(Author’s Note: Since this is my first Flashback Friday using my new article format, I was unsure of how to write this piece. I could have either wrote from the 2017 perspective and known all the outcomes of each one of my topics like when Ricky Rudd’s streak ends. Or I could write it from the July 27, 2003, perspective where everything is based on speculation and anticipation of the remainder of the season. I decided to write from the 2003 perspective because, to me, it is so cool to think about how people placed this race into its proper context back in 2003. Another Ryan Newman win, Matt Kenseth’s continued hold of the Winston Cup points lead, cheers for Jeff Gordon wrecking, and so many other moments that just make living in the 2003 mindset spectacular. So, let’s hop in and view the 2003 Pennsylvania 500 like it just happened a couple of hours ago.)
Ryan Newman and his team managed to play the strategy perfectly at Pocono to take the team’s fourth win of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Like usual at Pocono, teams were prepared to save fuel and see if they could steal a win. The fuel mileage games began early in this race with green flag pit stops on lap 107. Newman’s team brought him down pit road early and he looked to be on a two-stop strategy at that point. On the other side of the spectrum, Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr., managed to stay out until lap 117, which put them in the window to make only one more stop. As the caution waved a lap later, the strategy was shaken up even more as Waltrip and Earnhardt inherited the lead while Newman was mired deep in the pack. The sixth caution on lap 153 brought everyone to pit road with hopes of making it to the end as Newman took two tires and grabbed the lead. As drivers continued to pit under green and during cautions following the lap 153 caution, Newman and others stayed on the race track. Caution laps secured that the drivers who had stayed out since the sixth caution would make it to the end. Finally, after the eighth caution waved and set up a twelve-lap dash, the battle would be solely about who had the best car. In that late fight, Kurt Busch stayed right on Newman’s back bumper through all three of Pocono’s turns, but he could not pass him as Newman took his first checkered flag at Pocono Raceway. On paper, Newman’s 88 laps led and first place starting spot make it look like it was an easy race to win for the 2002 NWCS Rookie of the Year. However, the race was filled with passes for the lead, handling problems for all drivers, stressful strategy calls, and interesting restarts that made the winner anything but predictable. These five stages of analysis show that Pocono deserves the moniker as “The Tricky Triangle.”
Stage 1:
Driver of the Day: Newman Dominates and Manages to Win the Race
Coming into today at Pocono, Ryan Newman was tied with Kurt Busch for the most wins on the season with three. In addition to that, he was leading the pack in poles after grabbing his fifth for today’s Pennsylvania 500. At the end of the day, Newman was not satisfied with being tied for Busch in wins as he held him off to put himself in first on the season with four wins. And it was a dominating performance for Newman. He led 88 of the 200 laps and played the strategy game perfectly, despite a bevy of potential ways the strategy could have went awry. However, Newman had several opportunities to throw away the win. On lap 33, he made an evasive move to pit road from the lead as he reported to his crew chief, Matt Borland, that a tire was going down. His team serviced the car and returned him to the track, still on the lead lap. Fortunately for Newman, the stop came at the beginning of the window for green flag stops and as the rest of the field pitted in the next few laps, he cycled back to the lead. Just laps later, the first caution waved on lap 49 and added the first layer of strategy to the race. As most of the lead lap drivers took two tires, Newman and Borland decided on four tires, which put the early leader of the race back in the pack. After the restart, it became obvious that his car was not prepared for battling in traffic as he was unable to pass or move on the track. The strategy came back to Newman with a two tire stop during the second caution that put him back towards the front. From there, his team made all the right strategy calls to keep him out front and with a final pit stop under the sixth caution, Newman stayed in the lead for the remainder of the event despite concerns that he would run out of fuel. Ultimately, Newman and Borland worked as a perfect duo to take a fuel mileage gamble to win the race at Pocono.
