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2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350

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2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350
Race details
Race 16 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350 program cover.
The 2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350 program cover.
Date June 22, 2003
Official name 15th Annual Dodge/Save Mart 350
Location Sonoma, California, Infineon Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.99 mi (3.20 km)
Distance 110 laps, 218.9 mi (352.285 km)
Scheduled Distance 110 laps, 218.9 mi (352.285 km)
Average speed 73.821 miles per hour (118.803 km/h)
Attendance 100,000
Pole position
Driver MB2 Motorsports
Time 1:16.522
Most laps led
Driver Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing
Laps 81
Winner
No. 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress 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 Dodge/Save Mart 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 15th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 22, 2003, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Infineon Raceway, a 1.99 miles (3.20 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 110 laps to complete. At race's end, Robby Gordon of Richard Childress Racing would win under caution, but not before making a controversial pass racing back to the line against eventual third-place finisher, teammate Kevin Harvick on lap 71 that sealed Gordon's victory.[1][2] The win was Gordon's second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second.

That was first race when NEXTEL became the new title sponsor starting in next season.

Background

[edit]
The layout of Infineon Raceway used by NASCAR at the time.

Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[5]

Entry list

[edit]
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
0 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Pontiac NetZero HiSpeed
00 Jim Inglebright Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet Big O Tires, Jelly Belly
1 Ron Fellows Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
01 Boris Said MB2 Motorsports Pontiac U.S. Army
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Dodge Miller Lite
02 Brandon Ash Ash Motorsports Ford Ash Motorsports
4 Johnny Miller Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's, Got Milk?
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge Sirius Satellite Radio
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Summer Sales Deal
09 Scott Pruett Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Valvoline
12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge Alltel
14 P. J. Jones A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge Harrah's "Oh Yeah!"
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford Grainger Lighting Solutions!
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Summer Sales Deal
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet The Home Depot
21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge Stacker 2
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet UAW, Delphi
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Jeff Green Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac Tide
33 Paul Menard Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Menards, Turtle Wax
38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Texaco, Havoline
43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Brawny, Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge BAM Racing
54 Todd Bodine BelCar Racing Ford National Guard
66 Hideo Fukuyama BelCar Racing Ford Kikkoman
74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet BACE Motorsports
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid, Sharpie
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

[edit]

The first practice would occur on Friday, June 20, at 11:20 AM PST, and would last for two hours.[6] Boris Said of MB2 Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.264 and an average speed of 92.721 miles per hour (149.220 km/h).[7]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 01 Boris Said MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1:17.264 92.721
2 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 1:17.284 92.697
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 1:17.322 92.652
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice would occur on Saturday, June 21, at 9:30 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[6] Kurt Busch of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.622 and an average speed of 92.293 miles per hour (148.531 km/h).[8]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 1:17.622 92.293
2 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:17.765 92.124
3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:17.788 92.096
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

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The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, June 21, at 11:10 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[6] Boris Said of MB2 Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.265 and an average speed of 92.720 miles per hour (149.218 km/h).[9]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 01 Boris Said MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1:17.265 92.720
2 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 1:17.331 92.641
3 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:17.338 92.632
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

[edit]

Qualifying was held on Friday, June 20, at 3:05 PM PST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a lap time.[6] 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.[10]

Boris Said of MB2 Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 1:16.522 and an average speed of 93.620 miles per hour (150.667 km/h).[11]

Two incidents would occur during the session. First, Jimmie Johnson would spin in Turn 10, forcing him to use a provisional. Then, Ricky Craven would blow an engine, also forcing him to use a provisional.[12]

Four drivers would fail to qualify: P. J. Jones, Paul Menard, Jim Inglebright, and Brandon Ash.[12]

