 46 | $54,090 |
| 40 | 24 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | crash | 43 | $54,015 |
| 41 | 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 239 | 0 | engine | 40 | $79,773 |
| 42 | 40 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 130 | 0 | engine | 37 | $45,860 |
| 43 | 43 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 127 | 0 | axle | 34 | $45,170 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 45 | 71 | Tim Sauter | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 46 | 79 | Rich Bickle | Conely Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
- ^ Anderson, Lars. "A Rock For The Ages On a crossroads afternoon for NASCAR, old school fave Bill Elliott won the final fall race at Rockingham as Matt Kenseth clinched the 2003 crown". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ Rees, Chris. "Kenseth wins 1st Winston Cup championship with 4th place finish at Rockingham". WIS News. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc". Fasttrackracing.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Rockingham 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Rockingham 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Rockingham 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Ryan Newman Wins 11th Pole at Rockingham". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "2003 Pop-Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
| Previous race: 2003 Checker Auto Parts 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2003 season | Next race: 2003 Ford 400 |
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