# 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500

The 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 was the 31st stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, October 11, 2003, before a crowd of 160,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would make a late race pass on Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman with eight to go to win his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson would finish second and third, respectively.

## 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 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, 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.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Jason Leffler | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | NetZero HiSpeed |
| 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 01 | Mike Skinner | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | U.S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | James Madison University |
| 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | Kodak Perfect Touch |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's, Got Milk? |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | Sirius Satellite Radio, The Three Stooges |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge |
| 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Zerex |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | Alltel |
| 14 | Mark Green | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | Harrah's "Oh Yeah!" |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | Grainger Lighting Products! |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | Carhartt |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Rent-A-Center |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar Rental Store |
| 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Stacker 2 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont, Winston Cup Victory Lap |
| 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | UAW, Delphi |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | Tide |
| 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | Quest Motor Racing |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's Halloween |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Casey Mears (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Energizer |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Texaco, Havoline |
| 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Dinner Made Easy, Progresso |
| 44 | Christian Fittipaldi | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Bugles |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific Brawny |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | SEM Products |
| 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | National Guard |
| 55 | Jeff Fultz | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions, C. C. Boiler |
| 60 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Haas Automation |
| 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | Aaron's |
| 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Irwin Industrial Tools |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

Originally, three practice sessions were planned to be held, with one on Thursday, October 9, and two on Friday, October 10. However, due to rain, the second session on Saturday was cancelled.

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Thursday, October 9, at 2:20 PM EST. The session would last for two hours. Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.128 and an average speed of 185.389 miles per hour (298.355 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 29.128 | 185.389 |
| 2 | 01 | Mike Skinner | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.223 | 184.786 |
| 3 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.313 | 184.219 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, October 10, at 4:00 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.690 and an average speed of 181.879 miles per hour (292.706 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.690 | 181.879 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.859 | 180.850 |
| 3 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.904 | 180.578 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Thursday, October 9, at 7:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. 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.
Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing South, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.930 and an average speed of 186.657 miles per hour (300.395 km/h).
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Ken Schrader, Hermie Sadler, Mark Green, and Jeff Fultz.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 28.930 | 186.657 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.000 | 186.207 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.111 | 185.497 |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.162 | 185.173 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.205 | 184.900 |
| 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.207 | 184.887 |
| 7 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.211 | 184.862 |
| 8 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 29.226 | 184.767 |
| 9 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.229 | 184.748 |
| 10 | 01 | Mike Skinner | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.246 | 184.641 |
| 11 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.274 | 184.464 |
| 12 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.274 | 184.464 |
| 13 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.299 | 184.307 |
| 14 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 29.327 | 184.131 |
| 15 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.388 | 183.749 |
| 16 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.389 | 183.742 |
| 17 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.425 | 183.517 |
| 18 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.430 | 183.486 |
| 19 | 42 | Jamie McMurray (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.436 | 183.449 |
| 20 | 60 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.448 | 183.374 |
| 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.460 | 183.299 |
| 22 | 16 | Greg Biffle (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.470 | 183.237 |
| 23 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.479 | 183.181 |
| 24 | 0 | Jason Leffler | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 29.480 | 183.175 |
| 25 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 29.501 | 183.045 |
| 26 | 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.513 | 182.970 |
| 27 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.523 | 182.908 |
| 28 | 41 | Casey Mears (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.526 | 182.890 |
| 29 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.528 | 182.877 |
| 30 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.539 | 182.809 |
| 31 | 44 | Christian Fittipaldi | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 29.551 | 182.735 |
| 32 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.575 | 182.587 |
| 33 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.576 | 182.581 |
| 34 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 29.590 | 182.494 |
| 35 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.594 | 182.469 |
| 36 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 29.625 | 182.279 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.651 | 182.119 |
| 38 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.782 | 181.318 |
| 39 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.815 | 181.117 |
| 40 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.018 | 179.892 |
| 41 | 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.736 | 181.598 |
| 42 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 29.837 | 180.983 |
| 43 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 29.927 | 180.439 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 29.721 | 181.690 |
| 45 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.775 | 181.360 |
| 46 | 14 | Mark Green | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 29.852 | 180.892 |
| 47 | 55 | Jeff Fultz | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 30.019 | 179.886 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 149 | running | 185 | $312,478 |
| 2 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 334 | 46 | running | 175 | $164,425 |
| 3 | 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 104 | running | 170 | $144,550 |
| 4 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 334 | 27 | running | 165 | $125,233 |
| 5 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 155 | $123,578 |
| 6 | 12 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 4 | running | 155 | $110,258 |
| 7 | 19 | 42 | Jamie McMurray (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 334 | 1 | running | 151 | $67,225 |
| 8 | 29 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 142 | $82,425 |
| 9 | 11 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 334 | 2 | running | 143 | $98,217 |
| 10 | 9 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 134 | $97,853 |
| 11 | 27 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 130 | $93,108 |
| 12 | 32 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 334 | 0 | running | 127 | $65,125 |
| 13 | 14 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 334 | 0 | running | 124 | $90,842 |
| 14 | 30 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 121 | $68,950 |
| 15 | 33 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 334 | 0 | running | 118 | $96,600 |
| 16 | 23 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 333 | 0 | running | 115 | $80,400 |
| 17 | 22 | 16 | Greg Biffle (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 333 | 0 | running | 112 | $53,000 |
| 18 | 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running | 109 | $78,406 |
| 19 | 13 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 333 | 0 | running | 106 | $76,850 |
| 20 | 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 332 | 0 | running | 103 | $87,167 |
| 21 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 332 | 0 | running | 100 | $64,050 |
| 22 | 16 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 97 | $93,053 |
| 23 | 39 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 94 | $71,475 |
| 24 | 34 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 91 | $69,530 |
| 25 | 35 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 | running | 88 | $50,200 |
| 26 | 25 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 331 | 0 | running | 85 | $57,889 |
| 27 | 36 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 331 | 0 | running | 82 | $84,963 |
| 28 | 38 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 331 | 0 | running | 79 | $81,941 |
| 29 | 8 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 76 | $49,200 |
| 30 | 41 | 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 | running | 73 | $74,262 |
| 31 | 40 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 330 | 0 | running | 70 | $47,950 |
| 32 | 18 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 330 | 0 | running | 67 | $45,325 |
| 33 | 20 | 60 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 0 | running | 64 | $46,175 |
| 34 | 31 | 44 | Christian Fittipaldi | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 329 | 0 | running | 61 | $45,225 |
| 35 | 24 | 0 | Jason Leffler | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 58 | $45,150 |
| 36 | 26 | 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 55 | $53,065 |
| 37 | 43 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | running | 52 | $45,020 |
| 38 | 15 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 0 | running | 49 | $70,162 |
| 39 | 10 | 01 | Mike Skinner | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 275 | 1 | running | 51 | $45,440 |
| 40 | 42 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 271 | 0 | suspension | 43 | $52,905 |
| 41 | 17 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 229 | 0 | crash | 40 | $64,870 |
| 42 | 28 | 41 | Casey Mears (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 217 | 0 | engine | 37 | $52,830 |
| 43 | 7 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 204 | 0 | crash | 34 | $78,999 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | | | | | |
| 45 | | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 14 | Mark Green | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | | | | | |
| 47 | | 55 | Jeff Fultz | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||