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2003 GFS Marketplace 400

Race details[1][2]
Race 23 of 36 in the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
2003 GFS Marketplace 400 program cover
Date	August 17, 2003 (2003-08-17)
Location	Michigan International Speedway,Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	2.0 miles (3.2 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather	Temperatures up to 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds up to 13.81 miles per hour (22.23 km/h)[3]
Average speed	127.31 mph (204.89 km/h)
Attendance	150,000
Pole position
Driver	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	37.847
Most laps led
Driver	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	50
Winner
No. 12	Ryan Newman	Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network	TNT
Announcers	Allen Bestwick,Benny Parsons,Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen ratings	4.9 (Final) (6.23 million)[4]

The2003 GFS Marketplace 400 was the 23rdstock car race of the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on August 17, 2003 atMichigan International Speedway nearBrooklyn, Michigan before a crowd of 150,000. The 200-lap race was won byRyan Newman of thePenske Racing South team after he started from second position.Kevin Harvick ofRichard Childress Racing finished second andJoe Gibbs Racing'sTony Stewart came in third.

The 2003 GFS Marketplace 400 was the 23rd of 36 scheduledstock car races of the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on August 17, 2003, inBrooklyn, Michigan, atMichigan International Speedway,^[2] one of sixsuperspeedways to holdNASCAR races; the others areDaytona International Speedway,Auto Club Speedway,Indianapolis Motor Speedway,Pocono Raceway andTalladega Superspeedway.^[5] The standard track at Michigan International Speedway is a 2 mi (3.2 km) four-turn superspeedway.^[6] The track's turns arebanked at eighteen degrees, while thefront stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at twelve degrees. The back stretch, has a five degree banking.^[6]

Before the raceMatt Kenseth led theDrivers' Championship with 3,294points, ahead ofDale Earnhardt Jr. in second andJeff Gordon in third.Jimmie Johnson andKevin Harvick was fourth and fifth, andMichael Waltrip,Bobby Labonte,Kurt Busch,Ryan Newman andRobby Gordon rounded out the top ten.^[7]Chevrolet led theManufacturers' Championship with 158 points, 21 ahead of their rivalFord in second.Dodge was third on 110 andPontiac was fourth with 79.^[8]Dale Jarrett was the race's defending champion.^[9]

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race; one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first practice session lasted 60 minutes, the second and final sessions lasted 45 minutes.^[1] Newman was fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.221 seconds;Elliott Sadler was second and Harvick third. Bobby Labonte was fourth with a lap of 38.438 seconds, and Earnhardt placed fifth. Busch,Dale Jarrett, Johnson,Tony Stewart,Terry Labonte rounded out the session's top-ten drivers.^[10]

Although 44 drivers were entered in the qualifier; according to NASCAR'squalifying procedure only 43 could race. Each driver was limited to two timed laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times.^[1] The qualifier was delayed for two hours because of rain which increased the track grip available to the drivers.^[11] Bobby Labonte clinched his second consecutivepole position at Michigan International Speedway, his fourth of the season and the 25th of his career with a time of 37.847 seconds. He was joined on thegrid's front row by Newman. Robby Gordon qualified third,Kevin Lepage fourth, and Terry Labonte started fifth.Jason Leffler,Christian Fittipaldi,Jeff Burton,Dave Blaney andJimmy Spencer rounded out the top ten qualifiers.^[11]Brett Bodine,Carl Long,Rich Bickle andMorgan Shepherd withdrew from the event prior to qualifying.^[2] The driver that failed to qualify wasStacy Compton.^[12] After the qualifier, Bobby Labonte said: "I just like coming here. It just falls into the category of a good track. The cars can race here from the white line (at the bottom of the banking) to the white wall, which is about 100 yards. That's a lot of fun."^[11]

On Saturday afternoon Johnson was fastest in the second practice session with a lap of 39.166 seconds, ahead of Bobby Labonte andRusty Wallace. Harvick with a time of 39.224 was fourth-fastest;Sterling Marlin was fifth and Newman sixth.Greg Biffle, Terry Labonte,Johnny Benson Jr. and Stewart followed in the top ten.^[13] Later that day, Wallace paced the final practice session with a time of 39.816 seconds; Earnhardt was second and Busch.Jeff Green was fourth-fastest, ahead of Bobby Labonte and Newman. Waltrip was seventh-fastest, Stewart eighth,Jamie McMurray ninth and Biffle tenth.^[14]Jeremy Mayfield's tire blew, damaging his rearfender, and switched to a back-up car. Marlin's engine failed during the session, and Marlin changed engines.^[1]

• 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
• 2003 in sports in Michigan
• NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway
• August 2003 sports events in the United States

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