The 2003 Coca-Cola 600, the 44th running of the race, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on May 25, 2003, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The race was the 12th of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The race was scheduled for 400 laps but was shortened to 276 laps because of rain. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his first win of the season, and also at Charlotte. Matt Kenseth finished 2nd and Bobby Labonte finished 3rd.
Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler ( 02), Brett Bodine (No. 11), Derrike Cope (No. 37)
On the day of the race, 0.55 inches of precipitation were recorded around the speedway.
Background
Lowe's Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and The Winston, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.
Results Pos2003 Coca Cola 600 Results - Racing Reference Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Lead Status Points 1 37 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 276 34 Running 180 2 18 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 276 82 Running 180 3 11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 276 39 Running 170 4 14 7 Jimmy Spencer Ultra Motorsports Dodge 276 0 Running 160 5 1 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge 276 50 Running 160 6 9 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 276 0 Running 150 7 36 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 276 0 Running 146 8 4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 276 0 Running 142 9 23 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 275 0 Running 138 10 41 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge 275 0 Running 134 11 7 25 Joe Nemechek Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 275 0 Running 130 12 34 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Dodge 275 0 Running 127 13 20 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 275 1 Running 129 14 8 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports Ford 275 0 Running 121 15 12 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 275 1 Running 123 16 26 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 275 0 Running 115
Race statistics Time of race: 3:16:50 Average Speed: Pole Speed: Cautions: 8 for 46 laps Margin of Victory: under caution Lead changes: 16 among 8 drivers Percent of race run under caution: 16.7% Average green flag run: 39.9 laps
References