|| *Comments on the 2003 Koolerz 300:* View the most recent comment <#35> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Matt posted: 08.04.2005 - 4:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) CART star Jimmy Vasser had a top 5 run going in the #30 until being spun by Todd Bodine on the backstretch with 2 laps do go. Vasser was hit hard twice in the driver side door first by Jason Keller and second by Mike McLaughlin. Keller's car caught fire and ended up against the inside wall coming off turn 4. All three drivers were uninjured. 2. HomeDepot20TS posted: 11.27.2005 - 6:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keller actually had a concussion, but the way the wreck looked, they all shoulda been beat up real bad. Eventual series champ Brian Vickers had a big hit early on in the race himself, getting tapped exiting turn two by Stanton Barrett and pounding the outside wall before collecting Barrett, Coy Gibbs, and Hermie Sadler. 3. Darrell posted: 12.23.2005 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike McLaughlin was supposed to drive the #01 Ford for Angela's Motorsports, but that deal went dry because of sponsorship money, that and the fact the owners were nothing but a couple of crooks disguised as NASCAR owners. Anyway, McLaughlin got in on a last-second entry in a Jay Robinson-owned car that was rented from the old AM team. It was sponsored by XM, Darrell Waltrip, as well as a bunch of fans who supported McLaughlin after hearing about him losing his ride. 4. Thomas posted: 03.08.2006 - 5:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, I heard the Angela's Motorsports deal was supposed to be partially owned by a kindergarten teacher, but it fell through. 5. Darrell posted: 03.25.2006 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My mistake, BTW. The car was supposed to be the #03, not the #01. Sorry! 6. Darrell posted: 09.25.2006 - 9:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also the first start (and so far only top-ten) for Chase Montgomery. 7. FHgrad99 posted: 08.22.2007 - 10:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The "owner" of Angela's Motorsports is now serving a prison sentance over this scam. She was arrested after fleeing the country. 8. SK posted: 11.20.2007 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Harmon manages to finish on the tail end of the lead lap, making this the only Busch race out of 94 in which Harmon has completed all the laps. 9. Mr. Big posted: 05.04.2008 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a shame. McLaughlin got pulled into a scam, got a ride for the Daytona race and if I remember right was in the top 15 or even top 10 before he got caught up in the crash with two to go. Vasser had a great run going and was 6th (close to that) and had a shot at a top five when he crashed with two to go. 10. jp posted: 06.15.2009 - 11:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) First Busch race I ever sen 11. Evan posted: 10.18.2011 - 10:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell Waltrip actually helped Mclaughlin sponsor this ride in this race, with DWStore.com. A nice gesture by DW even though he was commentating the race too. This race also had some 2002 and 2003 body stylings due to some underfunded teams using cars from 2002 while other teams caught up. Earnhardt Jr. won the race in a 2002 Monte Carlo yet the diecast of the car is a 2003 Monte Carlo and it appears in NASCAR Thunder 2004 with a 2003 body if you play the game. 12. IHateSteveWallace! posted: 01.30.2012 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) gee todd bodine caused an accident? imagine that. cue ball head-shaped crybady. 13. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have fond memories of watching this race, and I remember every incident on the track. Because I was a novice race fan, when I saw Jason Keller crash head-on into the inside wall in turn 4 while on fire, I thought he was dead. Obviously if I saw that nowadays, I would know better, haha. 14. PCRaceFan0006 posted: 01.23.2014 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larry Hollenbeck owned the No. 82 Pontiac he failed to qualify for this race. The only apparent sponsor on the car was S.W.A.T. on the quarterpanels. 15. Evan posted: 01.21.2015 - 11:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Crew chiefs * #30 Vasser-Joe Dan Bailey * #99 Michael Waltrip-Bobby Kennedy From the FOX broadcast of this race. 16. Evan posted: 01.21.2015 - 11:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correction on the McLaughlin entry XM Nation/DWStore.com--Darrell Waltrip put his online store on the car right before the day of the event. Source:FOX's story of McLaughlin's unlikely road to Daytona, as well as the logo being shown on the in-car camera and Darrell commenting on it late in the race when the car was trailing smoke. 