2003 GFS Marketplace 400

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2003 GFS Marketplace 400
Race details[1][2]
Race 23 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2003 GFS Marketplace 400 program cover
2003 GFS Marketplace 400 program cover
Date August 17, 2003 (2003-08-17)
Location Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
Course Permanent racing facility
2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Temperatures up to 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds up to 13.81 miles per hour (22.23 km/h)[3]
Average speed 127.31 mph (204.89 km/h)
Attendance 150,000
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 37.847
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 50
Winner
No. 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings
  • 4.9 (Final)
  • (6.23 million)[4]

The 2003 GFS Marketplace 400 was the 23rd stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on August 17, 2003 at Michigan International Speedway near Brooklyn, Michigan before a crowd of 150,000. The 200-lap race was won by Ryan Newman of the Penske Racing South team after he started from second position. Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing finished second and Joe Gibbs Racing's Tony Stewart came in third.

Report[edit]

Background[edit]

Michigan International Speedway, where the race was held.

The 2003 GFS Marketplace 400 was the 23rd of 36 scheduled stock car races of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on August 17, 2003, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway,[2] one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.[5] The standard track at Michigan International Speedway is a 2 mi (3.2 km) four-turn superspeedway.[6] The track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the front stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at twelve degrees. The back stretch, has a five degree banking.[6]

Before the race Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 3,294 points, ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in second and Jeff Gordon in third. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick was fourth and fifth, and Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon rounded out the top ten.[7] Chevrolet led the Manufacturers' Championship with 158 points, 21 ahead of their rival Ford in second. Dodge was third on 110 and Pontiac was fourth with 79.[8] Dale Jarrett was the race's defending champion.[9]

Practice and qualifying[edit]

Bobby Labonte (pictured in 2006) had the twenty-fifth pole of his career.

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race; one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first practice session lasted 60 minutes, the second and final sessions lasted 45 minutes.[1] Newman was fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.221 seconds; Elliott Sadler was second and Harvick third. Bobby Labonte was fourth with a lap of 38.438 seconds, and Earnhardt placed fifth. Busch, Dale Jarrett, Johnson, Tony Stewart, Terry Labonte rounded out the session's top-ten drivers.[10]

Although 44 drivers were entered in the qualifier; according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure only 43 could race. Each driver was limited to two timed laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times.[1] The qualifier was delayed for two hours because of rain which increased the track grip available to the drivers.[11] Bobby Labonte clinched his second consecutive pole position at Michigan International Speedway, his fourth of the season and the 25th of his career with a time of 37.847 seconds. He was joined on the grid's front row by Newman. Robby Gordon qualified third, Kevin Lepage fourth, and Terry Labonte started fifth. Jason Leffler, Christian Fittipaldi, Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney and Jimmy Spencer rounded out the top ten qualifiers.[11] Brett Bodine, Carl Long, Rich Bickle and Morgan Shepherd withdrew from the event prior to qualifying.[2] The driver that failed to qualify was Stacy Compton.[12] After the qualifier, Bobby Labonte said: "I just like coming here. It just falls into the category of a good track. The cars can race here from the white line (at the bottom of the banking) to the white wall, which is about 100 yards. That's a lot of fun."[11]

On Saturday afternoon Johnson was fastest in the second practice session with a lap of 39.166 seconds, ahead of Bobby Labonte and Rusty Wallace. Harvick with a time of 39.224 was fourth-fastest; Sterling Marlin was fifth and Newman sixth. Greg Biffle, Terry Labonte, Johnny Benson Jr. and Stewart followed in the top ten.[13] Later that day, Wallace paced the final practice session with a time of 39.816 seconds; Earnhardt was second and Busch. Jeff Green was fourth-fastest, ahead of Bobby Labonte and Newman. Waltrip was seventh-fastest, Stewart eighth, Jamie McMurray ninth and Biffle tenth.[14] Jeremy Mayfield's tire blew, damaging his rear fender, and switched to a back-up car. Marlin's engine failed during the session, and Marlin changed engines.[1]

Results[edit]

