Jamie McMurray, the 2003 NASCAR Rookie of the Year.">NASCAR_Rookie_of_the_Year.html" ;"title="Jamie McMurray, the 2003 NASCAR Rookie of the Year">Jamie McMurray, the 2003 professional stock car racing">NASCAR Rookie of the Year. The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of Sprint Cup Series">professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the

Budweiser Shootout The Busch Light Clash is an annual pre-season NASCAR Cup Series exhibition event held in February before the season-opening Daytona 500. The event was held each year at Daytona International Speedway since the race's inception in 1979 until 2022, ...

and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for

Roush Racing Roush is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Politics *Glenn Roush (1934–2020), American politician in Montana * J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), United States Representative for Indiana, namesake of: ** J. Edward Roush Lake, a re ...

, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season.

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

took home the

NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship is awarded by NASCAR to the most successful manufacturer over a season, as determined by a points system based on race results. The Manufacturers' Championship was first awarded in 1952, to Hudson. Different ...

after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points. This was the final year for Winston being the title sponsor of the Cup Series. Winston had been the title sponsor for NASCAR since 1971. After 33 years, Winston decided not to renew its sponsorship. NASCAR went to work to find a sponsor immediately, and on June 19, 2003, NASCAR announced that the telecommunications firm

Nextel Nextel Communications, Inc. was an American wireless service operator that merged with and ceased to exist as a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, which would later be bought by T-Mobile, T-Mobile US and folded into that company. Nextel in Brazil, ...

would be the new title sponsor of the Cup Series starting in 2004. This was also the final season for Unocal 76 Brand as the official fuel for NASCAR. Unocal had been the official fuel since the sport's inception in 1948.

Sunoco Sunoco LP is an American master limited partnership organized under Delaware state laws and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that is a wholesale distributor of motor fuels. It distributes fuel to more than 5,500 Sunoco-branded gas stations, ...

would replace Unocal 76 as the official fuel of NASCAR. This was also the last full-time season for Pontiac. Pontiac had been with NASCAR on 2 different occasions. The first was from 1949 to 1964, then they returned in 1981 and continued full-time until the end of 2003, though a few teams ran Pontiacs on a limited basis in 2004, and they continued running in the Busch Series through 2005 and ARCA as late as 2007. Pontiac folded entirely in 2009 when parent company

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

shuttered it during their chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. Also, 2003 marks the first Cup Series season without Bobby Hamilton since

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

(but would return part-time in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

). This was also the last season without Carl Edwards until

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and Kasey Kahne until

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, and also was the last season before Kyle Busch (who was supposted to be enter at Homestead-Miami but his #60 team withdrew),

Martin Truex Jr. Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Serie ...

and

J.J. Yeley Christopher Beltram Hernandez "J. J." Yeley (born October 5, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 13 and 66 cars for MBM Motorsports and part-time i ...

join as NASCAR drivers, (They ran part time in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, before joining full-time in

for Busch and

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

for Truex and Yeley) In addition, NASCAR instituted a new points system after this season entitled the Chase for the Cup, in which after 26 races, all the points standings in the top ten as well as any position within 400 points of the lead, would be reset, so the drivers in those positions would be eligible for the championship. This was done primarily because of the huge lead Kenseth accumulated during 2003 despite winning one race.

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule

Limited schedule

Schedule

Races

Budweiser Shootout

The

was held February 8 at Daytona International Speedway. It was won by No. 8 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The race featured drivers who have won a pole in the previous season or have won the event before. 2003 marked changes to the race's format, for the first time the race ran at night. The 70-lap event was now split into two segments. After the first 20-lap segment a 10-

minute The minute is a unit of time usually equal to (the first sexagesimal fraction) of an hour, or 60 seconds. In the UTC time standard, a minute on rare occasions has 61 seconds, a consequence of leap seconds (there is a provision to insert a nega ...

intermission took place allowing drivers to make pit stops and repair their cars. The second segment featured a 50-lap race to the finish with cars restarting double file on all restarts. Drivers were also required to make at least one pit stop under the green flag. Top ten results:

Gatorade Twin 125s

The

Gatorade 125s The Bluegreen Vacations Duel, formerly known as the Twin 125s, is a NASCAR Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. It consists of two races, which both serve as a qualifying rac ...

qualifying for the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

were held on February 12 at Daytona International Speedway.

45th Daytona 500

Top ten results #15-

Michael Waltrip Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, and published author. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. He is the younger brother o ...

#97-

Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...

#48- Jimmie Johnson #29- Kevin Harvick #6- Mark Martin #31- Robby Gordon #20- Tony Stewart #19- Jeremy Mayfield #09-

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

#88-

Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champio ...

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 14), Brett Bodine (No. 11),

Hermie Sadler Herman Marion Sadler III (born April 24, 1969) is a candidate for the newly redrawn Virginia State Senate District 17 and was a former American professional stock car racing driver, announcer, professional wrestling promoter, and autism advocate ...

(No. 02), David Green (No. 60), Kirk Shelmerdine (No. 90), Derrike Cope (No. 37), Mike Harmon (No. 78) *

became a two-time winner of the "Great American Race", even though the race was rain-shortened. *Michael Waltrip scored his third of four career wins. His first three career wins, however, were all scored consecutively at Daytona under the NASCAR on FOX team (Feb. 2001, July 2002, and Feb. 2003), which included the support of FOX analyst and older brother

Darrell Darrell is a given name derived from an English surname, which was derived from Norman-French , originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. There are no longer any towns in France called Airelle, but is the French word for huckleberr ...

. * Casey Mears made his Winston Cup Series debut and finished 27th. * Ryan Newman had a crash in this race, in which his car got clipped by Ken Schrader coming off of turn 4 and slid down the front straightaway, flipping violently in the tri-oval and coming to a rest on its roof. *At 109 laps and , this was the shortest Daytona 500 ever recorded. *After they agreed to be the title sponsor for NASCAR's top series in 1971, this marked the 1,000th race for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and Winston.

Subway 400

The

Subway 400 The Subway 400 was the second race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season until 2004, held a week after the Daytona 500. This 400-mile (644 km) annual race was sponsored by Subway and was held at North Carolina Speedway (''The Rock'') sinc ...

was held on February 23 at

North Carolina Speedway Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina. It is also known as The Rock and previously hosted NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, ...

. Dave Blaney was the pole winner. #88-

#97-

#17- Matt Kenseth #32-

Ricky Craven Richard Allen Craven (born May 24, 1966) is an American stock car racing analyst and former driver. Prior to his broadcasting duties, he was a NASCAR driver who won in four different series—the K&N Pro Series, and the three national series. He ...

#42- Jamie McMurray #2- Rusty Wallace #6- Mark Martin #48- Jimmie Johnson #38- Elliott Sadler #77- Dave Blaney Failed to qualify: none *Only win of the season for

. This would also be Jarrett's last win until Talladega in October 2005, 2 years, and 100 races later.

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was held on March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bobby Labonte was the pole winner. Top ten results #17- Matt Kenseth #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #15-

#18- Bobby Labonte #20- Tony Stewart #99- Jeff Burton #12- Ryan Newman #40- Sterling Marlin #25- Joe Nemechek #1-

Steve Park Stephen Park (born August 23, 1967) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He won races in NASCAR's two top Northeast touring series ( Modified and K&N East) and all three national divisions (Truck, Busch, Cup Series). Park ...

Failed to qualify:

Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...

(No. 16),

Brandon Ash Brandon Ash (born July 17, 1977) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series each year from 2002 to 2010, usually attempting races on the west coast. He also competed part-time and full-time ...

(No. 02) *Only win of the season for Matt Kenseth. His consistency throughout the rest of the year following this lone win would make him the Winston Cup Champion.

Bass Pro Shops 500

The

Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 The Ambetter Health 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. William Byron is the defending race winner. This race was originally Atlanta's second race of the season and was run as a late- ...

was held on March 9 at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. Top ten results #18- Bobby Labonte #24- Jeff Gordon #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #17- Matt Kenseth #20- Tony Stewart #38- Elliott Sadler #7-

Jimmy Spencer Jimmy Spencer may refer to: * Jimmy Spencer (American football) (born 1969), American NFL cornerback * Jimmy Spencer ( game design) (born 1990), American game designer * Jimmy Spencer (footballer) (born 1991), English football player * Jimmy Spen ...

#77- Dave Blaney #25- Joe Nemechek #12- Ryan Newman 1 lap down Failed to qualify:

Bobby Hamilton Jr. Charles Robert Hamilton Jr. (born January 8, 1978) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Early career When he was 15 ...

(No. 35),

Jeff Fultz Jeff Fultz (December 14, 1968) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He is a multiple time champion of the now defunct NASCAR Southeast Series having won it three times (2002, 2004, 2005), and has the most wins in th ...

(No. 57) *After finishing in fourth place, Matt Kenseth took the points lead and never looked back. He led the standings for 33 consecutive weeks en route to his first and only championship. His 33 consecutive week point lead is a NASCAR record.

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400

The

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 The Goodyear 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. A race was held in May at the track in 1952, however the event did not become a regular one on the NASCAR schedule until 1957, as a race in t ...

was held on March 16 at Darlington Raceway. Elliott Sadler sat on the pole. Top ten results #32-

#97-

#77- Dave Blaney #6- Mark Martin #15-

#8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #38- Elliott Sadler #17- Matt Kenseth #9-

Bill Elliott William Clyde Elliott (born October 8, 1955), also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Million Dollar Bill, or Wild Bill is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing ...

#20- Tony Stewart Failed to qualify: none *

edged out

by .002 seconds, the closest finish in NASCAR history until the

2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series The 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 37th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. William Byron won the 2017 championship with JR Motorsports, but moved up to the Monster Ene ...

season opener at Daytona when

Tyler Reddick Tyler George Reddick (born January 11, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...

edged out Elliott Sadler by 0.0004 seconds. *This was the 5th, and as of 2020, the last time in Darlington's history that a race was decided by a last-lap pass. *This race was the place where

Larry McReynolds Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III (born January 10, 1959) is a current NASCAR crew chief and current racing analyst on Fox Sports as well as a columnist on Foxsports.com. In the past, he has served as an advisor to Petty Enterprises, and as a mi ...

said one of his famed phrases that have been repeated many times in commercials and in media "They touch! They touch!". He shouted that to Craven's contact with Busch down the front stretch on the last lap. *This was

's final win. *This was also the 154th and final win for Pontiac in NASCAR. *1st career pole for Elliott Sadler.

Food City 500

The Food City 500 was held on March 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman was the pole winner for this race. Top ten results #97-

#17- Matt Kenseth #18- Bobby Labonte #21- Ricky Rudd #16-

#40- Sterling Marlin #29- Kevin Harvick 1 lap down #48- Jimmie Johnson 1 lap down #24- Jeff Gordon 1 lap down #23- Kenny Wallace 1 lap down Failed to qualify:

(No. 02), Larry Foyt (No. 14) *NASCAR considered postponing the race due to the start of the War in Iraq. The Government gave all professional sporting associations their consent to go on. *This was NASCAR's 2000th race run in Cup Series history. *Kurt Busch finally won a race in 2003 after finishing second in three of the first five races of the season. This was the sixth race of 2003. *Kyle Petty got caught up in a wreck where the force of gravity was over 80g. This would be the largest crash until 2010. * Last Top 10 finish for Kenny Wallace. * First Top 5 finish for

Samsung/Radio Shack 500

The

Samsung/Radio Shack 500 The O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in Fort Worth, Texas. Even though it is advertised as a "500-mile" race, because TMS is a track that is in length, the actual race distance is ...

was held at Texas Motor Speedway on March 30, 2003. Texas native Bobby Labonte was the pole sitter for this race. Top ten results #12- Ryan Newman #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #24- Jeff Gordon #01- Jerry Nadeau #6- Mark Martin #17- Matt Kenseth #30- Jeff Green #48- Jimmie Johnson #97-

#42- Jamie McMurray Failed to qualify: Kerry Earnhardt (No. 83), David Starr (No. 75) *This race was the first of several this season to have controversy with racing back to the caution flag. On lap 169, Matt Kenseth was leading when the caution came out. Kenseth slowed to let his teammate, Jeff Burton, have a lap back. Jeff Gordon was in second, and didn't want a bunch of drivers getting laps back, so he maintained his speed and passed Kenseth just before the start finish line, seemingly trapping

and Ricky Rudd a lap down. NASCAR ruled that as the leader when the caution flew, it was up to Kenseth to decide whether drivers should get laps back or not, and as he had slowed, Gordon should have slowed as well. Kenseth was given the lead back while Busch and Rudd were given their laps back as they had beaten Kenseth back to the line, but not Gordon. *Last top 5 finish for Jerry Nadeau

Aaron's 499

The

Aaron's 499 The GEICO 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race is usually held in April or May. The 1997 event stands as the fastest NASCAR race to date ever run with an average speed of ...

was held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 6, 2003. Jeremy Mayfield won the pole. Top ten results #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #29- Kevin Harvick #38- Elliott Sadler #32-

#5- Terry Labonte #40- Sterling Marlin #22- Ward Burton #24- Jeff Gordon #17- Matt Kenseth #31- Robby Gordon Failed to qualify: Brett Bodine (No. 11), Larry Foyt (No. 14), David Green (No. 60) (''Note'': Phoenix Racing's Mike Wallace had originally failed to qualify, but Green's car was found too low and his time was disallowed.) * Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the only driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive races at Talladega, breaking him out of a tie with

Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 198 ...

. Dale Jr. would also become the second driver in NASCAR history to win four straight superspeedway races at one track, joining

. Elliott won four Michigan races in a row when he pulled off season sweeps in 1985 and 1986. *The "Big One" did not take long and collected 27 cars on lap 4, making this the largest crash in a Cup race in the modern era. The crash barely included Earnhardt Jr., who started in the back of the field and managed to race his way to victory lane anyway. *Earnhardt was involved in a controversial decision at the end of the race where it appeared he went below the yellow line in an attempt to improve position. NASCAR ruled Earnhardt was forced down making it a clean pass.

Virginia 500

The Virginia 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 13, 2003. Jeff Gordon won the pole. Top ten results #24- Jeff Gordon #18- Bobby Labonte #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #99- Jeff Burton #38- Elliott Sadler #20- Tony Stewart #40- Sterling Marlin #2- Rusty Wallace #48- Jimmie Johnson #49- Ken Schrader Failed to qualify: none * This race ended under caution. * Championship leader Matt Kenseth would end up finishing in 22nd place. This would be his 1st of only 4 finishes outside of the top 20 in the 36 race schedule. He would be strongly consistent after this event, and as points leader, this would be his worst finish until Talladega in September.

