|| *Comments on the 2003 Aaron's 312:* View the most recent comment <#31> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. tquievryn posted: 01.03.2005 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Earnhardt Jr. won another restrictor plate race on fumes. He and Joe Nemechek ended up being the only two real competitors after a multi-car file up triggered by Johnny Sauter's flat tire, took out most of the major competitors. After that, Earnhardt Jr. stopped with 45 laps to go, causing his fuel pressure to drop on the white flag lap, which lucky for him was on caution Notes: Tina Gordon got her first top 10. 2. Chicago posted: 03.21.2005 - 12:29 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Only two Ford's and one Dodge in the top twenty. Most of the competition was taken out by the accident. 3. HomeDepot20TS posted: 11.27.2005 - 7:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Several cars, namely the 20 of Bliss that was fifth, were Pontiacs rather than Chevies because of the aero advantage the Pontiac supposedly had. 4. Chicago posted: 02.03.2006 - 9:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bliss and Waltrip were the only cars who would've made it on fuel had the caution not come out for a car - Ashton Lewis? Who couldn't make it back to pit road and stalled on the race track. 5. Darrell posted: 03.03.2006 - 8:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tina Gordon has a top-ten. 6. Miller4Prez64 posted: 05.02.2006 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s only Busch Series win at Talladega, he was 5 Nextel Cup wins. 7. Miller4Prez64 posted: 05.02.2006 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) He HAS 5 Nextel Cup wins at Talladega, error. Sorry 8. Darrell posted: 05.31.2006 - 12:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Final start for Lyndon Amick. Promising driver, but was way too crash-prone to make it. 9. Steve posted: 06.15.2006 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rick Markle (12th) and Larry Hollenbeck (15th) got their best career finishes by far. Larry Gunselman, though he wasn't very competitive, qualified for every Busch race in 2003, and his 18th place finish in this race was his best of the year. 10. DaleJrfan15 posted: 07.02.2006 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dont forget Sheppy with an 11th place finish 11. Steve posted: 07.06.2006 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I didn't notice the first time. An 11th place finish for Morgan Shepherd is his best since a one-off with the IWX team (when they ran in the Busch Series) at Rockingham in 1999, when Morgan finished 10th. 12. Mr. Etc posted: 08.01.2006 - 9:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Morgan Shepherd representin w/ an 11th, way to go :) 13. Anonymous posted: 10.23.2006 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And speaking of Lyndon Amick ... http://bgnracing.com/modules.php?name=Features&op=view&rid=304 14. McMurrayFan26 posted: 03.28.2007 - 3:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Jamie McMurray should have ran the full schedule he would have won the championship. 15. WillG46 posted: 07.23.2007 - 6:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A restrictor plate race that resembled the races of the mid 80's. The field got really spread out during the event leaving only 8 cars on the lead lap. 16. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2008 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A big wreck in the early race took out all the good guys, so flukes like Shepard, T. Gordon, Coy Gibbs, and Larry Gunselman finished well. 17. Mr. Big posted: 05.23.2008 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The big wreck around Lap 20 took out a lot of the good cars. Chase Montgomery probably was in love with roof flaps after this race - with around 5-10 laps to go he spun on the frontstretch and got quite high in the air before the roof flaps saved him. 18. RaceFanX posted: 08.12.2008 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was Lyndon Amick's only race in 2003 Tina Gordon's only top 10 and the second of two for Coy Gibbs in 9th. Both were career bests Best career finish for Rich Markle, 12th 19. Anonymous posted: 02.22.2009 - 12:16 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Morgan Shepherd's only finish in 2003. A crash at Richmond reduced him to a start-and-parker for the year. 20. GordonFan24 posted: 07.29.2009 - 9:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Brad Teague and Jason Schuler led in this race... two drivers who are virtually unknown in the racing world 21. Anonymous posted: 10.28.2012 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Make sure to denote that Mike Bliss actually ran a Pontiac instead of a Chevrolet. 22. Anonymous posted: 10.29.2012 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, Joe Nemechek, Mike Wallace, and Coy Gibbs drove Pontiacs instead of Chevrolets. 23. 83andJoe posted: 08.07.2013 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #34 crew chief: Blake Bainbridge (same for all races this year) 24. Anonymous posted: 04.19.2014 - 8:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (4) DW ruins every race that's ever been aired on Fox. 25. FloridaFan88 posted: 02.03.2015 - 12:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying Speeds 1. #87 Joe Nemechek Pontiac 188.649 50.761 2. #38 Kasey Kahne Ford 187.618 51.040 3. #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 186.539 51.335 4. #2 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 186.478 51.352 5. #59 Stacy Compton Chevrolet 186.112 51.453 6. #1 Jamie McMurray Dodge 185.816 51.535 7. #20 Mike Bliss Pontiac 185.646 51.582 8. #10 Scott Riggs Ford 185.643 51.583 9. #21 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 185.639 51.584 10. #7 Randy LaJoie Chevrolet 185.628 51.587 11. #32 Lyndon Amick Chevrolet 185.517 51.618 12. #60 Stanton Barrett Ford 185.495 51.624 13. #5 Brian Vickers Chevrolet 185.387 51.654 14. #18 Coy Gibbs Pontiac 185.316 51.674 15. #28 Brad Baker Dodge 185.222 51.700 16. #26 Kevin Grubb Dodge 185.086 51.738 17. #12 Kerry Earnhardt Chevrolet 184.911 51.787 18. #19 Chad Blount Dodge 184.473 51.910 19. #57 Jason Keller Ford 183.871 52.080 20. #23 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 183.843 52.088 21. #99 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 183.702 52.128 22. #88 Jeff Fuller Pontiac 183.645 52.144 23. #27 Chase Montgomery Pontiac 183.540 52.174 24. #4 Mike Wallace Pontiac 183.536 52.175 25. #48 Shane Hmiel Pontiac 183.512 52.182 26. #25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford 183.441 52.202 27. #46 Ashton Lewis Chevrolet 183.276 52.249 28. #37 David Green Pontiac 182.727 52.406 29. #92 Todd Bodine Chevrolet 182.720 52.408 30. #54 Hermie Sadler Chevrolet 182.469 52.480 31. #34 Mike McLaughlin Chevrolet 182.178 52.564 32. #44 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 181.660 52.714 33. #62 Larry Hollenbeck Pontiac 181.529 52.752 34. #72 Randy MacDonald Pontiac 181.522 52.754 35. #52 Brad Teague Ford 181.370 52.798 36. #68 Rick Markle Pontiac 180.976 52.913 37. #49 Derrike Cope Ford 180.785 52.969 (Provisional-3) 38. #22 Tina Gordon Chevrolet 180.669 53.003 (Provisional-2) 39. #55 Bobby Gerhart Pontiac 179.959 53.212 (DNQ-1) 40. #95 Kevin Ray Ford 179.834 53.249 (DNQ-2) 41. #73 Jason Schuler Ford 179.656 53.302 (Provisional-5) 42. #16 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet 179.370 53.387 (Provisional-4) 43. #0 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 178.181 53.743 (Provisional-6) 44. #77 Donnie Neuenberger Ford 176.845 54.149 (Provisional-1) 45. #39 Jason White Ford 172.292 55.580 (Provisional-7) 46. #84 Gus Wasson Chevrolet No Time (DNQ-3) Note: Randy MacDonald drove a Pontiac in the race, not a Chevrolet. 26. RWR posted: 01.13.2018 - 4:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor of the #27 is not Brewco Motorsports and not Trimspa? The car was plain grey and black (using the Alice Cooper paintscheme, but I could be wrong) 27. Danish Pie posted: 06.22.2018 - 7:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Morgan Shepherd's 11th place marks his best Xfinity series finish since the turn of the century. Barring a race with unimaginable attrition, that stat will most likely remain true. 28. RaceFanX posted: 06.19.2019 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lyndon Amick's last Busch Series start comes in a one-off #32 Support Our Soldiers Chevrolet. After his racing career ended later in 2003 he'd live up to that phrase as he joined the South Carolina Army National Guard and would serve in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. 29. Anonymous posted: 04.01.2020 - 7:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Bobby Hamilton Jr. had a role in the Big Wreck in race he's missing on this site for cars in crash because he was in it, and was interviewed later after it happened. 30. rm posted: 05.08.2020 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 0 sponsor - Racing With Jesus 27 sponsor - chasemontgomery.com (No TrimSpa on the car) 68 sponsor - Markle Motorsports 8 crew chief - Kevin Manion 87 crew chief - Brian Pattie 99 crew chief - Bobby Kennedy Eric Phillips, the regular crew chief on the NEMCO Busch team, was suspended following the team's win at Texas when the car failed post-race inspection and drew a stiff penalty from NASCAR. The team never missed a step, though, with Brian Pattie filling in here at Talladega. The NEMCO bunch even made sure that Phillips was on top of the pit box - or, more accurately, a cardboard cutout of Phillips. With fuel mileage coming into play around mid-race, the pit reporters scrambled up and down pit road, trying to see how confident - and truthful - the crew chiefs were regarding their pit window calculations. FOX sent Steve Byrnes to interview "Eric Phillips" and, upon receiving no answers from "Phillips" declared that he'd finally found a crew chief that wasn't telling a lie. Sure enough, the fuel mileage did come into play, with the race-ending caution coming out when Ashton Lewis Jr. ran out of gas and stopped on the track. Pretty much the entire field (or what was left of it, anyway) ran around on the apron to the checkers amidst fuel concerns. Race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of the drivers that was dangerously close to running out, but coasted to the line no problem to take the win. In the booth, Darrell Waltrip warned against anyone getting a helping hand on the final lap, regaling the viewer with the tale of how he had a 2nd-place finish at Pocono stripped from him in 1982 upon receiving a push...not something that Earnhardt Jr. wanted to hear, and even moreso because the Pocono race in question saw Dale Earnhardt Sr. break his leg in a nasty tumble. Jamie McMurray was called to the NASCAR hauler post-race after video footage appeared to show McMurray tossing something from the inside of the car in an attempt to draw a debris caution. If that was indeed his intention, it didn't work - though he was bailed out a few laps later when Chase Montgomery went for a wild spin while trying to pass McMurray. In response to comment #29 - Hamilton Jr. was indeed involved in the first caution, and somehow managed to come back out on track to add 2 more laps to his total. The car was barely recognizable and might honestly be one of the most-damaged cars I've ever seen come out of the garage and return to the race, even if only very briefly. 12 Pontiacs (and 17 Chevrolets) made the field in this race, that last Busch race at Talladega during the era of Pontiac. By 2004, only Hermie Sadler brought a Pontiac to this event, with the number of Chevy starters swelling to 27. 31. 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: