2003 MBNA Armed Forces Family 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | June 1, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 35th Annual MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 | ||
| Location | Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1 miles (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 109.514 miles per hour (176.246 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Time | 22.682 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 162 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2003 MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 was the 13th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 1, 2003, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top 3, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
Originally, three practice sessions were scheduled to be held, with one practice on Friday, May 30, and two on Saturday, May 31. However, due to rain, the final Saturday session was cancelled.[3]
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, May 30, at 11:05 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 55 minutes.[3] Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.738 and an average speed of 158.325 miles per hour (254.799 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 22.738 | 158.325 |
| 2 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.836 | 157.646 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.838 | 157.632 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, May 31, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Sterling Marlin, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.263 and an average speed of 154.752 miles per hour (249.049 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 23.263 | 154.752 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 23.299 | 154.513 |
| 3 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.428 | 153.662 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
