The 10th running of the Brickyard 400, NASCAR's only race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, rolled to a start in front of a sell out crowd of more than 300,000 fans. The 2.5 mile track, first paved with bricks in the early 1900s, is a legend in motorsports, and for many drivers, a win at Indy means as much as a win in the Daytona 500.
Qualifying brought some surprises, and Kevin Harvick took the pole with a new track record, joined in the front row by Ryan Newman, while points leaders Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon all qualified deep in the field. John Andretti, making his first start in a Dale Earnhardt Incorporated car, qualified 11th.
Kevin Harvick held the top spot when the green flag waved, opening up a slight lead between himself and Bill Elliott, who took the second spot on the first lap. Elliott was able to catch Harvick just a few laps later, and took the lead on lap 18. Elliott only enjoyed the lead for a short time, however, as a charging Tony Stewart blew past him for the top spot 8 laps later and drove off to a 2 second lead.
An incident early in the first cycle of green flag pit stops brought out the caution and closed pit road, leaving many drivers the choice of taking the penalty for pitting before pit road reopened or running out of gas on the 2.5 mile track. Dale Jarrett, coming down pit road for his stop under green, lost control of his car and spun into the pit wall, hitting his jackman, John Bryan. Bryan escaped major injuries, but was taken to a local hospital for x-rays and later released. Pit road remained closed while safety officials cared for Bryan, forcing Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and several other drivers to incur the penalty of restarting at the back of the field. Ryan Newman took the lead for the restart, as the rest of the field made their pit stops.
The second caution of the day came just 10 laps later, when a bump from Tony Raines send John Andretti spinning into the wall and ended his day. On the restart, Tony Stewart passed Ryan Newman for the lead and again drove away from the field. When green flag stops began once more on lap 80, Stewart held a 2.5 second lead, and as the pit cycle completed, Stewart was out front once again.
A yellow flag for oil on the track brought many of the leaders into the pits on lap 106, and as the drivers prepared for the restart, Robby Gordon lead the race. Just 3 laps into the restart, rookie Jamie McMurray took the lead, with Matt Kenseth right behind him. McMurray managed to hold off the points leader until pit stops began once again and McMurray gave up the lead to Kenseth to make his stop. A caution for debris on the track brought most of the leaders into the pits just a few laps later, and again Jamie McMurray showed as the leader.
On the restart, Harvick drove around McMurray to reclaim the lead with just 16 laps remaining, but behind him, a 6-car accident brought out the caution once more, setting up a 10-lap shootout to the checkered flag. On the final restart on lap 151, Kevin Harvick held off Matt Kenseth and the rest fo the field to win his first race of the 2003 season, and claim a second Brickyard victory for his car owner, Richard Childress.
Unofficial Results
- Kevin Harvick
- Matt Kenseth
- Jamie McMurray
- Jeff Gordon
- Bill Elliott
- Robby Gordon
- Kurt Busch
- Jimmy Spencer
- Mark Martin
- Rusty Wallace
Unofficial Standings
- Matt Kenseth
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -286
- Jeff Gordon -318
- Jimmie Johnson -496
- Michael Waltrip -499
- Bobby Labonte -510
- Kevin Harvick -529
- Kurt Busch -583
- Ryan Newman -654
- Rusty Wallace -685
