The 2003 Pennsylvania 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 27, 2003, before a crowd of 100,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would manage to hold off eventual-second-place finisher Kurt Busch of Roush Racing to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series and his fourth win of the year.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish third.

2003 Pennsylvania 500
Race details
Race 20 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 2003 Pennsylvania 500 program cover.
The 2003 Pennsylvania 500 program cover.
Date July 27, 2003
Official name 31st Annual Pennsylvania 500
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 127.705 miles per hour (205.521 km/h)
Attendance 100,000
Pole position
Driver Penske Racing South
Time 52.830
Most laps led
Driver Ryan Newman Penske Racing South
Laps 88
Winner
No. 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Pocono Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

Entry list

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# Driver Team Make Sponsor
0 John Andretti Haas CNC Racing Pontiac NetZero HiSpeed
1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Mike Wallace MB2 Motorsports Pontiac U.S. Army
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge Miller Lite
4 Brett Bodine Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac Kodak EasyShare
04 ?* Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac Kodak EasyShare
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's, Got Milk?
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge Sirius Satellite Radio
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Summer Sales Deal
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge Mobil 1, Speedpass
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford Grainger
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries, Advair
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Summer Sales Deal
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet The Home Depot
21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft 700 Starts
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge Stacker 2
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW, Delphi
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac Tide
37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet Friendly's
38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Texaco, Havoline
43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Brawny
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge BAM Racing
50 Larry Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge Harrah's "Oh Yeah!"
54 Todd Bodine BelCar Motorsports Ford National Guard
74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet BACE Motorsports
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford Racing with Jesus
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

*Withdrew.[2]

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, July 25, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.224 and an average speed of 169.097 miles per hour (272.135 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 53.224 169.097
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.269 168.954
3 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 53.560 168.036
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 26, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.251 and an average speed of 165.896 miles per hour (266.984 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 54.251 165.896
2 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 54.468 165.235
3 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 54.480 165.198
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

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The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 26, at 11:15 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.224 and an average speed of 169.097 miles per hour (272.135 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 54.732 164.438
2 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 54.796 164.246
3 1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 54.850 164.084
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, July 25, 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.[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.[6]

Ryan Newman of Penske Racing South would win the pole, setting a time of 52.830 and an average speed of 170.358 miles per hour (274.165 km/h).[7]

Brett Bodine would be the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 52.830 170.358
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 52.997 169.821
3 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.177 169.246
4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 53.276 168.932
5 0 John Andretti Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 53.278 168.925
6 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.331 168.757
7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 53.346 168.710
8 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.371 168.631
9 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 53.403 168.530
10 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 53.445 168.397
11 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 53.478 168.294
12 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 53.479 168.290
13 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 53.532 168.124
14 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.546 168.080
15 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 53.546 168.080
16 30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.579 167.976
17 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 53.588 167.948
18 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 53.640 167.785
19 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 53.666 167.704
20 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 53.677 167.670
21 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 53.691 167.626
22 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 53.694 167.617
23 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Racing Ford 53.711 167.563
24 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 53.746 167.454
25 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.748 167.448
26 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.770 167.380
27 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 53.774 167.367
28 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 53.802 167.280
29 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 53.812 167.249
30 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 53.870 167.069
31 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.872 167.063
32 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 53.874 167.057
33 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 53.916 166.926
34 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 53.955 166.806
35 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 54.026 166.587
36 43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge 54.076 166.432
Provisionals
37 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 54.233 165.951
38 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 54.085 166.405
39 1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 54.206 166.033
40 01 Mike Wallace MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 54.559 164.959
41 37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet 55.141 163.218
42 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford 55.604 161.859
43 50 Larry Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge 54.468 165.235
Failed to qualify or withdrew
44 4 Brett Bodine Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 54.274 165.825
WD 04 ? Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[8] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 200 88 running 185 $180,575
2 13 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 200 1 running 175 $152,695
3 18 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 25 running 170 $131,037
4 17 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 18 running 165 $94,355
5 6 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 155 $100,581
6 19 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 17 running 155 $97,107
7 26 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 146 $65,190
8 23 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Racing Ford 200 0 running 142 $76,390
9 22 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 138 $79,390
10 20 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 200 0 running 134 $97,790
11 7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 200 23 running 135 $88,107
12 31 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 127 $88,428
13 9 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 200 2 running 129 $68,590
14 3 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 121 $85,240
15 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 118 $67,840
16 30 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 115 $47,490
17 11 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 200 0 running 112 $85,123
18 37 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 109 $74,977
19 38 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 200 0 running 106 $81,896
20 29 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 1 running 108 $78,265
21 8 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 100 $91,168
22 21 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 200 3 running 102 $61,690
23 40 01 Mike Wallace MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 199 0 running 94 $59,765
24 36 43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge 199 0 running 91 $83,893
25 16 30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 88 $56,240
26 34 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 198 0 running 85 $47,590
27 24 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 197 0 running 82 $47,340
28 12 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 195 0 running 79 $47,190
29 43 50 Larry Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge 188 0 running 76 $44,015
30 4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 180 0 engine 73 $89,448
31 39 1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 180 0 running 70 $71,402
32 28 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 178 0 running 67 $51,954
33 5 0 John Andretti Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 176 0 running 64 $44,265
34 35 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 170 0 running 61 $51,165
35 10 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 164 8 crash 63 $50,990
36 25 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 155 0 crash 55 $90,168
37 33 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 153 14 engine 57 $105,203
38 15 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 123 0 crash 49 $50,500
39 27 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 121 0 engine 46 $50,385
40 32 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 115 0 engine 43 $50,230
41 14 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 74 0 crash 40 $75,923
42 41 37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet 66 0 fuel pump 37 $42,000
43 42 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Ford 44 0 handling 34 $42,186
Failed to qualify or withdrew
44 4 Brett Bodine Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac
WD 04 ? Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ "NASCAR.com - Lap by Lap: Pennsylvania 500 - July 29, 2003". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2003-08-01. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - Pocono 2 Race Info Page". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  3. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Pocono 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  4. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Pocono 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  5. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Pocono 2 Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Writer, Dick Brinster AP Sports. "Newman wins Pocono pole". Gadsden Times. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  8. ^ "2003 Pennsylvania 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
Previous race:
2003 New England 300
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2003 season
Next race:
2003 Brickyard 400