2003 Daytona 500

45th Daytona 500

Location	Daytona International Speedway
Date	February 16, 2003
Laps	109 (Rain-shortened)
Daytona 500 Champion	Michael Waltrip
Average speed	133.870
Pole Sitter	Jeff Green
Most Laps Led	Michael Waltrip
Qualifying Race Winners	Robby Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Television
Network	FOX
Ratings	9.8
Announcers	Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

Summary

The 2003 Daytona 500 was held on February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. 2000 NASCAR Busch Series champion Jeff Green won his second career Winston Cup pole (his first was at Bristol in 2001). The race ended after 109 laps when rain had begun pouring on the track. During the race, Ryan Newman had a wild accident in the tri-oval, his #12 Dodge tumbling end over end. Fortunately, he was not injured in the crash. Prior to the race, the drivers paid tribute by having decals in their cars in honor of the astronauts who were killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, similar to the 1986 disaster in which they paid tribute to them as well.

2001 winner Michael Waltrip won the race for the second time in three years, giving him his third NASCAR Winston Cup win; all of his wins to that point had been in races held at Daytona. It was the first of Waltrip's two wins in 2003, both coming in restrictor plate races (he later won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega in October for his fourth- and to date, last- Cup win). For the first time since 1966, the race was stopped due to rain; at 272.5 miles, this was the shortest ever Daytona 500 race.

Ryan Newman's Flip

Ryan Newman was running solidly in the top-15, but Ward Burton hit Ken Schrader and both Schrader and Newman hit the wall. The rear tire fixture underneath Newman's car detached from the car as he went sliding into the infield. Newman flipped several times and the car landed on its roof. Most of the car came apart in the infield and there was a cleanup that required the red flag to be thrown. Both Penske Racing and new manufacturer Dodge were investigated because of the quality of the car. Newman was uninjured.

Results

1. 15-Michael Waltrip, Led 68 of 109 Laps
2. 97-Kurt Busch
3. 48-Jimmie Johnson, Led 8 Laps
4. 29-Kevin Harvick
5. 6-Mark Martin
6. 31-Robby Gordon
7. 20-Tony Stewart, Led 6 Laps
8. 19-Jeremy Mayfield
9. 09-Mike Wallace
10. 88-Dale Jarrett
11. 99-Jeff Burton
12. 24-Jeff Gordon
13. 45-Kyle Petty
14. 0-Jack Sprague*
15. 21-Ricky Rudd
16. 23-Kenny Wallace
17. 40-Sterling Marlin
18. 54-Todd Bodine, Led 1 Lap
19. 10-Johnny Benson
20. 17-Matt Kenseth, Led 2 Laps
21. 16-Greg Biffle*
22. 25-Joe Nemechek
23. 38-Elliott Sadler
24. 77-Dave Blaney
25. 2-Rusty Wallace
26. 32-Ricky Craven, Led 1 Lap
27. 41-Casey Mears*, Led 1 Lap
28. 01-Jerry Nadeau
29. 1-Steve Park
30. 5-Terry Labonte
31. 42-Jamie McMurray*
32. 9-Bill Elliott
33. 74-Tony Raines*
34. 43-John Andretti, 1 Lap down
35. 33-Christian Fittipaldi*, 1 Lap down
36. 8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr, 1 Lap down; Led 22 Laps
37. 4-Mike Skinner, 1 Lap down
38. 22-Ward Burton, Completed 105 Laps (Accident)
39. 30-Jeff Green, 94 Laps (Accident)
40. 7-Jimmy Spencer, 94 Laps (Accident)
41. 18-Bobby Labonte, 28 Laps down
42. 49-Ken Schrader, 57 Laps (Accident)
43. 12-Ryan Newman, 56 Laps (Accident)

Failed to qualify: 14-Larry Foyt*, 11-Brett Bodine, 02-Hermie Sadler, 60-David Green, 90-Kirk Shelmerdine, 37-Derrike Cope, and 78-Mike Harmon.