The Auto Club 500 rolled to a start at California Speedway in front of a sell out crowd come to see the latest installment in the ongoing rivalry between points leader Matt Kenseth, who won the Busch Series event the previous afternoon, and the rapidly closing second place driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The 250-lap race had the potential to be another record breaker as the tenth consecutive race with ten different drivers in victory lane, and several struggling teams hoped to be the one to set the record.
Amidst rumors that he may soon be replaced as the driver of the #1 Pennzoil car, Steve Park led the field from the pole position. Matt Kenseth, hoping to become the first driver to win both NASCAR races of the California weekend, started from a disappointing 23rd starting position. Dale Earnhardt Jr., looking to take the points lead with a strong finish was sent to the back of the pack after a last minute engine change.
Steve Park's hopes for a good finish evaporated as he and Ryan Newman made contact on the first lap, sending Newman spinning into the wall. Park hung on to the lead laps, but Newman headed to the garage for repairs. Bill Elliott led the first lap as the field stacked up again behind the pace car. A few cars, including the #8 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. headed to the pits to make early adjustments to their cars. The green flag waved again on lap five, but after only three green flag laps, the yellow flew again as Jack Sprague slammed into the outside wall in turn 2. This time, only the top 15 stayed on the track, and everyone from 16th back came down pit road except for Earnhardt and Johnny Benson.
On the restart, Tony Stewart edged past Bill Elliott to take the lead. The first long, green flag run gave Earnhardt a chance to work his way into the top ten as Stewart drove away from the rest of the field. The next caution didn't come until lap 40, when rookie Greg Biffle spun alone across the track. The entire field headed into the pits under the yellow, which came shortly before the first round of green flag pits would have begun. Stewart held the lead through the stop, and once again left the field behind on the restart.
Fifty laps later, as green flag stops began, Rusty Wallace ran out of gas heading into the pits. He was able to make it to his pit box, but had problems restarting his car and fell back from the top ten to the very end of the lead lap. The pit cycle ended uneventfully, and Tony Stewart reclaimed the lead. Jamie McMurray challenged him for the top spot briefly, and managed to lead a single lap before slipping back into second. Stewart's lead was short lived, however, and on lap 138 the caution flag waved again as his car began to smoke and his engine failed. Again all of the leaders came into the pits, and Kurt Busch led the field on the restart.
Jamie McMurray took the lead again with 100 laps to go, holding off a strong challenge from Bobby Labonte to stay out front. Rusty Wallace worked his way back into the top ten, making up much of the track position he lost by running out of gas before his last stop. A caution for debris on the track brought the leaders down pit road once more, just before their scheduled stops. Wallace took just two tires and took the lead in the pits as the rest of the field took four.
Green flag stops began once again on lap 201. A mistake in the pits followed by a quick caution left Earnhardt a lap down after he had to return to pit road to correct a missed lug nut. On the restart Earnhardt, racing furiously to get his lap back and hold off the leaders, gave Bobby Labonte the opportunity to catch race leader Rusty Wallace and pass him. Another caution, as Jerry Nadeau spins in turn two, allows Earnhardt to catch up with the pack at the end of the lead lap. He is one of very few cars that stop under the yellow flag in hopes that four fresh tires will give him an edge in getting back to the front of the field.
As soon as the race went green again, Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, and Jamie McMurray went three wide in a battle for the lead. McMurray claimed the lead as the caution flag flew for trouble behind them. Dale Jarrett spun into the outside wall, collecting several other cars in his wake, including Joe Nemechek, Johnny Benson, and Kyle Petty. On the restart, Rusty Wallace got around McMurray to lead for the third time, anxious to break a two-year winless streak with a top finish at the track where he scored his last victory. Just a few laps later, however, Kurt Busch edged by Wallace for the lead and began to pull away with just a handful of laps remaining. On the white flag lap, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin, both running in the top ten, made contact. Johnson went up into the outside wall and Martin skidded across the infield as the leaders took the checkered flag. Busch became the first two-time winner of the 2003 season, and Wallace had to settle for a third place finish and another week added to his winless streak.
Unofficial Results
- Kurt Busch
- Bobby Labonte
- Rusty Wallace
- Bill Elliott
- Jamie McMurray
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Michael Waltrip
- John Andretti
- Matt Kenseth
- Sterling Marlin
Unofficial Standings
- Matt Kenseth
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -44
- Jeff Gordon -152
- Kurt Busch -168
- Jimmie Johnson -207
- Michael Waltrip -239
- Ricky Craven -268
- Bobby Labonte -272
- Kevin Harvick -300
- Elliott Sadler -324
