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.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 12 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 Layout of Lowe's Motor Speedway | |||
| Date | May 25, 2003 | ||
| 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 | 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.[1]
Background
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