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2003 Season
2003 Mountain Dew
Southern 500
| Race Information |
| Event: Mountain Dew Southern 500 |
| Date: August 31, 2003 |
Track: Darlington Raceway |
| Qualified: 12th |
Finished: 25th |
| Status: Running |
Laps Completed:
358 of 367 |
| Points
Pos. Before/After Race:
2nd/2nd |
Points
Earned: 88 (w/ 0 bonus) |
| Money
Earned: $93,932 |
Summary and Related News |
Terry Labonte wins at Darlington,
Dale Jr. 25th_8/31/03
No. 8 Budweiser Team Fast But Suffer Axle Woes
Terry Labonte won Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Labonte, a former
Winston Cup champion, grabbed his first victory since 1999. This is the final Labor
Day-weekend running of the longest-running event in NASCAR history. Kevin Harvick was
second, while Jimmy Johnson finished third. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser
team were among the fastest all day, but dropped 11 laps behind the leaders on lap 149 (of
367) when the left rear half-shaft became disengaged. The No. 8 car was pushed to the
garage, where the Bud team installed a new left rear axle and returned to the track.
Despite the lengthy stay in the garage, Dale Jr. was still among the fastest cars all
afternoon, and regained two laps on the leaders by race end. The 25th place finish drops
Dale Jr. 389 points behind leader Matt Kenseth, but he remains in second place in the
Winston Cup standings.
The Key Moments: Starting 12th, Dale Jr. leaped into the top-10 on the
first lap, and then took advantage of a brilliant pit stop on lap 10 (12.9 seconds) to
jump into sixth position. Dale Jr. eventually moved into second position by lap 34, and
ran among the top-10 spots until axle problems brought the red car to a stop on the
racetrack. With no drive, the car had to be pushed off the track, through the infield and
into the garage before repairs could be made. After repairs, the Bud car returned to the
track in 33rd position, and was consistently the quickest car on the track, but Dale Jr.
was able to make up only two laps and eight positions before the finish.
Dale Jr. Quotes: “I’m not sure what happened with the rear
axle. I was just cruising around under yellow and all of a sudden, I had no drive to the
rear wheels. It happened all of a sudden. I wasn’t shifting and I had no warning.
There was no noise – just silence. Something came loose or we broke the axle cap. One
second it was working and the next second it wasn’t. It’s frustrating to have
that kind of thing happen, a real fluke deal, because we had a great car today. We’ve
led here before, but that was the best race car I’ve had at this place. I told the
guys on the radio, I don’t hate Darlington like I used to. I was because I really had
a car I could drive. A driver can’t help but improve each time he comes back to this
place, but having a car that can run like that is a much better feeling.”
Best Radio Conversations:
Matt Kenseth passed Dale Jr. for second place on lap 55.
Dale Jr: (to the crew): “We’re OK. I’m just chillin’
out here. I’m saving my (stuff).”
After the axle issues, Dale Jr. and his cousin, car chief Tony Eury Jr. had some
spirited chatter on the radio during several long yellow flag periods.
Dale Jr: “How many laps down are we?”
Tony Jr: “Nine.”
Dale Jr: “Nine? I thought I made up three laps? You said were 10
down a bit ago!”
Tony Jr: “I skipped one. But, you’re doing a great job.”
Dale Jr: “Well, help me out here. I don’t wanna be sitting in
this car doing calculus. I’m too busy to be doin’ math out here. The car is OK
in turns one and two, but that’s OK, because you can kind of change your line and do
alright. In (turns) three and four, you’ve gotta be ON it, or you’re not on it
at all for the lap. That’s where I really lose or gain….”
Under the same caution period:
Dale Jr: “OK. Gimme some incentive to drive hard here.”
Tony Jr: “You’re one lap down to the 12 car (Ryan Newman) but
if you make up nine laps, we’ll be in the winner’s circle.”
Dale Jr: “OK… tell me what position I can get to?”
Tony Jr: “Depends on who drops out, but you might be able to get as
high as 21st…”
Dale Jr: “Oh.. OK. I can handle the 20s… It’s the 30s that
suck. I don’t like finishing in the 30s. But, I’ll take the 20s after all
that…”
During the next caution period:
Dale Jr: “How many more laps? This is a long race…”
Tony Jr: “Less than 100 to go.
