|| *Comments on the 2003 Dodge / Save Mart 350:* View the most recent comment <#41> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Woodbridge posted: 11.21.2003 - 3:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was one of the best races this year, I think. Glad to see Boris and Ron do well! 2. Jake posted: 05.12.2005 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Irony prevails on this race. On the same weekend where NEXTEL announces they'll replace Winston in 2004, Cingular Wireless goes to Victory Lane. 3. Anonymous posted: 03.05.2006 - 3:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also ironic is that this is the last Cup race as of 3/4/06 that had a Japanese born driver in the field. Could Hideo be a Toyota driver? 4. Darrell posted: 03.18.2006 - 11:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Doubt it. Hideo's long gone. 5. DaleJrfan14 posted: 06.01.2006 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) what was so good about him anyway? 6. Steve posted: 06.05.2006 - 5:45 pm Rate this comment: (2) (2) Apparently he was a really good racer in his native Japan. I believe he was the first Oriental driver to race in Winston Cup. His best finish was 33rd at Las Vegas in 2003. I don't know if he's still racing or what he's doing now. Interesting; in this race we had a Canadian (Ron Fellows), a Brazilian (Christian Fittapaldi), and a Japanese driver (Hideo Fukuyama). Boris Said won the pole for a Winston Cup race for the first time in qualifying for this race. Ironic that A.J. Foyt put P.J. Jones in the 14 car as a road course ringer, but he failed to qualify. 7. dalejrfan15 posted: 06.19.2006 - 11:19 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Missing: an 01 car with a man from CT 8. driver1 posted: 11.28.2006 - 10:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Hideo is the Darrell Waltrip of Japan. He's an ex-racer who's doing the television brodcast for nascar in Japan. 9. Brock posted: 01.19.2007 - 3:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) Robby > Jeff. Gordon was hounding Robby through the entire late stages of the race, nearly hitting him in turn 2, but never got around him or led a single lap. Ron Fellows had his best run at Sonoma to date, darting to the inside of Harvick and Robby in a daring three-wide pass in Turn 11 and leading 21 laps before his pit crew left a wrench on his car. 10. Brock posted: 01.19.2007 - 3:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hideo's problems came from the very beginning when the knob broke off the top of his gearshift. And, yes, dalejrfan15, I too felt that giant Nadeau hole on race day. 11. Jacksonedb posted: 02.26.2007 - 11:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Petty pulled a bonehead move in this race. He spun out in one of the turns, but as he was coming back on the race track, he blocked the path of Jack Sprague and Steve Park, and they ran into him. Kyle only had door damage, while Jack and Steve had to go to the garage. Also, how did Benson lead 7 laps? 12. Dan posted: 04.14.2007 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnny probably got out of sequence on pit stops and stayed out while the other leaders pitted. That stuff happens in almost every Sonoma race. 13. Mr. Big posted: 05.18.2008 - 2:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Robby Gordon shows once again that if you give him even just a decent car at a road course, he can win with it. 14. Clayton posted: 06.21.2008 - 11:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Is this the race that Robby Gordon broke the "Gentlemen's agreement rule" by passing Kevin Harvick?? 15. RaceFanX posted: 08.19.2008 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Yes it was, the idea of getting rid of racing back to the line started to come up for the first time after this event in the aftermath of that move. 16. RaceFanX posted: 08.19.2008 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Robby won with in a neon orange version of his Cingular #31, the car was painted as such to promote the release of the summer action movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. While Robby lived up to the name and won the race, the movie turned out to be a box office disappointment. 17. Anonymous posted: 06.03.2011 - 1:03 am Rate this comment: (1) (3) This was the weekend NEXTEL announced they'd be replacing Winston. We didn't know it at the time, but this was the weekend NASCAR began breathing it's last. 18. Mike posted: 06.21.2011 - 11:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @RaceFanX: Actually, the first time racing back became an issue was at Texas in April, when Kenseth was leading and slowed down to let a car back on the lead lap. Gordon passed him, and NASCAR gave Kenseth the lead back, which started a big controversy there. 19. RaceFanX posted: 07.23.2011 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I forgot about that, thanks Mike. I know thoughout 2003 it became more and more of an issue which led to the new rules and the "Lucky Dog." Sponsor: #31 Robby Gordon- Cingular Wireless / Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle 20. RaceFanX posted: 05.09.2012 - 5:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor: #45 Kyle Petty- Brawny / Kyle Petty Charity Ride 21. Daniel posted: 05.24.2012 - 9:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #02 Brandon Ash, #14 P.J. Jones, #33 Paul Menard Out using fastest 43: #32 Ricky Craven, #48 Jimmie Johnson, #49 Ken Schrader 22. CBASS posted: 01.16.2013 - 7:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #97 Rubbermaid/ Sharpie #9/19 Dodge Summer Sales Drive #7 Sirius #31 Charlie's Angels: Fully Loaded/ Cingular #21 Motorcraft Quality Parts #00 Jelly Belly/ Big O Tires #02 Auto Marine Engineering #43 Cheerios/ Betty Crocker #4 Kodak Perfect Touch #33 Turtle Wax/ Menards #30 AOL #16 Grainger Lighting Solutions! http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/photos/main-gallery/?sz=2&r=1171&y=2003&s=5&p=3 http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0317 23. kidracer posted: 05.25.2013 - 11:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hes now running again - Mike Joy on Fukyamas troubles in this race. 24. Anonymous posted: 07.01.2013 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not only that, it was Dale Jarrett's wrecked car sitting at the start-finish line while you had guys racing by that created those rules. But hey, some people just want to wait until something happened, THEN complain about it 25. ... posted: 11.30.2013 - 10:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael Waltrip in top 5 in points?! o.O 26. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 09.11.2014 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner Update #09 Chip Ganassi Pruett in Target car at Sonoma: Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today that road-course specialist Scott Pruett will drive a fourth entry for the team at Sonoma this weekend. Pruett will be entered to drive the #09 Target Dodge [listed as the Phoenix Racing/James Finch #09 team] in the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 22, 2003. This is in addition to Ganassi's current stable of drivers: #40-Sterling Marlin, #41-Casey Mears and #42-Jamie McMurray. "I'm excited to put Scott behind the wheel of the Target Dodge this weekend in Sonoma," owner Chip Ganassi said. "Scott has a proven track record on road courses and has had great finishes with our team in the past two years. This team is committed to winning and adding value to our sponsors." Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates has hired Pruett on two other occasions. Last year, Pruett drove the #41 Target Dodge to a sixth place finish at Watkins Glen. In 2001, Pruett qualified eighth and finished 11th at Watkins Glen in the #01 Ganassi entry. "It's great to be able to work with the Chip Ganassi racing team again," Pruett said. "This is a first class organization that's out to win races. I'm hoping to take the Target Dodge to the Winner's Circle in Sonoma." Pruett has one full season of NASCAR Winston Cup experience under his belt, racing in 2000 for #32 PPI Motorsports in its first season in the NASCAR Winston Cup series. Pruett's best finish was 10th place in the Brickyard 400. In addition to racing in the Trans Am Road Racing Series for Rocketsports Racing in 2003, Pruett also serves as a race announcer for Speed Channel's CART races.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(6-16-2003) 27. LandonFandon34 (Formerly numbah10hatah) posted: 02.06.2017 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson spun out in qualifying just after the esses. Ricky Craven didn't even get a lap in during qualifying as he blew the motor on his warm up lap. It was a tough weekend for Ricky, as he blew another engine in practice prior to qualifying. He did manage to salvage a 21st place finish, though. 28. rm posted: 12.18.2017 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chris Bingham was originally entered to drive the Derrike Cope 37 car in this race but was injured and never made it to a Cup race ultimately. 29. Victor posted: 03.13.2018 - 7:51 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) The best part was the synchronized spinning with J. Burton, Busch and Fellows I believe. Never seen anything like that. 30. joey2448 posted: 06.15.2018 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Some things that have gone unnoticed and don't show up in the caution flag data: Bobby Labonte had two spins in this race, one early in the first dozen laps or so in turn 7 at the top of the hill when he tried passing under Bill Elliott, then later about midway through the race when he got tagged in the hairpin by Kenny Wallace. Tony Stewart also got turned around lap 83 or so at the tight turn 7, when he got hit from behind by Ryan Newman. Shortly after Tony's spin, Jeff Burton also spun out when he got into the hairpin way too hot while trying to pass brother Ward and lost a lot of time. Burton then finished his day with a hard crash with about 15 laps to go when he ran off into the dirt at turn 10 and buried his Ford into the tire barriers. No yellow came out for that. Ron Fellows got turned by Jeremy Mayfield in the hairpin racing back to the lap 90 caution. Joe Nemechek had a solo spin at turn 7 on the first lap after the lap 92 restart. Kyle Petty got tagged by Casey Mears at the top of the hill at turn 5 with about 15 laps left. Race winner Robby Gordon got a piece of a styrofoam block that was sitting at the exit of turn 6 (the 90-degree downhill right-hander) while leading with five laps to go, with Jeff Gordon in hot pursuit. The block had been in peril all day but no one had hit it until Robby did. 31. joey2448 posted: 06.15.2018 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Also, the aforementioned synchronized spinning was lap 66 when Kurt Busch, Scott Pruitt and Jeff Burton went three-wide into the tight turn 7 and all three spun out in unison. It also stacked the field up, and Dave Blaney, Ryan Newman, Joe Nemechek and Michael Waltrip all got a piece of it. 32. Danish Pie posted: 11.06.2018 - 7:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Best finish in three Cup starts by Trans-AM driver Johnny Miller 33. JSPorts posted: 11.06.2018 - 8:27 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) These were the beginning of the days where the ringers were starting to die out. Fellows, Said & Pruett could still run in the top-10, but others, like Miller, weren't as competitive. Now, the only ringers you ever see drive for uncompetitive teams and finish at the back of the pack. 34. YAHBOI posted: 05.11.2019 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Add to that, my boy Bill Elliott finished 4th! 35. YAHBOI posted: 05.11.2019 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Not very big fact, but this was first race after my birthday! 36. YAHBOI posted: 05.11.2019 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Comment 34 was supposed to be after 35 37. rm posted: 03.25.2020 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Bill Elliott was still recovering from a broken foot suffered at Charlotte the month prior to this race and hadn't missed any time to date with the injury. Elliott and Ray Evernham were worried about the stress a road course race could put on the foot, so Evernham enlisted Brian Simo as the standby driver for the weekend in case of emergency. Everything went according to plan, though, and Elliott ran all 110 laps come Sunday and finished in the top five. Simo got his next chance in a Cup car at Sonoma two years later as the ringer put up a top ten driving for RCR in the 2005 race. 38. Bodyblower posted: 04.20.2020 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian Simo practiced the 30 car. 39. Bodyblower posted: 04.21.2020 - 9:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Got that from Ultimate Racing History. 40. Mile501 posted: 10.05.2020 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Even though they are from years ago, I want to make a couple of corrections to prior comments: @9 - That's not why Ron Fellows lost this race. He had a good shot to win this race, but he hadn't pitted when 5th caution came out while many other leaders had. So he had to pit under caution, going from the lead back to about 20th. He also got spun by Jeremy Mayfield while trying to work his way back up through the field. @29 - It was Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, and Scott Pruett who went for the synchronized spin. Fellows wasn't part of that spin. 41. RaceFanX posted: 01.11.2021 - 9:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Newman finished fifth in this race driving the same road course Dodge Intrepid that he would later flip in practice at Watkins Glen later in the year. This was the of two top-5s for the Rocketman at Sonoma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: