2003 Virginia 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Virginia 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | April 13, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 54th Annual Virginia 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.526 miles (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 75.557 miles per hour (121.597 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 20.079 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Laps | 195 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 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 Virginia 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 54th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 13, 2003, before an audience of 86,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to pass Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte to capture his 62nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Labonte and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, April 11, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.250 and an average speed of 93.511 miles per hour (150.491 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.250 | 93.511 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 20.253 | 93.497 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.283 | 93.359 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, April 12, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.572 and an average speed of 92.047 miles per hour (148.135 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.572 | 92.047 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 20.582 | 92.003 |
| 3 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 20.607 | 91.891 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 12, at 11:10 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Kenny Wallace, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.548 and an average speed of 92.155 miles per hour (148.309 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 20.548 | 92.155 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.592 | 91.958 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.621 | 91.829 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
