# 2003 Tropicana 400

The 2003 Tropicana 400 was the stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the third iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 13, 2003, in Joliet, Illinois, at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Ryan Newman would stretch out his fuel mileage well enough to coast to the line and win his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season. To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing and Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | NetZero HiSpeed |
| 1 | Jeff Green | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil Synthetic |
| 01 | Mike Wallace | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | USG Sheetrock |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | Miller Lite / Goo Goo Dolls |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | Kodak EasyShare |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Got Milk? / Kellogg's |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | Sirius Satellite Radio |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser / 2003 MLB All-Star Game |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Summer Sales Deal |
| 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | Mobil 1 / Speedpass |
| 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | Harrah's "Oh Yeah!" |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | Grainger |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries / Advair |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Summer Sales Deal |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar |
| 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Stacker 2 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 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 / Kraft 100 Years |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | Tide |
| 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | Great Barrier Reef |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's Groovy Summer |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Fujifilm |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Cheerios |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific Brawny |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | BAM Racing |
| 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | National Guard |
| 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | BACE Motorsports |
| 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 81 | Jason Keller | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Kraft 100 Years |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Irwin Industrial Tools / Lenox Indistrial Tools |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, July 11, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for 2 hours. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.324 and an average speed of 184.150 miles per hour (296.361 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.324 | 184.150 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.376 | 183.824 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.404 | 183.648 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 12, at 9:30 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.242 and an average speed of 178.560 miles per hour (287.364 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 30.242 | 178.560 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 30.255 | 178.483 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 30.310 | 178.159 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 12, at 11:10 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.231 and an average speed of 178.625 miles per hour (287.469 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.231 | 178.625 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 30.353 | 177.907 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 30.405 | 177.602 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, July 11, at 3:05 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. The session would commence after a near two-hour rain delay. 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.
Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 29.223 and an average speed of 184.786 miles per hour (297.384 km/h).
Jason Keller would be the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.223 | 184.786 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.277 | 184.445 |
| 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.284 | 184.401 |
| 4 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.306 | 184.263 |
| 5 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.365 | 183.892 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.392 | 183.723 |
| 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.428 | 183.499 |
| 8 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.436 | 183.449 |
| 9 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 29.439 | 183.430 |
| 10 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.476 | 183.200 |
| 11 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.482 | 183.163 |
| 12 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.485 | 183.144 |
| 13 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.533 | 182.846 |
| 14 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 29.538 | 182.815 |
| 15 | 1 | Jeff Green | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.540 | 182.803 |
| 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.574 | 182.593 |
| 17 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.574 | 182.593 |
| 18 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.575 | 182.587 |
| 19 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.631 | 182.242 |
| 20 | 4 | Johnny Sauter | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.673 | 181.984 |
| 21 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 29.729 | 181.641 |
| 22 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 29.738 | 181.586 |
| 23 | 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.753 | 181.494 |
| 24 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.757 | 181.470 |
| 25 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 29.764 | 181.427 |
| 26 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.774 | 181.366 |
| 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.787 | 181.287 |
| 28 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.796 | 181.232 |
| 29 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.823 | 181.068 |
| 30 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.836 | 180.989 |
| 31 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 29.846 | 180.929 |
| 32 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.848 | 180.917 |
| 33 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.850 | 180.904 |
| 34 | 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 29.862 | 180.832 |
| 35 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.885 | 180.693 |
| 36 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.893 | 180.644 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.972 | 180.168 |
| 38 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.902 | 180.590 |
| 39 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Racing | Ford | 29.988 | 180.072 |
| 40 | 01 | Mike Wallace | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.953 | 180.282 |
| 41 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 29.954 | 180.276 |
| 42 | 43 | Christian Fittipaldi | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 30.083 | 179.503 |
| 43 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 29.963 | 180.222 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 81 | Jason Keller | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.948 | 180.312 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 267 | 67 | running | 180 | $191,000 |
| 2 | 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 80 | running | 180 | $213,468 |
| 3 | 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 | running | 170 | $134,575 |
| 4 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 47 | running | 165 | $158,178 |
| 5 | 12 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 267 | 1 | running | 160 | $100,975 |
| 6 | 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | running | 150 | $114,092 |
| 7 | 35 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | running | 146 | $106,812 |
| 8 | 10 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 267 | 1 | running | 147 | $77,375 |
| 9 | 8 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | running | 138 | $108,375 |
| 10 | 5 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 267 | 0 | running | 134 | $85,075 |
| 11 | 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 267 | 0 | running | 130 | $106,908 |
| 12 | 24 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 266 | 0 | 0running | 127 | $87,725 |
| 13 | 37 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 266 | 0 | running | 124 | $94,475 |
| 14 | 13 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 266 | 0 | running | 121 | $103,883 |
| 15 | 28 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 118 | $96,356 |
| 16 | 15 | 1 | Jeff Green | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 115 | $89,937 |
| 17 | 11 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 46 | running | 92 | $104,028 |
| 18 | 36 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 265 | 0 | running | 109 | $94,700 |
| 19 | 30 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 265 | 0 | running | 106 | $100,106 |
| 20 | 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 265 | 0 | running | 103 | $69,650 |
| 21 | 19 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 265 | 0 | running | 100 | $107,650 |
| 22 | 29 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 265 | 0 | running | 97 | $63,450 |
| 23 | 21 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 265 | 0 | running | 94 | $82,550 |
| 24 | 38 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 265 | 0 | running | 91 | $79,325 |
| 25 | 26 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 265 | 0 | running | 88 | $84,925 |
| 26 | 23 | 30 | Steve Park | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 265 | 0 | running | 85 | $73,725 |
| 27 | 41 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 264 | 0 | running | 82 | $73,425 |
| 28 | 43 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 263 | 0 | running | 79 | $73,614 |
| 29 | 42 | 43 | Christian Fittipaldi | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 263 | 0 | running | 76 | $100,303 |
| 30 | 33 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 263 | 0 | running | 73 | $108,063 |
| 31 | 9 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 262 | 0 | running | 70 | $69,575 |
| 32 | 22 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 249 | 0 | running | 67 | $96,042 |
| 33 | 39 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Racing | Ford | 237 | 0 | transmission | 64 | $62,075 |
| 34 | 4 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 232 | 0 | crash | 61 | $68,975 |
| 35 | 20 | 4 | Johnny Sauter | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 213 | 0 | running | 58 | $60,775 |
| 36 | 18 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 212 | 0 | crash | 55 | $105,658 |
| 37 | 40 | 01 | Mike Wallace | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 211 | 0 | crash | 52 | $60,375 |
| 38 | 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | crash | 49 | $101,092 |
| 39 | 32 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 124 | 0 | engine | 46 | $79,985 |
| 40 | 34 | 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 117 | 0 | engine | 43 | $59,785 |
| 41 | 31 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 88 | 0 | crash | 40 | $59,590 |
| 42 | 17 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45 | 0 | engine | 37 | $59,395 |
| 43 | 25 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 6 | 0 | transmission | 34 | $59,457 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 81 | Jason Keller | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||