# 2003 Pontiac Excitement 400

The 2003 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 49th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 3, 2003, before a crowd of 110,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race was shortened from its scheduled 400 laps to 393 due to rain cutting the race short. At race's end, Joe Nemechek, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would rally from the mid-pack and eventually win his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first and only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.
MB2 Motorsports driver Jerry Nadeau would suffer career-ending injuries in the second practice session of the race.

## Background
### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Jack Sprague (R) | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | NetZero HiSpeed |
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 01 | Jerry Nadeau* | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | U.S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Pontiac | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | Kodak EasyShare |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ahh, The Power of Cheese |
| 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 |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge |
| 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Eagle One Wax As-U-Dry |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 14 | Larry Foyt (R) | 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 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt |
| 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 | 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 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | Tide Bleach |
| 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | Friendly's |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Casey Mears (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Target |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray (R) | 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 |
| 66 | Hideo Fukuyama** (R) | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | Kikkoman |
| 74 | Tony Raines (R) | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | BACE Motorsports |
| 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Rubbermaid Commercial, Sharpie |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| Official entry list |||||
*Driver changed to Jason Keller after Nadeau crashed in second practice, leaving Nadeau critically injured and effectively ending Nadeau's racing career.
**Withdrew after crashing in first practice.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, May 2, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.230 and an average speed of 127.178 miles per hour (204.673 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.230 | 127.178 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 21.249 | 127.065 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.259 | 127.005 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, May 2, at 4:45 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.640 and an average speed of 124.769 miles per hour (200.796 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.640 | 124.769 |
| 2 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.701 | 124.418 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.737 | 124.212 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 2, at 6:10 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.640 and an average speed of 124.769 miles per hour (200.796 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.650 | 124.711 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.658 | 124.665 |
| 3 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.678 | 124.550 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 2, at 3:00 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.
Terry Labonte of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 21.342 and an average speed of 126.511 miles per hour (203.600 km/h).
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Derrike Cope and Hermie Sadler.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.342 | 126.511 |
| 2 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.366 | 126.369 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.375 | 126.316 |
| 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 21.393 | 126.210 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 21.417 | 126.068 |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.418 | 126.062 |
| 7 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.423 | 126.033 |
| 8 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.423 | 126.033 |
| 9 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 21.424 | 126.027 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.434 | 125.968 |
| 11 | 41 | Casey Mears (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.439 | 125.939 |
| 12 | 01 | Jerry Nadeau | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.446 | 125.898 |
| 13 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.467 | 125.774 |
| 14 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.473 | 125.739 |
| 15 | 16 | Greg Biffle (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.479 | 125.704 |
| 16 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.499 | 125.587 |
| 17 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 21.504 | 125.558 |
| 18 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.510 | 125.523 |
| 19 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.515 | 125.494 |
| 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 21.516 | 125.488 |
| 21 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.520 | 125.465 |
| 22 | 42 | Jamie McMurray (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 21.522 | 125.453 |
| 23 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.546 | 125.313 |
| 24 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 21.555 | 125.261 |
| 25 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 21.563 | 125.215 |
| 26 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.563 | 125.215 |
| 27 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 21.570 | 125.174 |
| 28 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.571 | 125.168 |
| 29 | 0 | Jack Sprague (R) | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 21.574 | 125.151 |
| 30 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.581 | 125.110 |
| 31 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 21.584 | 125.093 |
| 32 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.590 | 125.058 |
| 33 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 21.591 | 125.052 |
| 34 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 21.639 | 124.775 |
| 35 | 74 | Tony Raines (R) | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.655 | 124.683 |
| 36 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.670 | 124.596 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 21.679 | 124.545 |
| 38 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.677 | 124.556 |
| 39 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.876 | 123.423 |
| 40 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.852 | 123.559 |
| 41 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.679 | 124.545 |
| 42 | 14 | Larry Foyt (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 21.743 | 124.178 |
| 43 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 21.962 | 122.940 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 44 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 21.946 | 123.029 |
| 45 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.836 | 123.649 |
| WD | 66 | Hideo Fukuyama (R) | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 156 | running | 185 | $159,375 |
| 2 | 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 62 | running | 175 | $157,758 |
| 3 | 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 393 | 5 | running | 170 | $121,867 |
| 4 | 32 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 29 | running | 165 | $101,212 |
| 5 | 30 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 10 | running | 160 | $102,533 |
| 6 | 36 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 12 | running | 155 | $100,928 |
| 7 | 18 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 146 | $73,675 |
| 8 | 7 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 17 | running | 147 | $89,925 |
| 9 | 16 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 138 | $90,342 |
| 10 | 17 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 393 | 0 | running | 134 | $91,942 |
| 11 | 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 393 | 0 | running | 130 | $90,781 |
| 12 | 37 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 127 | $69,910 |
| 13 | 21 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 393 | 0 | running | 124 | $95,425 |
| 14 | 35 | 74 | Tony Raines (R) | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 121 | $51,325 |
| 15 | 13 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MBV Motorsports | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | running | 118 | $82,435 |
| 16 | 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 42 | running | 120 | $97,228 |
| 17 | 15 | 16 | Greg Biffle (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 112 | $49,150 |
| 18 | 31 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 109 | $76,000 |
| 19 | 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 106 | $68,275 |
| 20 | 28 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 393 | 6 | running | 108 | $89,058 |
| 21 | 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 30 | running | 105 | $83,456 |
| 22 | 22 | 42 | Jamie McMurray (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 393 | 0 | running | 97 | $47,975 |
| 23 | 34 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 94 | $65,375 |
| 24 | 33 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 392 | 0 | running | 91 | $58,100 |
| 25 | 19 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 392 | 0 | running | 88 | $59,050 |
| 26 | 29 | 0 | Jack Sprague (R) | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 85 | $47,725 |
| 27 | 8 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 82 | $58,700 |
| 28 | 11 | 41 | Casey Mears (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 391 | 0 | running | 79 | $66,864 |
| 29 | 14 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 390 | 0 | crash | 76 | $50,250 |
| 30 | 24 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running | 73 | $86,253 |
| 31 | 43 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 70 | $49,825 |
| 32 | 12 | 01 | Jason Keller | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 388 | 0 | running | 67 | $49,675 |
| 33 | 42 | 14 | Larry Foyt (R) | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 387 | 0 | running | 64 | $49,625 |
| 34 | 27 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 378 | 0 | crash | 61 | $57,075 |
| 35 | 26 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 378 | 0 | crash | 58 | $47,425 |
| 36 | 40 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 363 | 0 | crash | 55 | $92,253 |
| 37 | 39 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 338 | 0 | running | 52 | $80,675 |
| 38 | 38 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 287 | 0 | crash | 49 | $54,375 |
| 39 | 5 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 277 | 24 | running | 51 | $76,185 |
| 40 | 41 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | crash | 43 | $54,230 |
| 41 | 9 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 223 | 0 | crash | 40 | $98,748 |
| 42 | 25 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 139 | 0 | crash | 37 | $46,110 |
| 43 | 23 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | crash | 34 | $71,502 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||||
| 44 | | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| WD | | 66 | Hideo Fukuyama (R) | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||