43rd Sharpie 500:And we're back here at Bristol Motor Speedway for the 24th race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. We have in the "world's fastest half-mile" drivers with the knife in the teeth in the fight for the title, some want to save the season with a good result here, who's there fulfilling sponsorship obligations and newcomers.
Mark Martin got his second pole of the season at Bristol, and the surprise was Mark Green, who with a second car of AJ Foyt's team managed to make the race. We also have beginners as Little and Stremme replacing injured drivers. Green flag!
Before the end of the first lap, Robby Gordon touched Michael Waltrip, and Waltrip touch Jimmy Spencer, with the three leading together in accident Elliott Sadler, Bobby Labonte and Jamie McMurray.
McMurray, in turn, was almost 120 mph for the wall of turn 3 and flipped. Other cars also hit the #42, but all continued in the Sharpie 500.
All cars made a pit stop - most only made a splash 'n' go - and
the race restarted on lap 6.
Some normal laps until Mark Martin gives a light touch on lap down Ryan Newman. Newman goes to the bottom line on the track, and when he is touched by Jerry Nadeau both go to the wall.
Kenny Wallace hits dead center the rear end of #01, and with it, there is the beginning of a pile-up involving several cars right at the frontstretch entry.
All cars go to another pit stop and
Dave Blaney restarted as a leader, and Martin was in front of him for not having won the wave around.
Some laps of peace and the third yellow flag of the night arrived: Rusty Wallace touched in Bobby Labonte, who ended up touching in Jack Sprague.
Behind them, Harvick was bumped by Ricky Craven and flipped several times in front of Jimmy Spencer and Tony Stewart. The race ended there for the #29, which had a top ten in Michigan and sought to stabilize in the owners top 30.
Dave Blaney restarted first time again, and now it seemed that peace had come.
The Buckeye Bullet managed to stay in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr (2nd), Larry Foyt (3rd), Chad Little (4th), Ricky Craven (5th) and Ricky Rudd (6th) easily, since there were stragglers.
Several laps went by and Dave Blaney was still leader, and the rest of the field was fighting for positions that could be worth a lot in the future. With 1/5 of the race completed,
both Craven and Little approached.
Then, a few laps later,
Jeff Burton gives a light touch on #77, which makes room for both Craven and for Chad, Ricky Rudd and Burton himself. The #32 opened a solid lead.
And then began the pit stops. Craven stopped and gave the lead to Terry Labonte, who stopped and let Robby Gordon in front, which stopped and let Christian Fittipaldi first. Next up was Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte and Ricky Rudd, who finally is the new leader after the pit stop of all.
Again a series of emotionless laps until Chad Little gets a touch of Bill Elliott, almost spin and turn latecomer.
Rudd continued leader, stopped after about 45% of the completed race and left the lead to Terry Labonte. But then came a yellow flag for debris that changed the race by a whole.
Terry returned as leader, followed by Jeff Green, Robby Gordon, Kyle Petty and Ricky Rudd.
Jeremy Mayfield and Jeff Gordon protected the #5, and was very easy to settle in first. But that lasted a few laps:
Bill Elliott surpassed Terry on lap 277, and from there Terry fell to 5th, as he always kept the outside line.
And again Bill Elliott remained until his pit stop, when Kyle Petty turned leader. Robby Gordon took the lead on the sequence and returned to the Awesome Bill from Dawsonville.
He stayed there for days and times when Kyle Petty surpassed it, and when it could be another chance came the yellow flag: Kurt Busch was touched by Steve Park. Dave Blaney ran into the back of #97, and
Brett Bodine did the same with the #77.
Petty restarted first, was overtaken by Terry Labonte three laps later, and 14 laps later Bill Elliott turned the definitive leader and the winner of the Sharpie 500!
