# 2003 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

The 2003 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the sixth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 2, 2003, in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing would dominate the late stages of the race to win his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first and only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada outside the Las Vegas city limits and about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | NetZero |
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 01 | Jerry Nadeau | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | USG Sheetrock |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Brandon Ash | Ash Motorsports | Ford | |
| 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | Kodak |
| 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 |
| 07 | Ted Musgrave | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | Kenwood |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Power Days |
| 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 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 |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Power Days |
| 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 |
| 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 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Target |
| 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 | Dakota Imaging |
| 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | National Guard |
| 66 | Hideo Fukuyama | BelCar Racing | Ford | Kikkoman |
| 74 | Tony Raines | 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 |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| Official entry list |||||

#### Notes

* ↑ While Ash had participated in pre-race activities, he withdrew before qualifying.
* ↑ Withdrew due to the team's trucks and cars being wrecked during the Daytona weekend. In response, the team would skip the Vegas weekend to focus on the #7 and to get the trucks ready for Darlington Raceway.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, February 28, at 11:20 AM PST, and would last for 2 hours. Jeff Burton of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.267 and an average speed of 172.706 miles per hour (277.943 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.267 | 172.706 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.297 | 172.540 |
| 3 | 01 | Jerry Nadeau | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.316 | 172.436 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, March 1, at 9:30 AM PST, and would last for 45 minutes. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.069 and an average speed of 168.387 miles per hour (270.993 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.069 | 168.387 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.149 | 167.968 |
| 3 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 32.155 | 167.937 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, March 1, at 11:10 AM PST, and would last for 45 minutes. Kurt Busch of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.131 and an average speed of 168.062 miles per hour (270.470 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 32.131 | 168.062 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.267 | 167.354 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 32.280 | 167.286 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, February 28, at 3:05 PST. 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.
Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 31.211 and an average speed of 173.016 miles per hour (278.442 km/h).
Greg Biffle would be the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 31.211 | 173.016 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.255 | 172.772 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 31.268 | 172.701 |
| 4 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 31.309 | 172.474 |
| 5 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.315 | 172.441 |
| 6 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 31.360 | 172.194 |
| 7 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.393 | 172.013 |
| 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 31.394 | 172.007 |
| 9 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 31.397 | 171.991 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.399 | 171.980 |
| 11 | 01 | Jerry Nadeau | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.417 | 171.882 |
| 12 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 31.420 | 171.865 |
| 13 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 31.449 | 171.707 |
| 14 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.578 | 171.005 |
| 15 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 31.578 | 171.005 |
| 16 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.605 | 170.859 |
| 17 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.652 | 170.605 |
| 18 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 31.700 | 170.347 |
| 19 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 31.743 | 170.116 |
| 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 31.789 | 169.870 |
| 21 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.810 | 169.758 |
| 22 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.815 | 169.731 |
| 23 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.829 | 169.657 |
| 24 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 31.831 | 169.646 |
| 25 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 31.838 | 169.609 |
| 26 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.839 | 169.603 |
| 27 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.857 | 169.508 |
| 28 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 31.864 | 169.470 |
| 29 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.874 | 169.417 |
| 30 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 31.884 | 169.364 |
| 31 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 31.931 | 169.115 |
| 32 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.960 | 168.961 |
| 33 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 31.962 | 168.951 |
| 34 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 31.970 | 168.908 |
| 35 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 31.970 | 168.908 |
| 36 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.988 | 168.813 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.050 | 168.487 |
| 38 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 32.098 | 168.235 |
| 39 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 32.022 | 168.634 |
| 40 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.037 | 168.555 |
| 41 | 66 | Hideo Fukuyama | BelCar Racing | Ford | 33.516 | 161.117 |
| 42 | 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 32.557 | 165.863 |
| 43 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 32.613 | 165.578 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 44 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 32.010 | 168.697 |
| WD | 02 | Brandon Ash | Ash Motorsports | Ford | — | — |
| WD | 07 | Ted Musgrave | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 17 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 267 | 88 | running | 180 | $365,875 |
| 2 | 4 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 267 | 97 | running | 180 | $267,167 |
| 3 | 9 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 267 | 17 | running | 170 | $190,550 |
| 4 | 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 1 | running | 165 | $178,908 |
| 5 | 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | running | 155 | $163,503 |
| 6 | 7 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | running | 150 | $127,067 |
| 7 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 267 | 3 | running | 151 | $128,025 |
| 8 | 34 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 267 | 0 | running | 142 | $136,000 |
| 9 | 26 | 25 | Joe Nemechek | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | running | 138 | $87,200 |
| 10 | 39 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | running | 134 | $111,862 |
| 11 | 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 2 | running | 135 | $97,675 |
| 12 | 16 | 10 | Johnny Benson Jr. | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 266 | 0 | running | 127 | $107,725 |
| 13 | 22 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 124 | $116,553 |
| 14 | 30 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 266 | 0 | running | 121 | $113,383 |
| 15 | 18 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 266 | 0 | running | 118 | $105,100 |
| 16 | 36 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 115 | $102,406 |
| 17 | 15 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 266 | 0 | running | 112 | $90,250 |
| 18 | 6 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 266 | 3 | running | 114 | $109,928 |
| 19 | 38 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 266 | 1 | running | 111 | $94,050 |
| 20 | 24 | 54 | Todd Bodine | BelCar Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 0 | running | 103 | $84,750 |
| 21 | 13 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 266 | 0 | running | 100 | $78,850 |
| 22 | 11 | 01 | Jerry Nadeau | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 266 | 0 | running | 97 | $78,139 |
| 23 | 21 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | running | 94 | $94,737 |
| 24 | 32 | 74 | Tony Raines | BACE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 265 | 0 | running | 91 | $64,550 |
| 25 | 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 265 | 0 | running | 88 | $100,006 |
| 26 | 42 | 0 | Jack Sprague | Haas CNC Racing | Pontiac | 265 | 0 | running | 85 | $62,550 |
| 27 | 14 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 265 | 0 | running | 82 | $72,550 |
| 28 | 28 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 263 | 0 | running | 79 | $60,550 |
| 29 | 43 | 37 | Derrike Cope | Quest Motor Racing | Chevrolet | 263 | 0 | running | 76 | $60,350 |
| 30 | 33 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 261 | 0 | running | 73 | $63,600 |
| 31 | 19 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 261 | 0 | running | 70 | $70,400 |
| 32 | 12 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 258 | 0 | running | 67 | $59,700 |
| 33 | 41 | 66 | Hideo Fukuyama | BelCar Racing | Ford | 258 | 0 | running | 64 | $60,400 |
| 34 | 35 | 77 | Dave Blaney | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 231 | 0 | clutch | 61 | $67,300 |
| 35 | 31 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 216 | 0 | vibration | 58 | $59,100 |
| 36 | 37 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Pontiac | 211 | 0 | running | 55 | $66,900 |
| 37 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 53 | crash | 57 | $106,053 |
| 38 | 5 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 179 | 2 | crash | 54 | $78,475 |
| 39 | 40 | 4 | Mike Skinner | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Pontiac | 174 | 0 | crash | 46 | $58,275 |
| 40 | 25 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 174 | 0 | crash | 43 | $92,717 |
| 41 | 27 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 131 | 0 | crash | 40 | $103,633 |
| 42 | 23 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 125 | 0 | engine | 37 | $91,915 |
| 43 | 29 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 114 | 0 | engine | 34 | $91,542 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||||
| 44 | | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| WD | | 02 | Brandon Ash | Ash Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| WD | | 07 | Ted Musgrave | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||