2003 Pocono 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Pocono 500 program cover, featuring Dale Jarrett, winner of the 2002 race. | |||
| Date | June 8, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 22nd Annual Pocono 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 134.892 miles per hour (217.088 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 100,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 52.741 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 44 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 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 Pocono 500 was the 14th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 22nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 8, 2003, before a crowd of 100,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. On the final round of pit stops on lap 190, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would cycle to the lead and hold off the field to win under caution when a crash occurred on lap 198 to give Stewart his 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
*Withdrew.[2]
Practice
Originally, three practice sessions were going to be held, with one session on Friday, and two on Saturday. However, rain on Saturday would cancel both Saturday practices.[2]
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, June 6, 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 52.654 and an average speed of 170.927 miles per hour (275.080 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 52.654 | 170.927 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 52.680 | 170.843 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 52.686 | 170.823 |
| Full practice results | ||||||