| Description | Race 36 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season |
|---|---|
| Race name | Ford 400 |
| Details ref | [1] |
| Fulldate | November 16, 2003 |
| Year | 2003 |
| Race no | 36 |
| Season no | 36 |
| Location | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida, United States |
| Course | 1.5 mi |
| Course | 2.4 km |
| Distance laps | 267 |
| Distance | 400.5 mi |
| Distance | 644.5 km |
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 80.6 °F (27.0 °C); with wind speeds reaching up to 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) |
| Avg | 116.868 miles per hour (188.081 km/h) |
| Pole driver | Jamie McMurray[2] |
| Pole team | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Most driver | Bill Elliott |
| Most team | Evernham Motorsports |
| Most laps | 189 |
| Car | 18 |
| First driver | Bobby Labonte |
| First team | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Network | NBC |
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Wally Dallenbach Jr., and Benny Parsons |
The 2003 Ford 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on November 16, 2003, at Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, United States. This was the last race ever for NASCAR with title sponsorship from Winston, breaking a partnership beginning in 1972. Starting in 2004, new series sponsor Nextel would take over. The race was also the final Cup Series won by Bobby Labonte.
Summary
Jamie McMurray qualified for the pole position with a lap turned at 181.111 miles per hour (291.470 km/h). Ken Schrader, Kyle Petty, Mike Wallace, Derrike Cope, and Rich Bickle had all failed to qualify for the race. Kyle Busch was set to make his Cup Series debut in this race, driving the No. 60 Ditech Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports, but was ejected from the event[3] after NASCAR confiscated his car for pre-race inspection failures.[4]
Bill Elliott dominated the race, leading 189 out of 267 laps, before cutting a tire and losing the lead on the final lap. Bobby Labonte would pass him and win the race, which would be his final NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory.[3] Ten cautions were called, slowing the field for a total of 60 laps, while the lead changed 21 times between 12 drivers.[3] Despite an engine failure on lap 28 which relegated him to a last-place finish, Matt Kenseth maintained his points lead over Jimmie Johnson and won the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship.[3]
This would be the last NASCAR Winston Cup Series race for Ron Hornaday Jr. until the 2015 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
Race results
Failed to Qualify
- 49 - Ken Schrader
- 45 - Kyle Petty
- 09 - Mike Wallace
- 79 - Derrike Cope
- 78 - Rich Bickle
- 60 - Kyle Busch (withdrew after pre-race tech failure)[4]
References
- ^ Weather information for the 2003 Ford 400 at The Old Farmers' Alamanac
- ^ 2003 Ford 400 NASCAR.com Official site of NASCAR
- ^ 2003 Ford 400 racing information at Racing Reference
- ^ Adamcyzk, Jay. "2003 NASCAR Penalties". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ "NASCAR Winston Cup Series Race No. 36: Ford 400: Homestead-Miami Speedway". jayski.thatsracin.com. Archived 2004-12-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-06.