Auto Club 500

The

Auto Club 500 The Pala Casino 400 is a 400-mile (643.737 km) NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It is the second race of the Cup Series season (after the Daytona 500) and has been since 2022 as well ...

was held at California Speedway on April 27, 2003.

won the pole. Top ten results #97-

#18- Bobby Labonte #2- Rusty Wallace #9-

#42- Jamie McMurray #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #15-

#43- John Andretti #17- Matt Kenseth #40- Sterling Marlin Failed to qualify: Kerry Earnhardt (No. 83),

Hideo Fukuyama is a Japanese racing driver. A former competitor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he attempted to compete in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the early 2000s, but only qualified for four races before leaving the series. He was the first Japanese driv ...

(No. 66) *This was Jerry Nadeau's last race. * John Andretti's last career top 10.

Pontiac Excitement 400

The Pontiac Excitement 400 was held at Richmond International Raceway on May 3, 2003. Terry Labonte won the pole. The race was shortened with only 7 laps to go, due to rain. Top ten results #25- Joe Nemechek #18- Bobby Labonte #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #31- Robby Gordon #6- Mark Martin #29- Kevin Harvick #17- Matt Kenseth #97-

#99- Jeff Burton #2- Rusty Wallace Failed to qualify:

(No. 02), Derrike Cope (No. 37),

(No. 66) * Jerry Nadeau, driver of the No. 01 Pontiac for MB2/MBV Motorsports, was critically injured in a practice session for this race. Jason Keller drove in his place. Nadeau never ran another Cup Series race. * After this race, Jeff Green was fired for his remarks about Kevin Harvick and swapped rides with

in the 1 who was fired a day later than Green was. Steve would drive the 30 for the rest of the year while Green drove the 1 until Bristol. *With Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing 3rd and collecting 5 bonus points, and Matt Kenseth finishing 7th with no bonus points, Kenseth lost 24 points to Dale Jr. in this race. Kenseth's point margin after Richmond was now only 20 points ahead of Earnhardt. This was the closest point margin all season for Matt Kenseth while he had the point lead. *Last career pole for Terry Labonte.

The Winston

Top ten results #48- Jimmie Johnson #97-

#18- Bobby Labonte #25- Joe Nemechek #15-

#17- Matt Kenseth #29- Kevin Harvick #24- Jeff Gordon #99- Jeff Burton* #32-

*Burton entered via winning the Winston Open

Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600 was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 25, 2003. Ryan Newman won the pole. The race was shortened to 276 laps due to inclement weather. Top ten results #48- Jimmie Johnson #17- Matt Kenseth #18- Bobby Labonte #7-

#12- Ryan Newman #15-

#40- Sterling Marlin #24- Jeff Gordon #88-

1 lap down #22- Ward Burton 1 lap down Failed to qualify:

(No. 02), Brett Bodine (No. 11), Derrike Cope (No. 37) *With Kenseth finishing 2nd and collecting the 10 bonus points for leading the most laps, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing 41st with no bonus points, Kenseth gained 140 points on Dale Jr. in this race. Kenseth's point margin after Charlotte was now 160 points ahead of Earnhardt. This would make Kenseth's point lead safe and locked up for the rest of the season, as he would continue to have a 160+ point lead for the next 24 weeks, between this race and when he clinched the title at Rockingham in November, which is also a NASCAR record. *This would be the only race of the season that Matt Kenseth would lead the most laps.

MBNA Armed Forces Family 400

The MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 was held at Dover International Speedway on June 1, 2003. Ryan Newman won the pole. Top ten results #12- Ryan Newman #24- Jeff Gordon #18- Bobby Labonte #20- Tony Stewart #10-

Johnny Benson Jonathan Thomas Benson Jr. (born June 27, 1963) is an American retired stock car racing driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson Sr. Benson has raced across NASCAR's three national series ( Cup, Busch, Truck), and his ...

#2- Rusty Wallace #17- Matt Kenseth #32-

#31- Robby Gordon #5- Terry Labonte Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 37),

(No. 02) * Ryan Newman completed the last half of this race without power steering. * Brett Bodine's last career start.

Pocono 500

The Pocono 500 was held at

Pocono Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA M ...

on June 8, 2003. Jimmie Johnson won the pole. This broke a 27-race winless streak for Stewart. Top ten results #20- Tony Stewart #6- Mark Martin #17- Matt Kenseth #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #12- Ryan Newman #40- Sterling Marlin #5- Terry Labonte #22- Ward Burton #38- Elliott Sadler #32-

Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 37), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89) * This would be Tony Stewart's first win in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. * On lap 7 Ken Schrader gets loose and hits the wall and flips once before catching fire. He was uninjured. * With 3 laps to go, Jeff Green hits the inside wall on the backstretch and smashes the front of the car. This would lead to Tony Stewart winning the race under caution. Terry Labonte and Greg Biffle were also shown to have damage afterward.

Sirius 400

The Sirius 400 was held at Michigan International Speedway on June 15, 2003. Bobby Labonte was the pole sitter. Top ten results #97-

#18- Bobby Labonte #24- Jeff Gordon #17- Matt Kenseth #15-

#40- Sterling Marlin #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #20- Tony Stewart #6- Mark Martin #5- Terry Labonte Failed to qualify: Mike Skinner (No. 4), Larry Foyt (No. 14)

Dodge/Save Mart 350

The Dodge/Save Mart 350 was held at Infineon Raceway on June 22, 2003. Boris Said was the pole sitter. Top ten results #31- Robby Gordon #24- Jeff Gordon #29- Kevin Harvick #9-

#12- Ryan Newman #01- Boris Said * #1- Ron Fellows * #2- Rusty Wallace #18- Bobby Labonte #19- Jeremy Mayfield Failed to qualify:

P. J. Jones Parnell Velko "P. J." Jones (born April 23, 1969) is an American professional racing driver. He has contested in multiple disciplines, including NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA GT Championship, the American Le Mans Series, USAC, the Chili Bowl, and the S ...

(No. 14),

(No. 02),

Paul Menard John Paul Christian Menard (born August 21, 1980) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver who last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing. Men ...

(No. 33),

Jim Inglebright James Inglebright (born November 18, 1961) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a longtime competitor in the NASCAR West Series (now the ARCA Menards Series West). Racing career Inglebright began his racing career driving ...

(No. 00) *Three days prior to this race, on Thursday, June 19, NASCAR officially announced that the telecommunications firm

would replace RJ Reynolds brand Winston as NASCAR's title sponsor for the Cup Series at the start of the 2004 season, thus ending a 33-year relationship between NASCAR and Winston, which began back on January 10, 1971. *Controversy erupted on lap 71. Kevin Harvick was leading race winner Robby Gordon when a caution came out for a crash at a different part of the track. Gordon kept charging, and passed Harvick in the keyhole turn, taking the lead before they crossed the start/finish line. Harvick called it a "chicken move" and Jeff Gordon said "I could not believe it when I saw it" and called his passing under the yellow "unheard of." The controversial pass, however, was entirely legal under NASCAR rules at the time, and Robby Gordon was assessed no penalty. The so-called "unethical breach of racing ethics" proved to be the winning edge, and Robby Gordon went on to win the race. He was subjected to considerable scrutiny and ridicule after the race. However, others considered the complaints to be hypocrisy or "sour grapes" by the losers. * Boris Said won his first career NASCAR pole as a Road course ringer, also finishing his career-best Cup finish at the time. * Ron Fellows came very close to winning his first Cup Series victory, leading over 21 laps late in the race after briefly taking the lead from Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Fellows lost his chance at the win after a yellow came out with less than 30 laps to go, forcing him to make a pit stop. He dropped from 1st to 31st and recovered to finish 7th.

Pepsi 400

The Pepsi 400 was held at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2003.

won the pole. #16-

#99- Jeff Burton #21- Ricky Rudd #5- Terry Labonte #18- Bobby Labonte #17- Matt Kenseth #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #19- Jeremy Mayfield #29- Kevin Harvick #88-

Failed to qualify: Kerry Earnhardt (No. 83), Tony Raines (No. 74),

Shane Hmiel Shane Riley Hmiel (born May 15, 1980) is an American former racecar driver, who competed in all three of NASCAR's national series. Hmiel's controversial stock car career, marred by accidents from his aggressive driving style, ended in 2006 after ...

(No. 43), Christian Fittipaldi (No. 44) *This was

's first career Winston Cup victory. *Greg Biffle would become the first rookie to score his first career win in a restrictor-plate race (even though Davey Allison got his first career win at Talladega in 1987, there were no restrictor plates until the following year in 1988). *This race marked the first time since 1993 that car number 43 did not race at Daytona or did not race in a NASCAR points race.

Tropicana 400

The Tropicana 400 was held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 13, 2003. Tony Stewart sat on the pole. #12- Ryan Newman #20- Tony Stewart #48- Jimmie Johnson #24- Jeff Gordon #15-

#99- Jeff Burton #31- Robby Gordon #42- Jamie McMurray #38- Elliott Sadler #19- Jeremy Mayfield Failed to qualify: Jason Keller (No. 81)

New England 300

The

New England 300 The Crayon 301 is a 301 lap ( annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Christopher Bell is the defending winner, having won it in 2022. History The race has been traditionally ...

was held at

New Hampshire International Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mil ...

on July 20, 2003. Matt Kenseth won the pole. #48- Jimmie Johnson #29- Kevin Harvick #17- Matt Kenseth #12- Ryan Newman #31- Robby Gordon #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88-

#30-

#99- Jeff Burton #16-

Failed to qualify: Tim Sauter (No. 71), David Reutimann (No. 04), Carl Long (No. 46), Larry Foyt (No. 50)

Pennsylvania 500

The

Pennsylvania 500 The Unannounced Sponsor Pocono Cup race is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Starting in 2022, it is the only Cup Series race at the track after the other Cup Series race at Pocono, the Poco ...

was held at

on July 27, 2003. Ryan Newman won the pole. #12- Ryan Newman #97-

#8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #15-

#5- Terry Labonte #99- Jeff Burton #25- Joe Nemechek #54- Todd Bodine #77- Dave Blaney #40- Sterling Marlin Failed to qualify: Brett Bodine (No. 4)

Brickyard 400

The Brickyard 400 was held at

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...

on August 3, 2003. Kevin Harvick won the pole and the race. #29- Kevin Harvick #17- Matt Kenseth #42- Jamie McMurray #24- Jeff Gordon #9-

#31- Robby Gordon #97-

#7-

#6- Mark Martin #2- Rusty Wallace Failed to qualify: Brett Bodine (No. 11), Ken Schrader (No. 49),

Billy Bigley __NOTOC__ Billy Bigley Jr. (born June 9, 1962) is an American racing driver who resides in Naples, Florida and competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Bigley competed in the entire 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule for Spears Mo ...

(No. 79), Ted Musgrave (No. 07), Robert Pressley (No. 4), Jim Sauter (No. 71), Christian Fittipaldi (No. 43), David Reutimann (No. 04),

(No. 02) NOTE: This marked the first time that Ken Schrader failed to qualify for a race. Until this weekend, he had made 579 consecutive starts.

Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen

The

Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Cup Series have taken place at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on the road course annually since 1986. Since 2018 the 90-lap, race has been known as Go Bowling at The Glen for sponsor ...

was held at Watkins Glen International on August 10, 2003. Jeff Gordon was the pole sitter. #31- Robby Gordon* #39-

Scott Pruett Scott Donald Pruett (born March 24, 1960) is a former American race car driver who has competed in NASCAR, CART, IMSA, Trans-Am and Grand-Am. He and his wife Judy have three children and are children's book authors. Pruett started racing go ...

* #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #48- Jimmie Johnson #29- Kevin Harvick #22- Ward Burton #88-

#17- Matt Kenseth #12- Ryan Newman #6- Mark Martin Failed to qualify: Ken Schrader (No. 49),

Joe Varde Joe Varde (born April 3, 1950) is an American road racer. A five-time International Motor Sports Association champion, he has also made a few starts in NASCAR competition, including racing in the Sprint Cup Series for BACE Motorsports in 2002 at ...

(No. 35),

Scott Maxwell __NOTOC__ Scott Maxwell (born January 20, 1964), is a Canadian auto racing driver. Scott has competed and won titles in Formula Vee (1984), Formula Ford 1600 (1985 and 1986), Canadian National Showroom Stock (1992 and 1993) and Grand-Am/Continen ...

(No. 43), Larry Foyt (No. 50) *

made his NASCAR debut, finishing 29th. * This was Robby Gordon's final Cup win. Gordon got a sweep of the road courses in 2003. * Scott Pruett picked up his career-best finish in the Cup Series, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing's #39 Target Dodge.

GFS Marketplace 400

The GFS Marketplace 400 was held at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2003. Bobby Labonte won the pole. #12- Ryan Newman #29- Kevin Harvick #20- Tony Stewart #16-

#30-

#31- Robby Gordon #15-

#49- Ken Schrader #17- Matt Kenseth #10-

Failed to qualify: Stacy Compton (No. 4) * During the race, Todd Bodine bounced off

and then into Kenny Wallace, causing Bodine to get airborne and land on Wallace and erupt in flames. Fortunately, both drivers escaped. * An altercation occurred between

and

after the race and punches were thrown. A police report was filed and Jimmy Spencer was suspended for the next week's race at Bristol. Kurt would be on probation after this race. * Last career top 5 for

Sharpie 500

The Sharpie 500 was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 23, 2003. Jeff Gordon sat on the pole. #97-

#29- Kevin Harvick #42- Jamie McMurray #17- Matt Kenseth #48- Jimmie Johnson #12- Ryan Newman #88-

#32-

#8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #19- Jeremy Mayfield Failed to qualify:

(No. 02),

(No. 79), Derrike Cope (No. 37) *This was the first race to include the "Victory Lap" tribute program to honor all the drivers who won a championship during the Winston Cup era, with several races for the rest of the season selecting a single active driver, and former driver, to perform a ceremonial lap around the track during the pace laps. The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Alan Kulwicki (former), and Rusty Wallace (active). Kulwicki's car was driven by Jimmy Hensley for the lap. * The fans' disagreement over the suspension of

and only placing Kurt Busch on probation stemming from the incident the previous week prompted fans to boo Busch as he exited his car in victory lane. Busch's sponsor Sharpie was none too happy with the fans' response to their driver in victory lane, as Sharpie was the sponsor of the race. Soon after, Sharpie began phasing themselves off of the #97 car. *This would be the final 43rd/last place finish for Rusty Wallace.

Mountain Dew Southern 500

The Mountain Dew Southern 500 was held at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2003. This would be the last time until 2015 that the race was held on this date (See notes below). Ryan Newman sat on the pole. #5- Terry Labonte #29- Kevin Harvick #48- Jimmie Johnson #42- Jamie McMurray #9-

#19- Jeremy Mayfield #18- Bobby Labonte #32-

#38- Elliott Sadler #16-

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50) *The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was

Cale Yarborough William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, and farmer. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1 ...

. *This was the last Southern 500 to be held on its traditional

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend date until 2015. *This was Terry Labonte's first win in 157 races, dating back to Texas Motor Speedway in March 1999. This race would also be Labonte's final career Winston Cup win. *This race has been labeled by millions of fans as the most popular win of 2003. *As of 2024, Terry Labonte is the only driver in NASCAR history to score his first and last career win in the same race. He is also the only driver in NASCAR history to make his debut (finishing 4th in 1978), score his first career win, and score his last career win, all in the same race.

Chevy Rock and Roll 400

The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was held at Richmond International Raceway on September 6, 2003. Mike Skinner sat on the pole. #12- Ryan Newman #19- Jeremy Mayfield #21- Ricky Rudd #99- Jeff Burton #2- Rusty Wallace #18- Bobby Labonte #17- Matt Kenseth #5- Terry Labonte #10-

#24- Jeff Gordon Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50),

(No. 79) *With 8 laps to go, Kevin Harvick got loose against Ricky Rudd and spun in the wall. After the race, both cars stopped on the pit road and both drivers began a scuffle between the No. 21 and No. 29 while the pit crew members yelled during the fight. Following an incident between Rudd and Harvick, Harvick was fined $35,000, and crew chief Todd Berrier was fined $10,000 for the incident. In addition, two other pit crew members were fined $2,500 each and both pit crew members were suspended for the next week's race.

Sylvania 300

The Sylvania 300 was held at

on September 14, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. This was the final race for

Bill France Jr. William Clifton France (April 4, 1933 – June 4, 2007), better known as Bill France Jr. or Little Billy, was an American motorsports executive who served from 1972 to 2000 as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of t ...

as the CEO of NASCAR. #48- Jimmie Johnson #21- Ricky Rudd #25- Joe Nemechek #9-

#8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #2- Rusty Wallace #17- Matt Kenseth #38- Elliott Sadler #12- Ryan Newman #42- Jamie McMurray Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50), Derrike Cope (No. 37), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Carl Long (No. 46) * This was the final Cup race in which drivers raced back to the start-finish line as soon as a caution flag came out.

's No. 88 Ford hit the wall exiting turn 4 and stopped in the middle of the track. Many cars entering the front straight swerved wildly trying to avoid Jarrett's car.

MBNA America 400

The MBNA America 400 was held at Dover International Speedway on September 21, 2003. Qualifying was canceled due to Hurricane Isabel; as a result, Matt Kenseth sat on the pole on owner points. This was the first Cup race for Brian France as the new CEO of NASCAR, having taken over the role from his father

, who stepped down on September 16 due to his ailing health. #12- Ryan Newman #19- Jeremy Mayfield #20- Tony Stewart #29- Kevin Harvick #24- Jeff Gordon #42- Jamie McMurray #16-

#48- Jimmie Johnson #17- Matt Kenseth #21- Ricky Rudd Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89),

(No. 79), Scott Wimmer (No. 27), Christian Fittipaldi (No. 44), Tim Sauter (No. 71) * This was the first race in which the field was frozen at the start of a caution period.

Racing back to the caution In automobile racing, specifically NASCAR stock car racing, racing back to the caution is a procedure for drivers after a caution flag is displayed. NASCAR usage The procedure was used in NASCAR racing series when the pace car was deployed as a r ...

was no longer allowed; NASCAR uses video replay and scoring loop data to determine the running order at the moment of caution. In conjunction with the change, NASCAR introduced the free pass, or Lucky Dog, in which the highest-placed driver who is one or more laps behind the leader gets a lap back when the caution period begins. *After finishing 9th, Matt Kenseth left Dover with a 436-point lead over Kevin Harvick, the largest point lead to be recorded for the 2003 season. This was the largest point lead for a driver to not clinch the championship in this points system since

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

, and the points system's inception, in 1975. In that season, Petty left Charlotte, the 25th race of the 30 race season, with an 878-point lead, and with 5 races to go, the number of points for him to win the championship was not enough, because in the Bob Latford points system, with 5 races to go, a driver would need a 925+ point lead between 1st and 2nd to clinch the title. The following weekend, however, Petty left Richmond with an 827-point lead, and that was good enough for him to win the championship because, with 4 races to go, a driver would need a 740+ point lead between 1st and 2nd to clinch the title. This was also the largest point lead since 1994 when

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

won his 7th and final Winston Cup Championship by 444 points over Mark Martin. *The race had a scary crash when Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun around and hit the wall. This was at the time one of the hardest hits, although it didn't look too hard.

EA Sports 500

The

EA Sports 500 The YellaWood 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, hosting an event in the NASCAR playoffs. The race is one of four NASCAR Cup Series races currently run with tapered spacers, the others ...

was held September 28, 2003 at Talladega Superspeedway. Elliott Sadler won the pole. Top ten results: * An early wreck took place on lap 10 when Jeremy Mayfield had a tire go down, during pit stops Dale Earnhardt Jr. made contact with Jeff Green resulting in damage to his car's nose. Earnhardt Jr. would go a lap down on lap 62 after damage repair to his car. On lap 143 the 3rd caution came out when leader Jimmie Johnson was sent spinning down to the inside of Turn 1 after Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped

who slapped the side of Johnson, Johnson's car slid back up the Turn 1 banking barely missing a few cars. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the

lucky dog The ''beneficiary rule'', commonly referred to as the "lucky dog" or "free pass", is a rule in some motor racing leagues allowing the closest lapped driver to the front of the field to gain back a lap when a caution is called. The driver is call ...

during the caution and got back on the lead lap. On lap 158 Johnson retired to the garage with engine problems. On lap 182 with 7 laps of racing left Elliott Sadler who was racing four-wide near the front of the pack down the backstretch went to block

. Sadler made contact with Busch and was turned around, as the car spun it became airborne flipping through the air then landing on the roof near the entrance of Turn 3. The car continued to slide across the grass to the track pavement in Turn 3 when the car caught the pavement it tumbled 5 more times before coming to a stop. Elliott Sadler was removed from the car and was ok. The race was red-flagged as track workers cleaned up the debris.

led during the restart with 5 laps to go, Waltrip led all of the last five laps with drafting help from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., as the checkered flag waved cars were running 5 wide mid-pack when

made contact with Bobby Labonte creating a small wreck in Turn 1. Waltrip celebrated the win by popping out of his car's newly installed emergency roof hatch after doing donuts on the infield grass.NewYorkTimes.com: Waltrip Ends Streak of Earnhardt Jr.
/ref> Did not qualify: Jason Leffler (No. 0), Kevin Lepage (No. 4),

(No. 30), Kyle Petty (No. 45),

Mike Bliss Michael Duane Bliss (born April 5, 1965) is an American professional stock car racing driver. A journeyman NASCAR competitor and the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, he has run in all three national series. Racing career Bliss began ...

