The 2003 Tropicana 400 was the stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the third iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 13, 2003, in Joliet, Illinois, at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman would stretch out his fuel mileage well enough to coast to the line and win his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing and Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

2003 Tropicana 400
Race details
Race 18 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2003 Tropicana 400 program cover.
The 2003 Tropicana 400 program cover.
Date July 13, 2003
Official name 3rd Annual Tropicana 400
Location Joliet, Illinois, Chicagoland Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Scheduled Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Average speed 134.059 miles per hour (215.747 km/h)
Attendance 85,000
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 29.223
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 80
Winner
No. 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network NBC
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 Chicagoland Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

Entry list

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# Driver Team Make Sponsor
0 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Pontiac NetZero HiSpeed
1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil Synthetic
01 Mike Wallace MB2 Motorsports Pontiac USG Sheetrock
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge Miller Lite / Goo Goo Dolls
4 Johnny Sauter Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac Kodak EasyShare
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Got Milk? / Kellogg's
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 / 2003 MLB All-Star Game
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
14 Larry Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge Harrah's "Oh Yeah!"
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
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 UAWDelphi
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online / Kraft 100 Years
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac Tide
37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet Great Barrier Reef
38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's Groovy Summer
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Fujifilm
42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Texaco / Havoline
43 John Andretti 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
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
81 Jason Keller Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Kraft 100 Years
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Irwin Industrial Tools / Lenox Indistrial Tools
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, July 11, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for 2 hours.[2] Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.324 and an average speed of 184.150 miles per hour (296.361 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.324 184.150
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.376 183.824
3 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.404 183.648
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 12, at 9:30 AM CST, 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 30.242 and an average speed of 178.560 miles per hour (287.364 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 30.242 178.560
2 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 30.255 178.483
3 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 30.310 178.159
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 12, at 11:10 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.231 and an average speed of 178.625 miles per hour (287.469 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.231 178.625
2 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 30.353 177.907
3 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 30.405 177.602
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, July 11, at 3:05 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. The session would commence after a near two-hour rain delay.[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]

Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 29.223 and an average speed of 184.786 miles per hour (297.384 km/h).[7]

Jason Keller would be the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.223 184.786
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.277 184.445
3 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 29.284 184.401
4 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.306 184.263
5 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 29.365 183.892
6 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.392 183.723
7 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 29.428 183.499
8 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.436 183.449
9 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 29.439 183.430
10 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.476 183.200
11 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.482 183.163
12 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.485 183.144
13 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.533 182.846
14 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 29.538 182.815
15 1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.540 182.803
16 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.574 182.593
17 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.574 182.593
18 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.575 182.587
19 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.631 182.242
20 4 Johnny Sauter Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 29.673 181.984
21 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 29.729 181.641
22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 29.738 181.586
23 30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.753 181.494
24 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 29.757 181.470
25 37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet 29.764 181.427
26 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 29.774 181.366
27 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.787 181.287
28 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.796 181.232
29 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 29.823 181.068
30 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 29.836 180.989
31 14 Larry Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge 29.846 180.929
32 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 29.848 180.917
33 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.850 180.904
34 0 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 29.862 180.832
35 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.885 180.693
36 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.893 180.644
Provisionals
37 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.972 180.168
38 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 29.902 180.590
39 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Racing Ford 29.988 180.072
40 01 Mike Wallace MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.953 180.282
41 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 29.954 180.276
42 43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge 30.083 179.503
43 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 29.963 180.222
Failed to qualify
44 81 Jason Keller Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.948 180.312
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[8] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 14 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 267 67 running 180 $191,000
2 1 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 267 80 running 180 $213,468
3 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 25 running 170 $134,575
4 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 47 running 165 $158,178
5 12 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 267 1 running 160 $100,975
6 27 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 267 0 running 150 $114,092
7 35 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 0 running 146 $106,812
8 10 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 267 1 running 147 $77,375
9 8 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 267 0 running 138 $108,375
10 5 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 267 0 running 134 $85,075
11 3 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 267 0 running 130 $106,908
12 24 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 266 0 0running 127 $87,725
13 37 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 266 0 running 124 $94,475
14 13 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 266 0 running 121 $103,883
15 28 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 266 0 running 118 $96,356
16 15 1 Jeff Green Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 266 0 running 115 $89,937
17 11 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 266 46 running 92 $104,028
18 36 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 265 0 running 109 $94,700
19 30 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 265 0 running 106 $100,106
20 7 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 265 0 running 103 $69,650
21 19 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 265 0 running 100 $107,650
22 29 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 265 0 running 97 $63,450
23 21 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 265 0 running 94 $82,550
24 38 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 265 0 running 91 $79,325
25 26 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 265 0 running 88 $84,925
26 23 30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 265 0 running 85 $73,725
27 41 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 264 0 running 82 $73,425
28 43 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 263 0 running 79 $73,614
29 42 43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge 263 0 running 76 $100,303
30 33 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 263 0 running 73 $108,063
31 9 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 262 0 running 70 $69,575
32 22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 249 0 running 67 $96,042
33 39 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Racing Ford 237 0 transmission 64 $62,075
34 4 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 232 0 crash 61 $68,975
35 20 4 Johnny Sauter Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 213 0 running 58 $60,775
36 18 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 212 0 crash 55 $105,658
37 40 01 Mike Wallace MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 211 0 crash 52 $60,375
38 16 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 206 0 crash 49 $101,092
39 32 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 124 0 engine 46 $79,985
40 34 0 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 117 0 engine 43 $59,785
41 31 14 Larry Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge 88 0 crash 40 $59,590
42 17 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 45 0 engine 37 $59,395
43 25 37 Derrike Cope Quest Motor Racing Chevrolet 6 0 transmission 34 $59,457
Failed to qualify
44 81 Jason Keller Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ "Hoosiers Set Pace at Chicagoland". wthr.com. 2003-07-13. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Chicagoland Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. 2005-02-04. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  3. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Chicagoland Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  4. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Chicagoland Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Chicagoland Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  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. ^ "In Reversal, Stewart Surges for First Pole of Season". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  8. ^ "2003 Tropicana 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
Previous race:
2003 Pepsi 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2003 season
Next race:
2003 New England 300