2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (March)
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
_program_cover.jpg) The 2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | March 9, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 45th Annual Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.54 miles (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Average speed | 146.048 miles per hour (235.041 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 106,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing | ||
| Time | 28.963 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 172 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
The 2003 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 9, 2003, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would make a late charge against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon near the end of the race, passing him with nine laps to go to win his 20th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish third.
Entry list
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Practice
Originally, three practice sessions were going to be held, with one on Friday and two on Saturday. However, fog on Saturday would force NASCAR to combine the two practices on Saturday into one session.[2]
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, March 7, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[2] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.895 and an average speed of 191.867 miles per hour (308.780 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.895 | 191.867 |
| 2 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.963 | 191.417 |
| 3 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.970 | 191.370 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 8, at 10:15 AM EST, and would last for one hour and 45 minutes.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.570 and an average speed of 187.487 miles per hour (301.731 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.570 | 187.487 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 29.664 | 186.893 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 29.691 | 186.723 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||