2003 Pepsi 400
Race details
Race 17 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Date July 5, 2003 (2003-07-05)
Location Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.02336 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 166.109 mph (267.327 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Richard Childress Racing
Most laps led
Driver Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing
Laps 54
Winner
No. 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings 6.0/13

The 2003 Pepsi 400, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on July 5, 2003, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the seventeenth race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing won the race, earning his first career Winston Cup Series win.

Background

Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida that is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.[1] The standard track at Daytona is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track also features two other layouts that utilize portions of the primary high speed tri-oval, such as a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) sports car course and a 2.95-mile (4.75 km) motorcycle course.[2] The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

Race

The race is famous for one of the longest green flag runs ever. There were only two brief yellows in the first half for a total of ten laps. The final 81 laps (the entire second half) were run under green, setting up a finish where fuel strategy was going to be key to deciding the winner. Rookie Greg Biffle won the event for his first Cup Series victory. His win was an upset after Bobby Labonte ran out of gas in the final laps, likewise, Kevin Harvick led the most laps at 54, but also failed to win.

Top 10 results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Sponsor Laps Laps
Led
1 30 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford Grainer 160 21
2 36 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Citgo 160 0
3 27 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft 160 0
4 25 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's / Got Milk? 160 0
5 15 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 160 11
6 37 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford Smirnoff Ice Triple Black / DeWalt 160 10
7 5 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser 160 43
8 10 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW 160 0
9 2 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench 160 54
10 16 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS 160 0

References

  1. ^ "Race Tracks". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  2. ^ "Track facts". DaytonaInternationalSpeedway.com. Daytona International Speedway. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.


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