| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Tropicana 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 13, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 3rd Annual Tropicana 400 | ||
| Location | Joliet, Illinois,Chicagoland Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 134.059 miles per hour (215.747 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 85,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 29.223 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 80 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick,Benny Parsons,Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The2003 Tropicana 400 was thestock car race of the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the third iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, July 13, 2003, inJoliet, Illinois, atChicagoland 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 driverRyan Newman would stretch out his fuel mileage well enough to coast to the line and win his fourth careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his third of the season.[1] To fill out the podium,Tony Stewart ofJoe Gibbs Racing andJimmie Johnson ofHendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway inJoliet, Illinois, southwest ofChicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hostsNASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted theIndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated byInternational Speedway Corporation and located adjacent toRoute 66 Raceway.
The first practice session was held on Friday, July 11, at 11:20 AMCST, and would last for 2 hours.[2]Jimmie Johnson ofHendrick 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).[3]
| 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 | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 12, at 9:30 AMCST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Tony Stewart ofJoe 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).[4]
| 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 | ||||||
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 12, at 11:10 AMCST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Jimmie Johnson ofHendrick 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).[5]
| 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 was held on Friday, July 11, at 3:05 PMCST. 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.[2] 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.[6]
Tony Stewart ofJoe 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).[7]
Jason Keller would be the only driver to fail to qualify.
| Previous race: 2003 Pepsi 400 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2003 season | Next race: 2003 New England 300 |