|| *Comments on the 2003 Mountain Dew Southern 500:* View the most recent comment <#50> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. James posted: 07.24.2004 - 12:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Last Southern 500 run on Labor Day Weekend. 2. Jack Lewis posted: 07.28.2004 - 5:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry Labonte wins his first race since 1999. A very popular win in which he asks the flagman for the checkered flag, and takes a victory lap with it in hand. This procedure was done by his son Justin a year later in a Busch Series race at Chicagoland. 3. HomeDepotKid posted: 08.09.2004 - 11:11 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) I was fortunate enough to attend the race, and I was fortunate enough to see Terry win. Shoulda seen the crowd response. TV does it no justice. 4. Heather posted: 02.08.2005 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last Southern 500 on Labor Day. Can't think of a better driver to end up in Victory Lane that day. 5. MASH_guy posted: 06.06.2005 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How appropriate that a driver whose first race and first win came in the Southern 500, should win the last one ever. (And likely his last win, period.) 6. Jake posted: 06.14.2005 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a great victory for Terry. It's a shame that we don't have this classic race on Labor Day weekend anymore. 7. HomeDepot20TS posted: 02.17.2006 - 12:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who better to win this one? Jeff Gordon had one of his more violent looking wrecks. He's been fortunate to not have any really really serious accidents. I don't think the 24 has ever been upside down. 8. Chicago posted: 03.05.2006 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Funny that at the start of the season, I was thinking the exact same thing ... Gordon's been involved in quite a few accidents, but he's never had a real serious one (his rib-breaking one at Fort Worth notwithstanding). Then there are guys like Mike Waltrip and Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler who have had quite a few serious accidents. 9. Miller4Prez6 posted: 04.23.2006 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cool to see Terry Labonte win, probably his last win as he will officialy retire at Fort Worth in November. 10. Anonymous0 posted: 05.20.2006 - 9:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was great to see someone who would actually appreciate winning the last Labor Day Southern 500,not someone who'll just pass it off as another win,also awesome to see Terry get a win,and go on to finish 10th in points with Bill Elliott in 9th. 11. Labonte44Ever posted: 06.13.2006 - 2:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry is the man and i hope he Never retires!! 12. Steve posted: 07.23.2006 - 3:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd much rather see a daytime Labor Day Southern 500 than another race at a cookie-cutter track. This may not be Terry's final win; he will run the #96 car at Watkins Glen. Remember at Sonoma he finished 3rd in that car! 13. Kevin posted: 08.15.2006 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Most likley the last win for one of the best drivers! Long live Terry! 14. JJ Lehto posted: 10.18.2006 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So great to see him win. Sadly it'll PROBABLY be his last...but you never know. (look at the Glen race) 15. Steve posted: 11.27.2006 - 10:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Offical now Terry Labonte's final Winston Cup win 16. Brock posted: 01.18.2007 - 6:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) A very cool and delightfully unexpected moment; great to see Texas T score that win. 17. Douche Bagolow posted: 07.28.2007 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Greg had 'em covered until something happened to his car late in the race. 18. Chris posted: 12.01.2007 - 12:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think this was also the race where Ryan Newman accidentally hit the kill switch, but he didn't know it. The crew pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed that car until they were so tired they could barely push it anymore and it wouldn't fire. 19. Douche Bagolow posted: 12.23.2007 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I found out what happened to Greg. His flywheel broke. I should add, Ryan Newman had 'em covered until hit hit the kill switch on a pit stop and fell 8 laps down. 20. Clayton posted: 03.19.2008 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So happy to see Terry win this race! He was perfect for to win this. He struggled since 1999 and this win was awesome! Terry might not be done just yet as he MIGHT drive some cars in the 2008 season now! 21. Matito posted: 12.02.2008 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As a huge Kevin Harvick fan, it was weird rooting against him catching and passing Terry. I dont know anyone that didnt want Terry to win that day. Darlington provided probably the best two races in 2003. 22. hyperacti posted: 01.29.2009 - 6:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) man, I can't find a video of this race on youtube. thats a shame love ya terry 23. Ben posted: 04.12.2009 - 8:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) My favorite driver ever, and I myself couldnt believe it either. Great season for Terry. 24. myself posted: 08.19.2009 - 2:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Very fitting for Terry Labonte's final win. 25. Talon64 posted: 12.03.2010 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry only had 6 top fives in the previous 4 seasons before this, but this was his 4th of the season. He came back for a couple of Cup starts this season with a new team, Stavola Labonte Racing! 26. Jim posted: 06.15.2011 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry celebrated taking the checkers around for a lap just like in the 70's at San Antonio's old Hwy 16 raceway. Last win for crew chief Jim Long. 27. Evan posted: 11.03.2011 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Terry's only win in the Frosted Flakes car, all of his other wins were in the yellow and red Kelloggs corn Flakes car with Cornelius the Rooster on the front. Cornelius the rooster instead took a back seat to this win as he was featured on the right rear quarter panel in 2003 and Tony the Tiger was on the hood. 28. RaceFanX posted: 03.06.2012 - 10:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #19 Jeremy Mayfield- Dodge Dealers / UAW / Mountain Dew (also his sponsor for this race in 2002 and Casey Atwood's #19 sponsor for the 2001 Southern 500) #99 Jeff Burton- MDA / Citgo 29. RaceFanX posted: 04.13.2012 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race was part of the Winston Cup Victory Lap program, Winston's farewell to the fans that saw it honor each of the drivers to claim the Winston Cup championship. Here it was South Carolina's own Cale Yarborough who was honored. Cale had a special #11 Chevrolet painted to resemble the car he won the 1978 Winston Cup title with for the occasion, no active drivers in the race itself were honored at this event. Par for the course was for the honored retired drivers to join the field on its pace laps in a modern stock car but I'm not sure if Cale did, if he did NBC apparently didn't show it. Wally Dallenbach's guest in his 'Wally's World' segment was Hollywood actor David Spade. Dallenbach made a few references to his film 1990s film "Tommy Boy" then made sure Spade got to experience a "Darlington Stripe." 30. Daniel posted: 05.24.2012 - 10:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #50 Larry Foyt Out using fastest 43: #7 Jimmy Spencer 31. Anthony posted: 06.21.2012 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry's last win. Shit dude he could have won in 2004 32. AndyS posted: 07.21.2012 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correct me if I am wrong. Terry may not have been the first race winner to come back to the flagstand and "take" the checkered flag, but drivers started doing it almost every time since. Also, if my memory serves me well, he did not do a burnout. Classy driver with an extremely low ratio of DNF's to starts. Top 10 in the final standings in 15 seasons. 33. CBASS posted: 01.17.2013 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #19 Mountain Dew/ Dodge #17 Smirnoff Ice Triple Black #9 Dodge Summer Sales Drive #32 Tide Give Kids The World #97 Rubbermaid/ Sharpie #02 SCORE Motorsports http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0326 34. c2 posted: 02.05.2013 - 7:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) AndyS I believe you're right, I can't recall anyone doing what Terry did since Kulwicki's Polish Victory Lap (and the tributes after). Then drivers started to do it more often after he won here. I will never forget this race. The race is now on youtube i believe as well. Or at least clips of the end and his victory celebration. Too cool. 35. Fish posted: 03.27.2013 - 1:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Labonte44ever may get his wish! Can't believe Terry's still racing in Cup after retiring from full time competition 9 years ago. 36. Nascar24JeffGordon posted: 04.08.2013 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Got Milk? is Got Checker Flag? LOL 37. We need more Onion posted: 01.12.2014 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That year, Darlington had the best racing and the best winners, no doubt. 38. Martin posted: 07.03.2014 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (4) (1) This might have been the most popular win since Dale's 1998 D500 win. I was around a lot of NASCAR people that weekend and for the weeks that followed and everyone was so damn giddy over this win. I never realized how many people love and respect Terry Labonte until this happened. 2003 was really the last good season in NASCAR. Final wins for Elliott and both Labonte brothers, while Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch had the best finish in NASCAR history in the Spring Darlington race. As far as I'm concerned, NASCAR perished in 2004. 39. Anthony posted: 02.03.2015 - 7:03 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) The Southern 500 returns to its correct date in 2015!! 40. Evan posted: 07.01.2016 - 10:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The two potential winners in this race that had the hard luck were both Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman. Biffle really was getting along with Doug Richert after he took over duties from Randy Goss during this year. Greg Biffle looked like he would pick up his first Southern 500 until his flywheel broke, but Biffle was able to still finish 10th. Newman looked very strong as well and his misfortune was hitting the engine kill switch that resulted in him stalling on pit road and his crew coming out and trying to push him and then his teammate Rusty Wallace's crew goes out and tries to push him after the Alltel guys got tired until Newman found the kill switch. An embarrassing situation that resulted in a 23rd place. But all that misfortune cleared the way for Terry Labonte who broke a winless streak dating back to 1999 and he also was able into the top 10 in points at the end of year along with Bill Elliott which put the two champions back on stage in New York for a final time. 41. Maverick19 posted: 01.15.2017 - 1:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) After Newman's car stalled, the crew tried pushing him almost 10 times to no avail, and he would wind up 8 laps down. 42. Greg1&9Fan posted: 07.16.2018 - 12:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Being a Rusty Wallace fan back then, it was this race here where I realized the season was just not gonna turn around for Rusty. What a horrible year. 43. Ryan posted: 07.16.2018 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty didn't fair the greatest at Darlington. A career 16.7 avg. finish with no wins. No wins at Darlington, Daytona, and Talladega were his only black marks on his career. Had he fared better at them he may have won at least one more championship, possibly two. 44. Tarheel posted: 07.16.2018 - 8:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 41, if I recall correctly Newmans car stalled because he accidentally hit the kill switch, and the crew was wearing themselves out trying to push start him until he realized it. 45. Matt posted: 02.24.2019 - 10:16 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) One of NASCAR on NBC's ways of communicating with the fans in 2003 was the "Cingular Wireless Poll", where you texted the answer to their poll question. Interestingly, only fans with Cingular Wireless cell phones could participate. This race's poll question was "Moving from Labor Day weekend to later in the season in 2004, will the Southern 500 become:" A-- More Important (22%) B-- Less Important (30%) C-- Won't Make A Difference (48%) 46. JoeyLoganoFan22 posted: 05.18.2019 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Terry Labonte's first and final win both came in the Southern 500 47. Foote posted: 03.31.2020 - 1:06 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Cool to see Terry Labonte competitive in 2003, his second to last full season for an elite team. He bottomed out the next year and was replaced by the team's young Busch (accidental pun) driver. It mirrored his brother Bobby's situation in 2004/2005 with Gibbs -- surprising bounce back campaign followed by a terrible year and replacement. 48. JSPorts posted: 03.31.2020 - 6:14 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) It was good to see Terry and Bobby both competitive. I wish they could've kept it up, especially Bobby, who was only 39 at the time (while Terry was 47.) 49. TheDewCrew posted: 07.06.2020 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember playing NASCAR Thunder 2004 when i was little, and I played with Jeremy Mayfield's #19 Mountain Dew car. To this day the car he ran in this race remains my favorite paint scheme of all-time. The green and black look sick with the rad and white. That scheme is 50% of why I started drinking Mountain Dew. The other 50% is from Dale Jr 50. Rich posted: 12.10.2020 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach were the commentators. Dave Burns, Bill Weber, Matt Yocum and Marty Snider were the pit road reporters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: