The 2003 Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen was the 22nd stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 10, 2003, before a crowd of 100,000 at the shortened layout of Watkins Glen International, a 2.454 miles (3.949 km) permanent road course. The race took the scheduled 90 laps to complete. At race's end, Robby Gordon of Richard Childress Racing would stretch out a fuel run in the last 39 laps of the race to win his third and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his second and final win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Scott Pruett of Chip Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt Jr. would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen program cover. | |||
| Date | August 10, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 18th Annual Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen | ||
| Location | Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen International | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.454 mi (3.949 km) | ||
| Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Average speed | 90.441 miles per hour (145.551 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 100,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:10.798 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 30 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.
Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, August 8, at 11:00 AM EST, and would last for 2 hours.[2] Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:10.981 and an average speed of 124.259 miles per hour (199.975 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 1:10.981 | 124.259 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:10.984 | 124.253 |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:11.110 | 124.033 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, August 9, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.050 and an average speed of 122.415 miles per hour (197.008 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.050 | 122.415 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:12.099 | 122.332 |
| 3 | 1 | Ron Fellows | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 1:12.362 | 121.887 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, August 9, at 11:10 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Greg Biffle of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.050 and an average speed of 122.415 miles per hour (197.008 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:11.433 | 123.472 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:12.031 | 122.447 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 1:12.249 | 122.078 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, August 8, at 3:05 PM EST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a lap time.[2] 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.[6]
Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 1:10.798 and an average speed of 124.580 miles per hour (200.492 km/h).[7]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Ken Schrader, Joe Varde, Scott Maxwell, and Larry Foyt.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ "Robby Gordon wins at Watkins Glen". wthr.com. 2003-08-10. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Watkins Glen Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Watkins Glen Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2003 Watkins Glen Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Brinster, Dick. "Jeff Gordon grabs pole at Watkins Glen". Ocala. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "2003 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30.