17. RaceFanX posted: 01.22.2015 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DNQ car: #91 Ron Barfield, Jr.- K&L Chrome Ford (owned by Stanton Barrett) Dale Earnhardt Jr takes the Oreo Chevrolet to victory lane at Daytona during Speedweeks for the second-consecutive year. 18. RaceFanX posted: 01.22.2015 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Joe Nemechek won the pole for this race but didn't get to race. Jeff Green, the polesitter for the next day's Daytona 500 became a last minute substitute when Front Row Joe pulled out due to a stomach ailment. Green started at the back and ended up on the sidelines when Scott Riggs got into the back of him and set the #87 Cellular One Pontiac into the inside wall near the pits off Turn 4 Michael Waltrip had a high-speed spin and nailed the inside wall just outside of pit lane only to keep spinning into the tri-oval's grass. His wreck was triggered when Jimmy Vasser bumped the wall, bounced off to bump Randy LaJoie, and LaJoie bumped Waltrip sending him for a loop. Of course the crash ironically occurred right as the announcers were talking about Vasser having a great run and being a "fast learner" about drafting. Waltrip's luck would improve the following day when he'd win the rain-shortened Daytona 500. Jason Keller wasn't the only driver to end up on fire in this one as Stacy Compton's #59 Kingsford Charcoal Chevrolet got barbecued after he hit the turn 1 wall. Compton blew a tire, broke a fuel pump when he hit the wall, and went streaking down the backstretch on fire before he finally stopped it close to turn 3. 19. joey2448 posted: 01.24.2015 - 3:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I still think Junior's paint scheme in this race is one of the coolest I've ever seen. A red car that fades to yellow on the bottom, it just sticks out! 20. FloridaFan88 posted: 01.29.2015 - 10:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying Speeds Driver Manufacturer Speed Time 1. #87 Joe Nemechek Pontiac 186.050 48.374 2. #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 185.586 48.495 3. #21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 185.468 48.526 4. #39 Mike McLaughlin Ford 185.452 48.530 5. #30 Jimmy Vasser Dodge 185.281 48.575 6. #17 Matt Kenseth Ford 185.098 48.623 7. #99 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 184.949 48.662 8. #2 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 184.930 48.667 9. #19 Chad Blount Dodge 184.767 48.710 10. #20 Mike Bliss Pontiac 184.593 48.756 11. #18 Coy Gibbs Pontiac 184.370 48.815 12. #59 Stacy Compton Chevrolet 184.336 48.824 13. #38 Kasey Kahne Ford 184.336 48.824 14. #48 Shane Hmiel Pontiac 184.170 48.868 15. #7 Randy LaJoie Pontiac 184.106 48.885 16. #12 Kerry Earnhardt Chevrolet 183.857 48.951 17. #25 Bobby Hamilton Jr.Ford 183.374 49.080 18. #43 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 183.374 49.080 19. #57 Jason Keller Ford 183.370 49.081 20. #1 Jamie McMurray Dodge 183.352 49.086 21. #5 Brian Vickers Chevrolet 183.210 49.124 22. #4 Mike Wallace Pontiac 183.132 49.145 23. #23 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 183.038 49.170 24. #10 Scott Riggs Ford 182.801 49.234 25. #6 Damon Lusk Dodge 182.778 49.240 26. #60 Stanton Barrett Ford 182.734 49.252 27. #27 Chase Montgomery Pontiac 182.393 49.344 28. #37 David Green Pontiac 182.242 49.385 29. #28 Brad Baker Dodge 182.006 49.449 30. #26 Kevin Grubb Dodge 181.962 49.461 31. #61 Toby Porter Pontiac 181.962 49.461 32. #77 Donnie Neuenberger Ford 181.947 49.465 33. #46 Ashton Lewis Chevrolet 181.415 49.610 34. #92 Todd Bodine Chevrolet 181.247 49.656 35. #86 Jeff Fultz Chevrolet 180.934 49.742 36. #72 Randy MacDonald Pontiac 180.636 49.824 Provisionals 37. #54 Hermie Sadler Chevrolet 180.321 49.911 38. #73 Jason Schuler Ford 177.806 50.617 39. #70 Robby Benton Chevrolet 177.809 50.616 40. #49 Derrike Cope Ford 179.483 50.144 41. #22 Jeff Fuller Chevrolet 178.257 50.489 42. #16 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet 180.144 49.960 43. #44 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 180.447 49.876 Failed to Qualify 44. #81 Mark Day Pontiac 180.169 49.953 45. #75 Jay Sauter Chevrolet 178.511 50.417 46. #67 C W Smith Chevrolet 178.116 50.529 47. #84 Joe Buford Chevrolet 176.585 50.967 48. #52 Brad Teague Ford 176.464 51.002 21. FloridaFan88 posted: 01.29.2015 - 10:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #82-Larry Hollenbeck withdrew before qualifying, but did participate in the practice sessions before qualifying. #91-Ron Barfield was never on the entry list and did not participate in the race weekend. 