A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 32 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Subway 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 19, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 55th Annual Subway 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 67.658 miles per hour (108.885 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 88,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 20.220 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 313 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2003 Subway 500 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 55th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 19, 2003, before a crowd of 88,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would dominate most of the race weekend to win his 63rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Jimmie Johnson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, October 17, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would both set the fastest time in the session, with laps of 20.428 and an average speed of 92.696 miles per hour (149.180 km/h).[4]
In the session, Ultra Motorsports driver Jimmy Spencer would suffer a crash, forcing Spencer to go to a backup car and start at the rear of the field for the race.[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.428 | 92.696 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.428 | 92.696 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 20.434 | 92.669 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Saturday, October 18, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.440 and an average speed of 92.642 miles per hour (149.093 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.440 | 92.642 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 20.510 | 92.326 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.525 | 92.258 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 18, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.513 and an average speed of 92.312 miles per hour (148.562 km/h).[6]
In the session, BelCar Motorsports driver Todd Bodine would wreck in Turn 1, forcing Bodine to go to a backup car and start at the rear of the field for the race.[7]