Full qualifying results

[edit]
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 01 Boris Said MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1:16.522 93.620
2 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:16.816 93.262
3 1 Ron Fellows Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 1:16.972 93.073
4 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 1:17.133 92.879
5 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 1:17.133 92.879
6 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:17.165 92.840
7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 1:17.180 92.822
8 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:17.198 92.800
9 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1:17.255 92.732
10 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 1:17.310 92.666
11 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 1:17.414 92.541
12 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 1:17.488 92.453
13 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 1:17.510 92.427
14 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 1:17.587 92.335
15 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 1:17.603 92.316
16 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 1:17.622 92.293
17 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 1:17.701 92.200
18 09 Scott Pruett Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 1:17.719 92.178
19 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 1:17.776 92.111
20 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 1:17.808 92.073
21 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:17.851 92.022
22 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Motorsports Ford 1:17.884 91.983
23 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:17.945 91.911
24 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:18.015 91.828
25 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1:18.036 91.804
26 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 1:18.142 91.679
27 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 1:18.147 91.673
28 0 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 1:18.233 91.573
29 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:18.286 91.511
30 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 1:18.305 91.488
31 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 1:18.333 91.456
32 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 1:18.334 91.454
33 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 1:18.391 91.388
34 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 1:18.439 91.332
35 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 1:18.621 91.121
36 4 Johnny Miller Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 1:18.679 91.053
Provisionals
37 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:36.655 74.119
38 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac
39 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 1:18.892 90.808
40 30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:19.698 89.889
41 43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge 1:18.688 91.043
42 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 1:20.589 88.896
43 66 Hideo Fukuyama BelCar Racing Ford 1:20.284 89.233
Failed to qualify
44 14 P. J. Jones A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge 1:18.926 90.769
45 33 Paul Menard Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 1:19.656 89.937
46 00 Jim Inglebright Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet 1:20.451 89.048
47 02 Brandon Ash Ash Motorsports Ford 1:19.205 90.449
Official qualifying results

Race results

[edit]
Fin[13] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 2 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 110 81 running 185 $204,512
2 8 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 110 0 running 170 $143,203
3 6 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 110 0 running 165 $119,128
4 12 9 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 110 0 running 160 $119,748
5 13 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing South Dodge 110 0 running 155 $101,140
6 1 01 Boris Said MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 110 1 running 155 $90,990
7 3 1 Ron Fellows Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 110 21 running 151 $92,927
8 7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Dodge 110 0 running 142 $99,482
9 14 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 110 0 running 138 $105,223
10 31 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 110 0 running 134 $80,335
11 11 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 110 0 running 130 $100,292
12 10 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 110 0 running 127 $110,988
13 20 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 110 0 running 124 $75,950
14 4 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 110 0 running 121 $78,975
15 9 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 110 0 running 118 $84,825
16 19 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 110 0 running 115 $93,406
17 37 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 110 0 running 112 $75,630
18 27 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 110 0 running 109 $99,775
19 17 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 110 0 running 106 $93,208
20 26 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 110 0 running 103 $62,525
21 38 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 110 0 running 100 $80,050
22 24 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 110 0 running 97 $93,125
23 22 54 Todd Bodine BelCar Motorsports Ford 110 0 running 94 $70,125
24 36 4 Johnny Miller Morgan–McClure Motorsports Pontiac 110 0 running 91 $66,939
25 23 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 110 0 running 88 $84,886
26 33 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 110 0 running 85 $66,300
27 35 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 110 0 running 82 $66,160
28 5 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 110 0 running 79 $75,255
29 30 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Dodge 110 0 running 76 $58,035
30 25 10 Johnny Benson Jr. MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 109 7 running 78 $84,745
31 34 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 109 0 running 70 $54,925
32 15 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 109 0 running 67 $62,865
33 42 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 109 0 running 64 $55,745
34 18 09 Scott Pruett Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 109 0 running 61 $54,825
35 21 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 109 0 running 58 $54,805
36 39 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 109 0 running 55 $54,785
37 32 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 106 0 out of gas 52 $54,765
38 16 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 102 0 running 49 $88,162
39 28 0 Jack Sprague Haas CNC Racing Pontiac 95 0 running 46 $54,720
40 41 43 Christian Fittipaldi Petty Enterprises Dodge 86 0 transmission 43 $90,463
41 40 30 Steve Park Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 85 0 crash 40 $62,650
42 29 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 83 0 transmission 37 $100,403
43 43 66 Hideo Fukuyama BelCar Racing Ford 68 0 rear end 34 $54,829
Failed to qualify
44 14 P. J. Jones A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dodge
45 33 Paul Menard Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet
46 00 Jim Inglebright Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet
47 02 Brandon Ash Ash Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Gordon wins Dodge Save/Mart 350". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  2. ^ Gilles, Max (2013-07-04). "This week in 2003: Robby Gordon races back to yellow flag at Infineon". Autoweek. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  3. ^ "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  4. ^ "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  5. ^ "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". 2007-09-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  6. ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Sonoma Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  7. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Sonoma Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  8. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Sonoma Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-09. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  9. ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Sonoma Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  10. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Provisional Land Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  11. ^ HARRIS, MIKE (2003-06-21). "Boris Said Surprised to Win Sonoma Pole". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  12. ^ a b "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2003 Sonoma Qualifying Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  13. ^ "2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
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