POS[15] ST # DRIVER SPONSOR / OWNER CAR LAPS MONEY STATUS LED PTS
1 2 12   Ryan Newman Alltel   (Roger Penske) Dodge 200 155505 running 32 180
2 11 29   Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 200 147758 running 46 175
3 23 20   Tony Stewart Home Depot   (Joe Gibbs) Chevrolet 200 140063 running 0 165
4 12 16   Greg Biffle Grainger   (Jack Roush) Ford 200 85670 running 19 165
5 18 30   Steve Park America Online   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 200 76980 running 0 155
6 3 31   Robby Gordon Cingular Wireless   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 200 89402 running 0 150
7 13 15   Michael Waltrip NAPA   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 200 77915 running 0 146
8 30 49   Ken Schrader SEM Products / Color Horizons   (Beth Ann Morgenthau) Dodge 200 79790 running 0 142
9 33 17   Matt Kenseth DeWalt Power Tools   (Jack Roush) Ford 200 76540 running 0 138
10 35 10   Johnny Benson Jr. Valvoline   (James Rocco) Pontiac 200 94690 running 0 134
11 8 99   Jeff Burton Citgo   (Jack Roush) Ford 200 92422 running 0 130
12 17 38   Elliott Sadler M&M's   (Yates Racing) Ford 200 92515 running 0 127
13 5 5   Terry Labonte Kellogg's / got milk?   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 200 84421 running 0 124
14 22 22   Ward Burton Caterpillar   (Bill Davis) Dodge 200 90521 running 0 121
15 32 9   Bill Elliott Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham) Dodge 200 92598 running 0 118
16 36 45   Kyle Petty Georgia-Pacific   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 200 64540 running 0 115
17 37 6   Mark Martin Viagra   (Jack Roush) Ford 200 89323 running 0 112
18 20 97   Kurt Busch Rubbermaid   (Jack Roush) Ford 200 96690 running 43 114
19 38 40   Sterling Marlin Coors Light   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 200 95390 running 0 106
20 25 25   Joe Nemechek UAW-Delphi   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 200 56750 running 0 103
21 34 1   Jeff Green Pennzoil   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 200 76027 running 0 100
22 42 01   Mike Skinner U.S. Army   (Nelson Bowers) Pontiac 200 66940 running 0 97
23 29 88   Dale Jarrett UPS   (Yates Racing) Ford 200 97093 running 5 99
24 24 74   Tony Raines GFS Marketplace   (Bill Baumgardner) Chevrolet 200 50215 running 0 91
25 9 77   Dave Blaney Jasper Engines & Transmissions   (Doug Bawel) Ford 200 72065 running 0 88
26 10 7   Jimmy Spencer Sirius Satellite Radio   (Jim Smith) Dodge 200 61154 running 2 90
27 15 48   Jimmie Johnson Lowe's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 199 73875 running 50 92
28 40 19   Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham) Dodge 199 60325 running 0 79
29 27 21   Ricky Rudd Motorcraft   (Wood Brothers) Ford 199 60140 running 0 76
30 21 24   Jeff Gordon DuPont   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 198 96943 running 0 73
31 4 57   Kevin Lepage CLR   (Ted Campbell) Ford 197 49065 running 0 70
32 19 8   Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 192 89782 crash 0 67
33 7 43   Christian Fittipaldi Cheerios   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 176 87068 engine 0 64
34 43 37   Derrike Cope Friendly's Ice Cream   (Derrike Cope) Chevrolet 173 49585 running 0 61
35 6 0   Jason Leffler NetZero Hi Speed   (Gene Haas) Pontiac 166 48540 running 0 58
36 26 42   Jamie McMurray Havoline   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 141 48490 crash 0 55
37 1 18   Bobby Labonte Interstate Batteries   (Joe Gibbs) Chevrolet 140 99023 engine 3 57
38 31 2   Rusty Wallace Miller Lite   (Roger Penske) Dodge 105 82997 engine 0 49
39 14 50   Larry Foyt Harrah's   (A.J. Foyt) Dodge 81 48295 transmission 0 46
40 39 32   Ricky Craven Tide   (Cal Wells) Pontiac 76 56235 crash 0 43
41 16 41   Casey Mears Target   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 76 56200 crash 0 40
42 28 23   Kenny Wallace Stacker 2   (Bill Davis) Dodge 62 48160 crash 0 37
43 41 54   Todd Bodine National Guard   (Travis Carter) Ford 62 47484 crash 0 34
Failed to qualify or withdrew
POS NAME NBR SPONSOR OWNER CAR
44 Stacy Compton 4 Kodak Perfect Touch Larry McClure Pontiac
WD Brett Bodine 11 Brett Bodine Racing Brett Bodine Ford
WD Carl Long 66 Travis Carter Racing Travis Carter Ford
WD Rich Bickle 79 SBC / Molykote John Conely Chevrolet
WD Morgan Shepherd 89 Racing For Jesus / Red Line Oil Morgan Shepherd Ford

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "The Race: GFS Marketplace 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "2003 GFS Marketplace 400". Racing-Reference. USA Today Media Sports Group. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Weather Information for Brooklyn, Michigan". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  5. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Michigan International Speedway". ESPN. ESPN Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. ^ "GM Racing NASCAR Bullet Points – Michigan International Speedway". The Auto Channel. August 17, 2003. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. ^ "Manufacturers' Championship Classification". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  9. ^ "2002 Pepsi 400 Presented by Farmer Jack". Racing-Reference. USA Today Media Sports Group. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. ^ "Practice 1 Speeds". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c "Bobby Labonte sweeps Michigan poles". The Augusta Chronicle. Associated Press. August 16, 2003. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. ^ "Race Lineup". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on August 29, 2004. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  13. ^ "Michigan II practice two times". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network, LLC. August 16, 2003. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  14. ^ "Practice 3 Speeds". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-05-28.


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