22. ericthenau posted: 02.13.2015 - 7:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Contrary to FloridaFan88's comment saying that Ron Barfield, Jr. never entered this race, Barfield WAS in fact entered, but he never participated in any of the practices before qualifying, and didn't turn in a single practice lap at all. Therefore, it can be said that Ron Barfield, Jr. also withdrew from this race, along with Larry Hollenbeck. There was even a version of the lineup for this race that included Barfield as a DNQ, saying that Barfield did not complete a lap in qualifying, but this isn't true at all; instead, of course, Barfield withdrew. The proof that Barfield was in the race's entry list lies here: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nascar-b/scores/archive/2003/koolerz-preview.htm 23. Jeff posted: 02.23.2015 - 12:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) To correct a point above, all the teams were running 2002-legal sheetmetal. NASCAR had introduced "aero matching" (common templates, but under a name everyone didn't consider sacrilegious) which meant a new elongated nose for the Chevy, and the 2003 Grand Prix redesign came in for the Pontiac teams. However, with only three plate races on the Busch schedule, NASCAR attempted to save the teams money by requiring them to run the older body styles at the plate races. In theory the teams wouldn't have to build new plate cars just to destroy them. At all other races they could run either the new or old bodies. Like the year before, some Chevy teams actually ran the '96-'02 Grand Prix body instead because it was a better plate car than the '00-'02 Monte Carlo. 24. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 03.07.2016 - 12:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Update #92 Herzog-Jackson Motorsports Owner Update #5 Rick Hendrick (Same for all the races in 2003) 25. Smithfield posted: 03.07.2016 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ricky Hendrick is the carowner per Vickers 26. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.21.2016 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates: #92 Herzog-Jackson Motorsports #70 Vitaball Vitamin Gumballs 27. The Great Dave posted: 02.24.2017 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "I still think Junior's paint scheme in this race is one of the coolest I've ever seen. A red car that fades to yellow on the bottom, it just sticks out!" This is what his Axalta car was based off of IIRC. SPONSOR UPDATE #70 Kevin Whitaker Chevy Chevrolet ( I Saw a pic of it online and it had Kevin Whitaker on all sides of the car) 28. Paul posted: 12.24.2018 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Driver change: DC | Joe Nemechek | 87 | Cellular One | Joe Nemechek | Pontiac Nemechek qualified his car on the pole, but suffered from food poisoning the morning of the race and had to sit out of the event. Fellow full-time Winston Cup driver and Daytona 500 pole sitter, Jeff Green, would fill in. 29. JSPorts posted: 12.24.2018 - 2:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Joe was very fast in his Xfinity car at the plate tracks back then. 30. Evan posted: 02.26.2019 - 7:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Crew chief for the #30 for Jimmy Vasser was Joe Dan Bailey. SOURCE: It was talked about during the broadcast. 31. Darrell posted: 11.03.2019 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdraw: No. 03 Mike McLaughlin Wired-Flyer.com Ford (Angela Harkness) 32. RaceFanX posted: 11.03.2019 - 1:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Were they ever on the entry list? The team had already been shut down for more than two weeks at this point and never made it to the track. 33. rm posted: 05.08.2020 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This may have been the first race of the year, but Mike Joy was already in midseason form - at the expense of boothmate Darrell Waltrip, of course: After some three-wide racing caused DW to ooh and aah and stammer - "At 2:39 PM...Darrell Waltrip was speechless. Another new NASCAR record!" When analyzing a spin off turn 4 - "Darrell, you had a wreck here years ago when this area was all grass, and when your car hit that access road, it did this." (He drew a bunch of squiggly-lines and loop-de-loops with the telestrator) 34. Mile501 posted: 08.29.2020 - 7:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is listed as having 2 lead changes, but wasn't there only 1 lead change? With the #87 going to the back at the start, I believe that would have put Harvick on the pole. He led the first 53 laps, then Earnhardt Jr. led the last 67 laps. 35. Rich posted: 12.25.2020 - 6:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Dr. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Jeanne Zelasko were the pit road reporters. Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond were in the Hollywood hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: