|| *Comments on the 2003 The Winston:* View the most recent comment <#16> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Brock posted: 05.29.2007 - 4:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The elimination rounds in this race made it exciting in the early part of the event with Ricky Rudd just barely edging Rusty Wallace for the last transfer spot in the first segment. The late part of the race, however, featured Johnson playing possum when the fans inevitably inverted the maximum number of cars, forcing Kurt Busch's dominant car to just come up short at the finish. 2. Mr. Big posted: 08.12.2007 - 2:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of the better All-Star races but my hero Sterling Marlin almost didn't make it after Jeff Gordon spun him out in Round 2. He wouldn't have if it weren't for the crash on the final lap of Round 2. 3. stricklinfan82 posted: 04.28.2008 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eligibility Requirements for the 2003 All-Star Race: - all active 2002 and 2003 race winning drivers: 1.) Ward Burton - 2/02 Daytona 2.) Matt Kenseth - 2/02 Rockingham 3.) Sterling Marlin - 3/02 Las Vegas 4.) Tony Stewart - 3/02 Atlanta 5.) Kurt Busch - 3/02 Bristol 6.) Bobby Labonte - 4/02 Martinsville 7.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 4/02 Talladega 8.) Jimmie Johnson - 4/02 California 9.) Mark Martin - 5/02 Charlotte 10.) Dale Jarrett - 6/02 Pocono 11.) Ricky Rudd - 6/02 Sears Point 12.) Michael Waltrip - 7/02 Daytona 13.) Kevin Harvick - 7/02 Chicagoland 14.) Bill Elliott - 7/02 Pocono 15.) Jeff Gordon - 8/02 Bristol 16.) Ryan Newman - 9/02 New Hampshire 17.) Jamie McMurray - 10/02 Charlotte 18.) Johnny Benson - 11/02 Rockingham 19.) Ricky Craven - 3/03 Darlington 20.) Joe Nemechek - 5/03 Richmond - all active 2002 and 2003 race winning car owners: 21.) # 28/38 Ford - 6/02 Sears Point (new driver Elliott Sadler) - all All-Star Race winning drivers from the last 5 years: 22.) Terry Labonte - '99 All-Star Race winner - all active former Winston Cup Champions: 23.) Rusty Wallace - 1989 champion - 2003 Winston Open winner: 24.) Jeff Burton 4. Clayton posted: 05.13.2008 - 12:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) The last "Winston!" It will always be the Winston not the All-Star race! 5. rob posted: 03.02.2011 - 9:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) always wondered why they didn't keep this format. only time i've ever seen the cars four wide in turn four at charlotte as they battled for the transfer spots for the final segment. 6. RaceFanX posted: 05.21.2011 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) It got dumped because fans didn't like seeing their drivers eliminated early. "Survival of he Fastest" was a nice experiment but I'm glad it didn't last. 7. RaceFanX posted: 03.12.2012 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #29 Kevin Harvick- Snap-On / GM Goodwrench Engines #15 Michael Waltrip- NAPA Auto Parts / Nilla Wafers #24 Jeff Gordon- DuPont / Wright Brothers 100th Anniversary #22 Ward Burton- Caterpillar Acert Technology #48 Jimmie Johnson- Lowe's / Power of Pride (also his sponsor for the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 the next week) #2 Rusty Wallace- Miller Lite / Miller Time Live Goo Goo Dolls #18 Bobby Labonte- Interstate Batteries / Advair (also his sponsor when he won at Atlanta in the spring) 8. CBASS posted: 01.14.2013 - 5:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #48 Lowe's Power of Pride #99 Kraft Velveeta/ Kraft Deluxe #2 Miller Lite Miller Time Live- Goo Goo Dolls #29 Snap-On/ GM Goodwrench Engines #97 Rubbermaid/ Sharpie #21 Motorcraft Quality Parts #22 CAT Truck Engines/ Acert Technology http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0312 9. RaceFanX posted: 08.23.2013 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lap Leaders: Harvick 1-12, Stewart 13-16, Earnhardt Jr. 17-21, T.Stewart 22-56, K.Harvick 57-63, K.Busch 64-70, J.Gordon 71-74, J.Johnson 75-90 10. Anonymous posted: 11.29.2013 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ricky Rudd's final Winston, he'd already scored his final Cup victory the year before and never advanced out of the Open again. 11. kidracer posted: 01.06.2014 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) It got dumped because pretty boy Jr didnt make it out of the second round. Im all for elimination again. 12. nascarfreak99 posted: 12.29.2014 - 8:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the first year that the winner of The Winston was awarded $1 million. 13. BK#23#83 posted: 03.26.2016 - 12:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) They really need to go back to this format..Eliminations were great.. 14. Altracing posted: 04.11.2017 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think I saw on twitter from Jayski that they're bringing back an elimination format for the All-Star race this year. 15. rm posted: 03.25.2020 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Joe Nemechek made a great save in the first segment here, after being spun into the frontstretch grass he got the car righted as soon as he hit the paved area of the Legends oval and hardly missed a beat - which was a good thing, since no caution waved. Jeff Gordon sure didn't make any friends on this night. Sterling Marlin went for a spin off of Gordon's bumper, and a couple laps later Ward Burton crashed out after getting a big shove down the straightaway from Gordon. Stuck deep in the field before the end of the second segment, Gordon then pushed Dale Jarrett into the big one on lap 70 and out of the race due to the damage. The elimination format was revived for the 2017 race, but - and I know this is very hard to believe - it was not received particularly well by the fans and didn't return for the 2018 race. 16. Altracing posted: 11.15.2020 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart looked to have the best car during the first half of the race but a decision to pit when Ward Burton crashed put him back in traffic and on the final lap of the second stage got into Terry Labonte taking himself out of the race along with a bunch more who were all eliminated in the second round. Bill Elliott who was involved in the crash suffered three broken bones in the top of his left foot after being involved in that crash. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: