| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 36 in the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods program cover. | |||
| Date | October 5, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 3rd Annual Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods | ||
| Location | Kansas City, Kansas,Kansas 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 | 121.63 miles per hour (195.74 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 80,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 29.938 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | |
| Laps | 115 | ||
| 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 Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods was the 30thstock car race of the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, and the third iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, October 5, 2003, before a crowd of 80,000 inKansas City, Kansas, atKansas 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, a cunning pit strategy forPenske Racing South driverRyan Newman would propel him to his ninth careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his eighth win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium,Bill Elliott andJeremy Mayfield ofEvernham Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km)tri-oval race track inKansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and hosts two annualNASCAR race weekends. TheNTT IndyCar Series also raced there until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by theInternational Speedway Corporation.
The first practice session was held on Friday, October 3, 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 30.102 and an average speed of 179.390 miles per hour (288.700 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.102 | 179.390 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 30.171 | 178.980 |
| 3 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 30.177 | 178.944 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Saturday, October 4, at 9:30 AMCST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Jimmie Johnson ofHendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.821 and an average speed of 175.205 miles per hour (281.965 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.821 | 175.205 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 30.831 | 175.148 |
| 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 30.842 | 175.086 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 4, at 11:10 AMCST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Ryan Newman ofPenske Racing South would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.814 and an average speed of 175.245 miles per hour (282.029 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 30.814 | 175.245 |
| 2 | 35 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford | 30.920 | 174.644 |
| 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 31.212 | 173.010 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Friday, October 3, at 1:05 PMCST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[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]
Jimmie Johnson ofHendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 29.938 and an average speed of 180.373 miles per hour (290.282 km/h).[7]
Two drivers would fail to qualify:Larry Foyt andJohnny Sauter.
| Previous race: 2003 EA Sports 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2003 season | Next race: 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 |