Dale Jr: “10-4. We’ll only have to race once here next year for
400 miles?”
Tony Jr: “No, they just moved this race to November, but
they’re gonna race it under the lights.”
Dale Jr: “Oh yeah. Cool. Racing at night will be cool.”
Tony Jr: “Yeah, you’ll be able to see your shadow on the
wall…”
Dale Jr: “Heh heh. They’d better light this thing from the
inside and paint day-glo stripes on the apron so we can see where we’re
goin…”
Today’s Stats:
Started: 12th
Finished: 25th (-9 laps)
Points: 2nd place (no change)
Best Pit Stop: Stop number one of 10 / Lap 10 / Four tires and fuel / 12.9 seconds
-Budweiser
Junior starts 12th at
Darlington_8/29/03
"I wasn't real happy with my lap. We really
struggled all day to get the car comfortable. We think we're going to be great in race
trim, but we're just really loose. I didn't expect to run a .30 even, so I guess I ought
to be happy that we ran a .30. We might lose a lot of spots here at the end of
qualifying."
WHAT DOES THE LAST LABOR DAY RACE HERE MEAN TO YOU?
"Well, everything changes. Whether you like it or not, things are going to change,
people come and go, places come and go. It's just something you have to get used to in
life, no matter where you're at or who you are. To hear that they 're going to put lights
up, that would be pretty cool to race here under the lights."
Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Southern 500 Preview_8/25/03
Dale Jr. Quotes for Darlington:
“It’s a good sign that we’re disappointed with a top-10 finish from
Bristol. We want to win, and we go into each weekend believing we should be a top-five
car. Finishing ninth won’t help us any put any pressure on (point leader) Matt
(Kenseth). But, we avoided trouble and kept at it all night. We’re having our best
season no matter what anyone else is doing, so we’re going to get what we can in the
last few months of the season.
“We seem to get better every time we go to Darlington. I still think they should
repave the place, but we led the most laps there (in March) and I think we’ll be
really good again this weekend. It would be cool to win the last Southern 500 on Labor Day
weekend. I love the history of the place, and I guess I’m kind of an old-school guy
when it comes to that kind of thing. I would have loved to have been back in the 70s,
racing against David Pearson and those guys.”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser Team at Darlington:
Previous Starts: 7
Best Start: 10th (March 2000)
Best Finish: 4th (March 2002)
Last Year: ST: 15th / Fin: 16th
** In the race earlier this season at Darlington, Dale Jr. and the No. 8
Budweiser team led the most laps (91 laps) and finished sixth.
STAIND with Paint and Decals
 Nothing goes better together than Dale Jr. and rock and roll…
so it’s a perfect pairing as Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive a commemorative No. 8
Budweiser “True Music” Chevrolet during the upcoming Rock and Roll 400 at
Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 6. The car’s paint scheme will
be black with red, gold and white accents and will feature musical act Staind on the rear
deck.
Staind's sophomore album, titled Break The Cycle, was the best-selling rock album released
in 2001 and sold more than five million copies. Budweiser’s “1 Night Stand”
music program – a series of private concerts offering adult consumers an opportunity
to hear headlining acts in small venues – kicked off its 2003 tour with Staind in
Boston on May 14.
Dale Jr on the Staind paint scheme: “It’s gorgeous. Plus, it
makes perfect sense. I love music, and it ties in with the Budweiser “True
Music” program perfectly. How can I not be excited about a special paint scheme at a
night race called the Rock and Roll 400?!”
Race Details:
Southern 500
Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
1.366-mile egg-shaped oval / 367 laps / 500 miles
Sunday, August 31 / 1:00 pm Eastern
Winston Cup Race # 25 (of 36)
TV: NBC-TV 12:30 pm pre-race
Bud Pole Qualifying: Bud Pole Qualifying takes place Friday at 3:00 pm.
You can see it live on the Speed Channel. You can also hear the race and Bud Pole
qualifying live on MRN radio (a station near you) or XM Radio.
---- You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really
stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you cannot do. --Eleanor Roosevelt
-Budweiser |
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