2003 Sylvania 300

The 2003 Sylvania 300 was an NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 14, 2003 at New Hampshire International Speedway, in Loudon, New Hampshire. Contested over 300 laps on the 1.058 mile (1.702 km) speedway, it was the 27th race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.

2003 Sylvania 300
Race details
Race 27 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Date September 14, 2003 (2003-September-14)
Location New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire
Course Permanent racing facility
1.058 mi (1.702 km)
Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Average speed 106.58 miles per hour (171.52 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Penske Racing
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Laps 120
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, & Wally Dallenbach Jr.

Background

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

Summary

This race marked the last time that the long-standing NASCAR rule of racing back to a yellow caution flag was in place. During the race, Dale Jarrett spun and hit the wall in turn 4 and came to rest in the middle of the racetrack's front stretch. Leaders slowed down except Michael Waltrip, who attempted to put several cars a lap down; he and others raced past Jarrett's immobilized car at full speed and some barely avoided contact with him. Beginning with the next race, the MBNA America 400 at Dover, in addition to other rule changes for the Cup, Busch, and Truck series, NASCAR outlawed racing back to the caution. Instead, NASCAR froze the field immediately at the caution and allowed the first car one lap down (or multiple laps down, if there were no cars one lap down) to rejoin the lead lap; this is officially called the "free pass" by NASCAR but is widely known by fans and journalists as the "lucky dog" rule, due to Aaron's sponsoring the free pass on television broadcasts for a number of years.

Top 10 results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
2 21Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord
3 25Joe NemechekHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
4 9Bill ElliottEvernham MotorsportsDodge
5 8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet
6 2Rusty WallacePenske RacingDodge
7 17Matt KensethRoush RacingFord
8 38Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord
9 12Ryan NewmanPenske RacingDodge
10 42Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge

Race Statistics

  • Time of race: 2:58:41
  • Average Speed: 106.58 miles per hour (171.52 km/h)
  • Pole Speed: 133.357 miles per hour (214.617 km/h)
  • Cautions: 6 for 38 laps
  • Margin of Victory: 6.240 sec
  • Lead changes: 20
  • Percent of race run under caution: 12.7%
  • Average green flag run: 37.4 laps

References

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