2003 Coca-Cola 600

The 2003 Coca-Cola 600, the 44th running of the race, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on May 25, 2003, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The race was the twelfth of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The race was scheduled for 400 laps but was shortened to 276 laps because of rain. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his first win of the season, and also at Charlotte. Matt Kenseth finished second and Bobby Labonte finished third.

2003 Coca-Cola 600

Race details
Race 12 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Layout of Lowe's Motor Speedway
Date	May 25, 2003 (2003-05-25)
Location	Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance	276 laps, 414 mi (666.268 km)
Scheduled Distance	400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Average speed	126.198 mph (203.096 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Ryan Newman	Penske Racing
Most laps led
Driver	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing
Laps	82
Winner
No. 48	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Brett Bodine (No. 11), Derrike Cope (No. 37)

On the day of the race, 0.55 inches of precipitation were recorded around the speedway.

Background

Lowe's Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Lowe's Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and The Winston, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Top 10 results

Pos	Grid	No.	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Laps	Points
1	37	48	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	276	180
2	18	17	Matt Kenseth	Roush Racing	Ford	276	180
3	11	18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Chevrolet	276	170
4	14	7	Jimmy Spencer	Ultra Motorsports	Dodge	276	160
5	1	12	Ryan Newman	Penske Racing	Dodge	276	160
6	9	15	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	Chevrolet	276	150
7	36	40	Sterling Marlin	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dodge	276	146
8	4	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	276	142
9	23	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford	275	138
10	41	22	Ward Burton	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	275	134

Race statistics

• Time of race: 3:16:50
• Average Speed: 126.198 miles per hour (203.096 km/h)
• Pole Speed: 185.312
• Cautions: 8 for 46 laps
• Margin of Victory: under caution
• Lead changes: 16
• Percent of race run under caution: 16.7%
• Average green flag run: 39.9 laps