|| *Comments on the 2003 Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Havoline:* View the most recent comment <#21> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Jake posted: 12.30.2004 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race pretty much made the critics shut up. This race proved that DEI can win anywhere besides a restrictor-plate track. In 2004, it showed, as 4 of Dale Jr's 6 2004 wins came on non-restrictor plate tracks: Atlanta, Richmond, Bristol, and Phoenix. Awesome job by Dale Jr. 2. SK posted: 12.08.2007 - 1:14 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Scott Wimmer's first career top-10. 3. adamal82 posted: 03.16.2008 - 10:46 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Jimmy Spencer recieved no points b/c his team entered too late and it was considered a Post Entry 4. RaceFanX posted: 02.26.2012 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #24 Jeff Gordon- DuPont / Looney Toons: Back in Action #30 Steve Park- America Online / Looney Toons: Back in Action Warner Brothers for the third and final time ran a tie-in NASCAR promotion with the Looney Toons, this time to promote the release of its movie Looney Toons: Back in Action. Jeff Gordon's scheme was close to his regular one (Park had a more blue-and-white Daffy Duck-themed one) but fitting as he made a cameo in the movie where Yosemite Sam and flunkies take his race car for a car chase against Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the human heroes in a TVR Tuscan sports car on the streets of Las Vegas (Gordon's car had his 2001-2003 paint job on it, but probably because the car crashes a 1999 Monte Carlo 'played the part'). The movie ended up tanking and heavily damaged the Looney Toons brand. 5. RaceFanX posted: 04.13.2012 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Sponsor: #88 Dale Jarrett- UPS / Winston Cup Victory Lap 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett was honored for his crown in this race. This was the last race where the Victory Lap program only honored one driver. 6. RaceFanX posted: 04.17.2012 - 11:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor: #25 Brian Vickers- UAW-Delphi / Looney Tunes: Back in Action There was a third Looney Tunes car in this race for Gordon's teammate Brian Vickers. Similar to how Steve Park's car was themed for Daffy Duck, Vickers was themed for Bugs Bunny. 7. Evan posted: 01.08.2014 - 9:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was a fine race by Dale Jr., I was not expecting this result at the time and it was very satisfying to see him win the thing. It came on a Sunday where my mother had to tend to my sick brother who had the flu and she drove me out to my grandmother's to keep me away from them while he recovered. I had just gotten back in time to see the rest of the event and I was surprised at the result. A good race all around, Kenseth could drive a beat up old Edsel and still win the title but good win all around. This win cemented Jr's status as a legit driver and that he was not a one trick pony who could only win on the plate tracks. 2003 was his greatest progression as a driver and he looked like he could win a title with DEI in the years to come, its a shame it never came to be. 8. This guy posted: 03.04.2014 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On you tube the race was uploaded and Jeff Gordon drove his regular scheme. I dont know why it says back in action... 9. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 08.02.2014 - 10:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew 02 Hermie Sadler MW Windows Chevrolet Hermie Sadler Crew Chief Jeff Buckner 10. Rob posted: 01.28.2015 - 12:14 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) this was the first NASCAR race i ever watched from start to finish, hard to believe it was that long ago now 11. Altracing posted: 12.20.2017 - 11:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) First win for Chevrolet at Phoenix since 1994 12. Matt posted: 02.24.2019 - 10:24 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 "Which track would you like to see run a 2nd race each season?" A-- Phoenix (12%) B-- Las Vegas (27%) C-- Texas (44%) D-- Kansas (17%) 13. Me. posted: 04.12.2019 - 12:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @4 Funny, I quite liked Back in Action actually. 14. RaceFanX posted: 04.12.2019 - 8:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @13 I concur. It's a fun popcorn movie with some neat set pieces including that car chase. The film came out about two weeks after this race but got crushed at the box office amid stiff competition at the time from other family films like "Elf," "Brother Bear," and "The Cat in the Hat" and some early holiday season blockbusters like "The Matrix Revolutions." Showing you how common NASCAR movie tie-ins were at the time "The Cat in the Hat" was also promoted with a special paint scheme, Michael Waltrip drove one on his Busch Series entry late in the season. 15. rm posted: 04.01.2020 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) It was the week leading up to this race that Pontiac announced they were yanking support for the manufacturer for 2004 and beyond. Apparently, none of the Pontiac teams were aware of that fact until the announcement was made. All of the full-time Cup teams that were Pontiacs switched over to Chevy for 2004, likely to finish fulfilling contracts with GM. With talk of teams revving up their engines to hit 9500-9600 RPM in practice, the booth predicted this would be a hard race on equipment, and they guessed correctly. Half of the ten cautions in this race were from engine-related issues - four from engines blowing and one more from Jimmy Spencer losing an engine and crashing hard in his own oil. Spencer and owner Jim Smith were already upset after their entry was received late (and that they couldn't convince NASCAR to budge on the matter), costing them points, and that was before losing a motor and totaling a car. 16. Rich posted: 08.06.2020 - 11:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators were Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach. The pit road reporters were Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider and Dave Burns. 17. Mile501 posted: 11.20.2020 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) A rare race where 4 drivers did nearly all the leading, with the laps led split up fairly evenly between them (aside from Newman who led less), and all 4 finished in the top 4 positions. This race exemplified 2003 for Jimmy Spencer, when he often had a top 10 car but ended up with nothing to show for it. He drove from 29th up to 10th within the first 115 laps. Around lap 115, he had to pit early because he unexpectedly ran out of fuel (he seemed to be having a fuel pickup problem), then got trapped a lap down when the caution came out a few laps later. Shortly after that, Spencer raced leader Kurt Busch hard to get his lap back. Busch was annoyed on his radio, saying Spencer should let him go and he'd still be the "lucky dog." But another caution came out soon, and Spencer earned his lap back the hard way (while the free pass went to Tony Raines). Unfortunately, Spencer would later blow an engine and spin in his own oil, hitting the wall hard and ending his day. 18. JSPorts posted: 11.20.2020 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When did they institute the free pass? I thought it was 2004...obviously I was wrong. 19. BadBooking18 posted: 11.20.2020 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #18, it was instituted in 2003 after the fall New Hampshire race. Multiple drivers nearly wrecked himself trying to get back on the lead lap while Dale Jarrett's wrecked car lay helpless in the middle of the straightaway. NASCAR had an issue with this for some time under the "Gentlemen's Agreement" which in later years was thrown out the window. In it's place is the "Free Pass" which allows the first driver a lap (or more) down to get their lap back. Oddly enough in the first race with the rule in place, Ryan Newman got a free pass and won at Dover. 20. Mile501 posted: 11.20.2020 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @18 - Watch Dover from fall 2003 if you want to see the first race where NASCAR was figuring out the "no racing back to the caution" rule and the free pass. 21. Mile501 posted: 12.02.2020 - 12:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Odd Stat: In each of the last 3 races of 2003, Ryan Newman and Brian Vickers started side-by-side, either in the first or second row each time. In this race and in the following race at Rockingham, Newman started on the pole and Vickers started 2nd. At Homestead, Vickers started 3rd and Newman started 4th. They were also close to each other in the race before this one (Atlanta). There, Newman started on the pole while Vickers started 4th. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: