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2003 Season
2003 Sirius at The Glen
| Race Information |
| Event: Sirius at The Glen |
| Date: August 10, 2003 |
Track: Watkins Glen International |
| Qualified: 6th |
Finished: 3rd |
| Status: Running |
Laps Completed:
90 of 90 |
| Points
Pos. Before/After Race:
2nd/2nd |
Points
Earned: 170 (w/ 5 bonus) |
| Money
Earned: $127,202 |
Summary and Related News |
Robby Gordon wins, Dale Jr. third_8/10/03
No. 8 Budweiser Team Records Career-Best Road Course Finish
Robby Gordon made it a sweep of both Winston Cup road races in 2003, as he won Sunday’s
Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen at Watkins Glen, NY. Gordon also won at Infineon
Raceway earlier in the season. Scott Pruett finished second while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and
the No. 8 Budweiser Team grabbed a career-best road course finish in third place. (Their
previous best Winston Cup road race start and finish was 11th, both recorded at Infineon
Raceway in June.) It is the ninth top-five finish in 22 races so far this season, and it
solidifies Dale Jr's spot in second place in Winston Cup points (138 points ahead of
third-place Jeff Gordon, and 258 points behind points leader Matt Kenseth.) This is the
first top-10 start and top-10 finish on a road course for Dale Jr. and the team and the
first time they have led a Cup race at a road course.
The Key Moments: Dale Jr. started sixth, quickly climbed to second place
by the sixth lap, then passed Jeff Burton for the lead on lap 43. After leading 11 laps,
Dale Jr. and the team made their second pit stop under the yellow flag. Despite being the
first car off of pit lane, the Bud team restarted in 20th position on lap 55 restart,
behind the cars that had pitted prior to the yellow flag. In only 10 laps, Junior gained
15 positions, twice passing three cars in one lap. Dale Jr. was consistently the quickest
car on the course, but the distance from 20th place was too much to overcome to catch the
top two cars. Dale Jr. passed Jeff Gordon on the final lap when Gordon ran out of fuel.
Dale Jr. Quotes: “It was good, hard fight today. We worked so hard
to get ourselves into a position to be one of the top cars out here, so it feels good to
come away with a good finish. We tested here (at Watkins Glen) and I uncovered a lot of
mistakes I was making (in the past). It’s about getting acclimated, more familiar and
comfortable with the track, and then having a car fast enough to stay near the front. We
worked hard to stay in the top three, but we got caught on that yellow flag (on lap 50).
What can you do? The guys that pitted before the pits were closed were able to take
advantage of it there. It’s frustrating, but what can ya do? I’m proud of my
guys. We knew we needed to do better here to be considered a more complete team, a
championship contender, and we had a great weekend.”
“We had to push the last (25 laps) because we restarted 20th. Before then, I was just
chillin’ out. Stayin’ on the asphalt and not making any mistakes. When (Greg)
Biffle was leading early on, I could tell he was really pushing, his brakes were glowing,
so I just held back. Then, we passed Jeff Burton for the lead, but I was still taking it
easy. We used up our tires passing all of those cars (on the restart). We were a little
bit off at the end, but we’re happy with the finish today.”
“I tried to enjoy it today, but it’s a lot of pressure. We have to think of the
big picture, and we have to score as many points as we can, so the challenge is to not
make any mistakes. You try to run hard, but you try to be as smooth and as careful as you
can. We gave up a little speed to be smooth, but we had a good car all day.”
About making contact with Jeff Gordon on the last lap: “He ran out
of gas, and tried to block me. I was going 60 mph faster than he was, but, you’re not
gonna be able to block me for the last two corners of the race. I hit him getting past,
because wherever I went, he went.”
About removing the in-car camera equipment Saturday afternoon: “I
need to thank Budweiser for approving that. We tested here, and we had a great set-up, but
once they put in the in-car camera system (approximately 30 lbs.), it upset the balance of
the car. So, after practice, we asked Bud if we could take it out, and they said
‘OK.’ We’re racing for a championship here, and every little bit helps. I
appreciate that a lot…”
Best Radio Conversations
The 11-turn road course at Watkin’s Glen is a spotter’s nightmare. The full
track is not visible from any position, while the distance between pit lane and the back
of the course makes communications very difficult. The Bud team used three spotters: the
team’s usual spotter Ty Norris, crew chief Tony Eury and former sprint car racer
Stevie Reeves. Norris encouraged Junior when he turned the fastest lap of the race on lap
48. However, the encouragement was not received enthusiastically…
Dale Jr.: “Y’all need to be quiet. I’m out here trying to
maintain my speed and you’re in my ear.”
Under the yellow flag that followed, he again encouraged his spotters to pick their
spots wisely.
Dale Jr.: “I was just taking it easy there (while leading). I’d
kind of chill until they got close, but I need total concentration here. There’s some
serious stuff goin’ on out here, so you guys need to be quiet.”
The final yellow flag of the afternoon fell on lap 76.
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Alright hot rod, we’re stayin’
out. You’ll have 14 laps to go. You just keep doin’ what you’re doin’
and we’ll be alright. You’re doin’ great.”
Dale Jr.: (referring to the rookie driver who restarted in front of the
No. 8 car): “Be sure to remind that boy in front of us who’s racing for points
here…”
Today’s Stats
Started: 6th
Finished: 3rd (This is the 9th top-five and 14th top-10 of the season.)
Points: 2nd (no change)
Money: 127.202
Best Pit Stop: Stop one of two / lap 23 / four tires & fuel / 14.46 seconds
Race Awards: Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Award, $5,000 (lap 48, 121.117 mph)
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award, $10,000
-Budweiser
Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Sirius at The Glen Preview_8/5/03
Dale Jr. Quotes for Watkins Glen:
“We’re ready. We had a productive test there, and I think it’s going to
help us. We have been fast at Watkins Glen before, but we’ve never had a great
finish. Having Ron Fellows as a teammate has helped, and now that Budweiser is involved in
Formula One, maybe we can get Juan Montoya or Ralf Schumacher to help us..."
“Before this season, you could make a list of a few tracks where we didn’t do
well, or weren’t expected to finish well, and the two road courses were on that list.
We knew if we were serious about contending for a championship, we were going to have to
focus on erasing as many tracks from that list as we could. We had our best road course
start and finish (started and finished 11th at Infineon Raceway) earlier this summer, and
now we need to improve on that at the Glen.”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser Team at Watkins Glen
Previous Starts: 3
Best Start: 14th (2000)
Best Finish: 12th (2001)
Last Year: ST: 21st / Fin: 35th
Dale Jr. made his first career road course start in the 1997 Busch Series race at Watkins
Glen… He won the Busch Series race at Watkins Glen in 1999, on the way to a second
consecutive Busch Series Championship… In his brief Winston Cup career, Watkins Glen
is one of only four tracks where Dale Jr. has not gained a top-10 finish (others are:
Homestead, Rockingham, Sear Point/Infineon).
Race Details:
Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen
Watkins Glen International Speedway, Watkins Glen, NY
2.45 mile road course / 90 laps / 220.5 miles / Race #22 of 36
Sunday, August 10 / 1:00 p.m.
NBC-TV / Pre-race: 12:30 pm / (All Times: Eastern)
Bud Pole Qualifying:
Bud Pole qualifying can be seen live at 3:00 pm Friday on the Speed Channel and heard on
MRN affiliates and XM Radio across the nation.
"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat." John Lennon, once a Beatle
-Budweiser |
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