2003 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | September 6, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 46th Annual Chevy Rock & Roll 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.21 km (0.75 miles) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 94.945 miles per hour (152.799 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 105,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | MB2 Motorsports | ||
| Time | 21.464 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 126 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2003 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 46th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 6, 2003, before a crowd of 105,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman would hold off the field on a late restart with four to go to win his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his sixth win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports and Ricky Rudd of Wood Brothers Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, September 5, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.398 and an average speed of 126.180 miles per hour (203.067 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 21.398 | 126.180 |
| 2 | 01 | Mike Skinner | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.449 | 125.880 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 21.450 | 125.874 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, September 5, at 4:45 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Todd Bodine of BelCar Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.670 and an average speed of 124.596 miles per hour (200.518 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Racing | Ford | 21.670 | 124.596 |
| 2 | 01 | Mike Skinner | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.716 | 124.332 |
| 3 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 21.720 | 124.309 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, September 5, at 6:10 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.599 and an average speed of 125.006 miles per hour (201.178 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.599 | 125.006 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.705 | 124.395 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.775 | 123.995 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, September 5, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[2] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Mike Skinner of MB2 Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 21.464 and an average speed of 125.792 miles per hour (202.443 km/h).[7]
Larry Foyt and Billy Bigley would fail to qualify.[8]