(No. 80), Todd Bodine (No. 54) * Michael Waltrip's last career victory. *This would be Michael Waltrip's only win outside of Daytona, the only win not to be broadcast on

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, and only win without the support of his older brother and FOX analyst

in the booth. *The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Bobby Allison (former), and Terry Labonte (active). *Dale Earnhardt Jr. would come up one spot short on his quest to win 5 straight Talladega races. He would also fail to break out of a tie with

by trying to win 5 straight superspeedway races at one track. * Matt Kenseth experienced his first DNF of the 2003 season when he blew an engine with 30 laps to go. He finished the race in 33rd position. This would be only his 2nd finish outside of the top 20 so far during the season. Before this race, his worst finish of the year, and as points leader, was in 22nd place at Martinsville back in April. He had been strongly consistent since Martinsville, finishing outside of the top 10 only 4 times during the timespan between both events. *With this DNF, Kenseth's 436 point lead dropped to a 354-point lead. *This would be the last race of the season for Matt Kenseth to collect 5 bonus points for leading a lap.

Banquet 400

The

Banquet 400 The Hollywood Casino 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. This race is the second of ten races in the Cup Series playoffs; since 2022, it is the second race of the Round of 16. NBC has the r ...

was held at Kansas Speedway on October 5, 2003. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole. #12- Ryan Newman #9-

#19- Jeremy Mayfield #20- Tony Stewart #24- Jeff Gordon #29- Kevin Harvick #48- Jimmie Johnson #42- Jamie McMurray #2- Rusty Wallace #21- Ricky Rudd Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 14), Johnny Sauter (No. 4) *This was Ryan Newman's eighth and final win of the season. He scored the most wins of 2003. *This was the second consecutive week of problems for Championship leader Matt Kenseth. After blowing an engine at Talladega and finishing 33rd the previous week, he was involved in a crash on lap 69 with

. He still managed to finish the race, but he finished in 36th place, 47 laps behind race winner Ryan Newman. His worst finish prior to these 2 straight weeks was a 22nd-place run at Martinsville back in April. He would be strongly consistent after that race, finishing outside of the top 10 only 4 times during the 5 month timespan. This would be his 3rd finish outside of the top 20 during the season. *After his 33rd and 36th-place finishes, Matt Kenseth lost a combined total of 177 points to 2nd place. He lost 82 points after his 33rd-place finish at Talladega, and then he lost another 95 points after this event. He went from having a 436-point lead after Dover, to a 259-point lead after this event.

UAW-GM Quality 500

The UAW-GM Quality 500 was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 11, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. #20- Tony Stewart #12- Ryan Newman #48- Jimmie Johnson #9-

#24- Jeff Gordon #18- Bobby Labonte #42- Jamie McMurray #17- Matt Kenseth #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #29- Kevin Harvick Failed to qualify: Ken Schrader (No. 49),

(No. 02), Mark Green (No. 14),

(No. 55) * This was the first fall race at Charlotte to be held on a Saturday night. * The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were

(former), and Jeff Gordon (active). Earnhardt's car was driven by

Richard Childress Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American former race car driver in NASCAR. As the owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR), he became one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. In 2004, he opene ...

for the lap. * Brian Vickers made his NASCAR debut, finishing in 33rd. *After finishing 33rd and 36th in 2 straight disappointing races, Matt Kenseth rebounded big time and bounced back for a top 10 finish. His point lead did increase, but only by 8 points. His point lead was now 267 over Kevin Harvick.

Subway 500

The Subway 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on October 19, 2003. Jeff Gordon sat on the pole. #24- Jeff Gordon #48- Jimmie Johnson #20- Tony Stewart #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #12- Ryan Newman #5- Terry Labonte #29- Kevin Harvick #42- Jamie McMurray #9-

#99- Jeff Burton Failed to qualify: Mark Green (No. 14), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89) *The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was

Darrell Waltrip Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports analyst, author, former national television broadcaster, and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series (known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series dur ...

. * Jeff Gordon led the race's majority, 313 of the race's 500 laps, on his way to victory. Along with his 313 laps led, he led the final 206 laps. *Jeff Gordon became the first driver since Rusty Wallace to pull off the season sweep at Martinsville. Wallace pulled off the season sweep in 1994.

Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500

The

was held at

on October 26 – October 27, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. #24- Jeff Gordon #20- Tony Stewart #48- Jimmie Johnson #9-

#18- Bobby Labonte #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #19- Jeremy Mayfield #97-

#7-

#01- Joe Nemechek Failed to qualify: Jeff Green (No. 43), Buckshot Jones (No. 00), Larry Foyt (No. 14),

(No. 09),

(No. 79), Shelby Howard (No. 27) *The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was

. *Jeff Gordon would be the only driver of 2003 to win back-to-back races. This win also marked the 18th time in his career that Jeff Gordon has won back-to-back races. *The race was suspended after 39 laps due to rain and resumed the following day. *A crash involving Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 4 laps left caused the race to finish under caution. *Silly Season 2004 would actually start a little bit prematurely, as many drivers who have signed for new teams starting in 2004, would actually end up in their rides starting with this race. Ward Burton would drive the #0, followed by Joe Nemechek in the #01, John Andretti in the #1, Kevin Lepage in the #4, and finally, 2004 Rookie of the year contenders Scott Wimmer in the #22 and Brian Vickers in the #25.

Checker Auto Parts 500

The

Checker Auto Parts 500 The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. It is one of five NASCAR races run with a length measured in kilometers; the Ruoff Mortgage 500 (the other Cup Series rac ...

was held

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. P ...

on November 2, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. #8- Dale Earnhardt Jr. #48- Jimmie Johnson #12- Ryan Newman #97-

#15-

#17- Matt Kenseth #24- Jeff Gordon #99- Jeff Burton #22- Scott Wimmer #6- Mark Martin Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 37),

(No. 02) *The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was

. *After 2 straight disappointing finishes outside of the top 10 (13th at Martinsville & 11th at Atlanta), Matt Kenseth rebounded to finish 6th in this event after starting in 37th place. Unfortunately for Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went on to win the race. Junior, who came into Phoenix 2nd in the standings, was 258 points behind Kenseth. With Junior's win in this race, he gained 30 more points on Kenseth. The point differential was now 228 points between the two drivers. For Kenseth to clinch the Winston Cup championship at Rockingham, the penultimate race, he would have to finish 7th or better if Junior wins and leads the most laps, or be over 186 points ahead of whoever will be 2nd in the standings.

Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400

The

Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 The Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place in November at the North Carolina Motor Speedway from 1965 to 2003. It was the first NASCAR Cup Series victory for three drivers including Mark Martin in ...

was held at

on November 9, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. Matt Kenseth would clinch the final NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. #9-

#48- Jimmie Johnson #19- Jeremy Mayfield #17- Matt Kenseth #12- Ryan Newman #74- Tony Raines #99- Jeff Burton #18- Bobby Labonte #20- Tony Stewart #40- Sterling Marlin Failed to qualify:

(No. 02), Tim Sauter (No. 71), Rich Bickle (No. 79) * This was

's 44th and final career win. * This was the final Rockingham race in the fall. * The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Benny Parsons (former), and Bobby Labonte (active). * Matt Kenseth clinched the Championship by finishing in 4th place. In the Bob Latford points system, Kenseth needed a 185+ point lead to clinch the title with one race to go, and he did so by being 226 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson after the race. Ironically though, back at Atlanta in March, Kenseth finished 4th in that race to claim the lead in the Championship standings and never looked back. Then, in this race, he finishes 4th to clinch the Championship. *Kenseth won the title by winning just one race, that being back at Las Vegas in March. His consistency throughout the rest of the year following the win led him to be the Winston Cup Champion, scoring 11 top 5s and 25 top 10s. He became only the 4th driver in NASCAR history to win a championship by winning one race. The other 3 were

Bill Rexford William J. "Bill" Rexford (March 14, 1927 – April 18, 1994) was a stock car driver in the early 1950s. He is best remembered for winning the 1950 NASCAR Grand National Series championship at only 23 years old. Rexford currently holds the distin ...

in 1950, Ned Jarrett in 1961, and Benny Parsons in 1973. Kenseth became the only driver in NASCAR history to win the championship by winning only one race under the Bob Latford Winston Cup points system. **Future teammate Carl Edwards almost did it in 2011 (complete with winning the same race Kenseth did), but a vastly different points system and a late charge by Tony Stewart saw Stewart win via tiebreaker (five wins, all in the Chase, to Carl's one at Vegas). **Austin Dillon would become the first driver in any of three major touring series to win a championship without winning a race, claiming the

2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series The 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series was the 32nd season of the Nationwide Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by the NASCAR in the United States. The season was contested over thirty-three races and started on February 23, 2013 at Dayton ...

championship.

Matt Crafton Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a three-time champion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2013, 2014, 2019), in which he competes full-time, driving the No. 88 Ford F-150 ...

would go on to match Dillon's record for fewest wins in a championship season, claiming the

2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series The 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series was the 25th season of the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in North America. It marks the transition of the series' corporate sponsor from Camping World to its subsidiary ...

championship without a win. *Kenseth held a 160+ point lead for 24 consecutive weeks, from Charlotte back in May, to clinch the title at Rockingham in November, a NASCAR record. The following weekend at Homestead, however, Kenseth would finish in 43rd/last place, and Johnson would finish 3rd, and Kenseth would officially finish his championship season by 90 points over Johnson. *This was Matt Kenseth's 31st race of 2003 where he finished on the lead lap. 31 lead lap finishes in a season is a NASCAR record. *The finish of this race also holds a bit of irony for both Bill Elliott and Matt Kenseth. In September 1998, Bill Elliott attended the funeral of his father, and it was Matt Kenseth that filled in for Elliott at Dover International Speedway that year, and with that, Matt made his Winston Cup debut, and he finished in the 6th position (3rd highest debut finish in NASCAR history, behind Terry Labonte, who finished 4th at Darlington in 1978, and Rusty Wallace, who finished 2nd at Atlanta in 1980). Ironically, 5 years later, Bill Elliott went on to score his final career win, and Matt Kenseth went on to score his only championship. Also in one final bit of irony for Elliott, with this win, it was Elliott's final victory of his career, taking place on the same racetrack where he made his Winston Cup debut. Elliott made his Winston Cup debut at Rockingham back in 1976, qualifying 34th and finished 33rd. *Matt Kenseth became the 5th different NASCAR Winston Cup Champion in the last 5 years. *2003 marked 5 out of the last 6 seasons that a driver would clinch the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship with one race to go ( Jeff Gordon in 1998 and 2001,

in 1999, Bobby Labonte in 2000, Matt Kenseth in 2003). *The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup season would be the final season ever that a NASCAR driver could clinch the championship title before the final race of the season.

Ford 400

The Ford 400, the final race of the season, and the last race ever under the "Winston Cup" name were held at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2003. Jamie McMurray sat on the pole. #18- Bobby Labonte #29- Kevin Harvick #48- Jimmie Johnson #10-

#24- Jeff Gordon #19- Jeremy Mayfield #20- Tony Stewart #9-

#42- Jamie McMurray #40- Sterling Marlin Failed to qualify: Ken Schrader (No. 49), Kyle Petty (No. 45),

(No. 09), Derrike Cope (No. 79), Rich Bickle (No. 78) *First race with the new configuration at Miami. *The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were

(former), and Tony Stewart (active). *This was the 21st and final career win for Bobby Labonte. This would also be 2 races in a row where 2 drivers would score their final career Cup victory (Bill Elliott was the week before at Rockingham). *Bill Elliott dominated this race by leading 189 of 267 laps, but while leading on the final lap, Elliott cut a tire between turns 1 and 2, handing the win to Bobby Labonte. Labonte only led one lap, which would be the last lap. Elliott would end up with an 8th-place finish. *Last career full-time season for Bill Elliott. * Matt Kenseth, who had already clinched the Winston Cup Championship at Rockingham one week earlier, would unfortunately finish dead last (43rd place) due to a blown engine on lap 29. This would obviously be his worst finish of the season. This would be only his 2nd DNF of 2003, along with Talladega back in September, and that was also due to a blown engine. He would unfortunately be the only driver in NASCAR history to clinch the championship in the penultimate race, and then finish in last place in the finale event of his championship season. This would be only his 4th, and final finish, outside of the top 20 during the entire year. Despite the lone victory at Las Vegas all the way back in March, Kenseth was strongly consistent throughout the majority of 2003. *Even though Kenseth clinched the title at Rockingham with a 226-point lead over Jimmie Johnson, Johnson finished 3rd and collected 5 bonus points, and Kenseth finished 43rd with no bonus points. Those results made Kenseth lose 136 points to Johnson in this race. That would be the largest point loss for Kenseth during his entire run as the championship leader. Kenseth officially won the title over Johnson by just 90 points. The last time Kenseth had his lead under 100 points was back in May after Richmond when he was ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. by only 20 points. *After the 28th event of the season's 36 race schedule, Kenseth left Dover with a 436-point margin over 2nd place, and that would be his largest lead of the 2003 season. Unfortunately, in 3 of the final 8 events, he experienced the 2 engine failures and a crash at Kansas. Those 3 finishes would be a 33rd at Talladega, a 36th at Kansas, and dead last (43rd) in this event. He would go from a lead of 436 points after race 28 at Dover, all the way down to a lead of 90 points after race 36 at Homestead. Kenseth lost a total of 346 points to 2nd place in the season's final 8 races. *Kenseth won $4,250,000 from Winston and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, the most money for a winning champion in Winston's history. *Kenseth broke 3 records during the 2003 season. The first record was when he led the championship standings since early March after Atlanta, and he would lead the points for 33 consecutive weeks (a record that will never be broken due to several changes in the points system after 2003). The second record was when he held a 160+ point lead for 24 consecutive weeks, from Charlotte back in May, to clinching the title at Rockingham in November (even though he would officially finish the season by 90 points ahead of Johnson) (another record that will never be broken due to several changes in the points system after 2003). Finally, the third record was when he would finish on the lead lap in 31 of the season's 36 races. Kenseth would finish his championship season with 1 win, 11 top 5s, 25 top 10s, 31 lead lap finishes, and only 2 DNFs. *Matt Kenseth would be the only driver from

to finish in the top 10 in points. *The Ford manufacturer would have a very disappointing 2003 season as champion Matt Kenseth would be the only Ford driver to finish in the top 10 in the standings.

