| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 36 in the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2003 Virginia 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | April 13, 2003 | ||
| Official name | 54th Annual Virginia 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia,Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.526 miles (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 75.557 miles per hour (121.597 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 20.079 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Laps | 195 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy,Larry McReynolds,Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The2003 Virginia 500 was the ninthstock car race of the2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 54th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, April 13, 2003, before an audience of 86,000 inMartinsville, Virginia atMartinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race,Hendrick Motorsports driverJeff Gordon would manage to passJoe Gibbs Racing driverBobby Labonte to capture his 62nd careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Labonte andDale Earnhardt, Inc. driverDale Earnhardt Jr. would finish second and third, respectively.
Martinsville Speedway is aNASCAR-owned stock car racing track located inHenry County, inRidgeway, Virginia, just to the south ofMartinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in theNASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first pavedoval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 byH. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
The first practice session was held on Friday, April 11, at 11:20 AMEST. The session would last for two hours.[3]Jeff Gordon, driving forHendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.250 and an average speed of 93.511 miles per hour (150.491 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.250 | 93.511 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 20.253 | 93.497 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.283 | 93.359 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Saturday, April 12, at 9:30 AMEST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3]Jeff Burton, driving forRoush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.572 and an average speed of 92.047 miles per hour (148.135 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.572 | 92.047 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 20.582 | 92.003 |
| 3 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 20.607 | 91.891 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 12, at 11:10 AMEST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3]Kenny Wallace, driving forBill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.548 and an average speed of 92.155 miles per hour (148.309 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Kenny Wallace | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 20.548 | 92.155 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.592 | 91.958 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.621 | 91.829 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Friday, April 11, at 3:05 PMEST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] 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.[7]
Jeff Gordon, driving forHendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.079 and an average speed of 94.308 miles per hour (151.774 km/h).[8]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
| Previous race: 2003 Aaron's 499 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2003 season | Next race: 2003 Auto Club 500 |