would be the next highest finishing Ford as he finished the season in 11th. *Jimmie Johnson won the tight fight for 2nd place in the points standings over Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Newman. With that 2nd-place finish in points, he won over 1.7 million dollars. *This would be the 2nd straight season that a driver who won the most races would finish outside of the top 5 in points (Matt Kenseth won 5 races in 2002 but finished 8th, and Ryan Newman would win 8 races in 2003, but finished 6th). *Tony Stewart clinched 7th place in points right when the race started. He could not gain enough points to be in 6th, and he could not lose enough points to fall back in 8th. *Bobby Labonte finishes 8th in points. Last career top 10 points finish for Labonte. *Bill Elliott finishes 9th in points. This is the first time that he would finish in the top 10 in points since 1997 when he finished in 8th that year. Last career top 10 points finish for Elliott. * Terry Labonte finishes 10th in points. This is the first time that he would finish in the top 10 in points since 1998 when he finished in 9th that year. Terry came into this race 56 points behind

for 10th spot. However, Kurt Busch crashed with Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman on lap 4, and he would finish 36th. Terry finished 15th and collected 5 bonus points, and he would gain 68 points on Busch due to his crash, and with that points gain, Terry would take 10th place from Kurt by 12 points. With that 10th-place points finish, he was able to get the final spot on the stage for the last Winston Cup Awards Banquet. Last career top 10 points finish for Labonte. *This was the first time since 1998 that both Terry and Bobby Labonte would finish in the top 10 in points together. This would also be the final season in their separate careers that they would both finish in the top 10 in points respectively. *After finishing 3rd in the 2002 standings, Kurt Busch finished 2003 in 11th, just 12 points behind Terry Labonte, as mentioned above. *After finishing 7th in points for the last 3 years (2000, 2001, 2002), Rusty Wallace failed to finish in the top 10 in points for the first time since 1992. He finished the season in 14th. *After finishing 2nd to Tony Stewart by only 38 points in 2002, Mark Martin would have a very disappointing 2003 season as he would finish 17th in the standings. *After finishing 10th in the 2002 standings, Ricky Rudd would finish 2003 in a very disappointing 23rd place in points. *After finishing 9th in the 2002 standings,

would finish 2003 in a very disappointing 26th place in points, the lowest position in his full-time career. With the 26th-place points finish, Dale Jarrett failed to receive money from Winston, the Cup Series sponsor, at season's end for the very 1st time in his full-time career, because the Cup Series title sponsor pays the top 25 drivers in the points standings only. * This marked the final race for Winston as NASCAR title sponsor for the Cup Series after 33 seasons (1,035 races). * This marked the final race for Unocal 76. It had been the official fuel of NASCAR since the sport's inception in 1948 (all 2,030 races). * This marked the final full-time race for Pontiac. Johnny Benson was the highest finishing Pontiac driver in this race by finishing 4th, giving Pontiac its final top 5 finish ever in the series. Pontiac competed in NASCAR from 1949 to 1964, and then came back full-time from 1981 to 2003. Carl Long, Andy Belmont, and

however, did run a combined 4 races (which all 4 races were consecutive) in a Pontiac at the beginning of 2004, driving the number 02 car for Sadler Brothers Racing, a single-car team. Carl Long raced the car at Las Vegas in March, then the next 2 weekends, Andy Belmont raced at Atlanta and Darlington, and finally, one week later, Hermie Sadler raced at Bristol in April. The Bristol race marked the final race ever for Pontiac, and those 4 races would be the final 4 races for Pontiac in NASCAR. Andy Belmont attempted Rockingham in February and Texas in April but failed to make both races. Texas was the last race ever attempted for Pontiac. After Andy Belmont failed to make the Texas race, Pontiac left NASCAR for good. Pontiac would leave the sport full-time with 3 Manufacturer's Championships (1961, 1962, and 1993), and scoring 154 Career NASCAR Winston Cup Series wins. Rusty Wallace is the all-time winner in a Pontiac at 31. Only 4 drivers have won the Winston Cup Series Championship driving a Pontiac:

Joe Weatherly Joseph Herbert Weatherly (May 29, 1922 – January 19, 1964) was an American stock car racing driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National Series championships in ...

(twice in 1962 and 1963), Rusty Wallace (1989), Bobby Labonte (2000), and Tony Stewart (2002). *Last points race without Kasey Kahne until the

2018 Brickyard 400 The 2018 Brickyard 400, branded as Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 10, 2018 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It is the 25th running of the Brickyard 400. Cont ...

Final points standings

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.

Rookie of the Year

The easy favorite for Rookie of the Year heading was Jamie McMurray, who had won the previous year in just his second start, and he did not disappoint, posting thirteen top-tens and a pole position despite not winning again. Runner-up

finished in the top-25 in the first two races, failed to qualify at Las Vegas, then won the Pepsi 400, while Tony Raines posted just one top ten finish in

BACE Motorsports BACE Motorsports was a championship-winning NASCAR team. It was owned by entrepreneur Bill Baumgardner, who also founded Staff America. Baumgardner was inspired to start his own team after Staff America was a sponsor in the Busch Series for two ye ...

' only full season in Winston Cup. Casey Mears could not finish higher than 15th in his debut season. Former

Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...

champion

Jack Sprague Jack Sprague (born August 8, 1964) is an American former stock car racing driver who has competed in all of NASCAR's three top divisions, most notably in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he won series championships in 1997, 1999 and 2001. Racin ...

only lasted eighteen races before being released from his No. 0 ride, while Larry Foyt's best finish in 20 starts was a sixteenth at the season ending race at Homestead. The only other declared candidate,

, dropped out early due to a lack of funding from his

BelCar Racing Travis Carter Enterprises (later known as Haas-Carter Motorsports, K Mart Racing, BelCar Motorsports and Richardson-Haas Motorsports) was a NASCAR and USAR Pro Cup team. It was mostly owned by former crew chief Travis Carter and Carl Haas. The ...

team.

References

External links

2003 Winston Cup drivers standings
{{NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship NASCAR Cup Series seasons

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule

Limited schedule

Schedule

Races

Budweiser Shootout

Gatorade Twin 125s

45th Daytona 500

Subway 400

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

Bass Pro Shops 500

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400

Food City 500

Samsung/Radio Shack 500

Aaron's 499

Virginia 500

Auto Club 500

Pontiac Excitement 400

The Winston

Coca-Cola 600

MBNA Armed Forces Family 400

Pocono 500

Sirius 400

Dodge/Save Mart 350

Pepsi 400

Tropicana 400

New England 300

Pennsylvania 500

Brickyard 400

Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen

GFS Marketplace 400

Sharpie 500

Mountain Dew Southern 500

Chevy Rock and Roll 400

Sylvania 300

MBNA America 400

EA Sports 500

Banquet 400

UAW-GM Quality 500

Subway 500

Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500

Checker Auto Parts 500

Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400

Ford 400

Final points standings

Rookie of the Year

See also

References

External links