Stage 2:
Historic Occurrence: Rudd Becomes the First NASCAR Driver to Make 700 Consecutive Starts
Since January 11, 1981, there has been one consistency in NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing: Ricky Rudd. Today, Rudd made his 700th consecutive start in NASCAR’s premier series, a streak that began twenty-years ago in the 1981 season opener at Riverside. While the streak is impressive on its own, he is also first driver in NASCAR history to make it to the 700-consecutive start mark. Along the way, it has not been easy for Rudd to make every event. During the 1984 Busch Clash, he wrecked violently and walked away with a lot of bruises, including two severely blackened eyes. He refused to miss the Daytona 500 a week later, even going as far as taping his eyes open to complete the event. Even more impressively, he won at Richmond with those black eyes taped open a week after the 500. In 1998, Rudd won the Cup race at Martinsville while battling a broken cooling system that allowed exhaust fumes to enter his helmet for nearly the entire race. Yet, Rudd battled through all those tough moments to make it to Pocono with his consecutive start streak intact. However, the 700th start was one to forget. Driving a paint scheme designed by his son, Landon, Rudd seemed to be making progress from his 27th place starting spot throughout the early portion of the race. After the halfway point of the race, he was running around the middle of the pack when his day went downhill quickly. During the fourth caution, his car stalled on track due to a broken oil pump belt that caused the engine to overheat and blow up. He ended up 39th when the checkered flag waved, but that did not take away from the significance of the race. Rudd proved that he is one of NASCAR’s most courageous competitors by running through injuries to make 700 starts in a row. While 700 is astonishing, 701 will be even more impressive when he attempts to add to his streak at the Brickyard next week.
Stage 3:
Terrible Luck: Joe Gibbs Racing Loses Two Engines in Last Fifty Laps
After leading laps early in the race and competing for the win, Joe Gibbs Racing was left with two destroyed engines and two finishes outside the Top 30 when today’s race was over. The team’s two drivers, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, looked to be competitive and poised for great finishes. Stewart, the reigning Winston Cup Series champion, started 33rd and methodically worked his way towards the front before taking the lead from Jeff Burton on lap 98. Labonte was right with his teammate at the front of the field and things were looking up for the team. Stewart’s championship defense had not been going well through 2003 as he had four DNF’s in the first nineteen races of the season. It looked like he was on the verge of reversing his luck at Pocono, but the same bad luck came back to bite him. On lap 153, while running second, Stewart’s car began to smoke going towards turn 2 and the engine problem was terminal. In just a couple of seconds, his second place run evaporated and his race was over. However, Joe Gibbs Racing still had hope that Labonte could contend for a great finish. However, thirty laps later, he began to report that something was wrong with his Chevrolet powerplant. Three laps later, Labonte’s engine expired heading into turn 3 and the oil from his motor caused him to spin hard into the outside wall. Just like that, a promising race turned into a disappointing finish for the entire organization. While Pocono ended in frustration, the team heads to Indianapolis next week where Labonte has a previous win and Stewart feels right at home as an Indiana kid with hopes of changing the tide on a struggling season.
Stage 4:
Underdogs of the Race: Bodine, Blaney, and Raines Use Fuel Mileage Gamble to Take Impressive Finishes
When fuel mileage races are over, the winner is usually remembered the most because of how impressive it is to win a high-speed race while saving fuel. Plus, fuel mileage races often deliver surprise wins for middle of the pack drivers and teams. While today’s race at Pocono didn’t deliver a surprise winner, it did deliver some great finishes for some underdog organizations. Driving for Travis Carter’s team, Todd Bodine grabbed an eighth-place finish in his National Guard Ford Taurus, which is the best finish for the team in 2003. Dave Blaney secured a ninth-place finish for his Jasper Motorsports team, which is his third best finish of the season. Finally, Tony Raines took an unsponsored BACE Motorsports car to a 16th place finish, which is tied for his second-best finish of the season. However, while the finishes might be surprising, all three drivers were battling at the middle of the pack for the entire race before strategy came into play. The trio came to pit road after the sixth caution and all three topped off with fuel before the race went back green, setting the stage for their fuel saving finish. From there, they stayed out and battled drivers like Kevin Harvick, Rusty Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, and Bill Elliott for great finishes. One of the joys of NASCAR racing is watching unnoticed drivers sneak into the Top 20 and give their teams a great boost of confidence. As the NWCS heads to Indianapolis, the trio of Bodine, Blaney, and Raines have excellent finishes from Pocono to use as momentum at a track with similar characteristics.
Stage 5:
Comeback of the Race: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Teammates Go from Early Crash to Top 5 Finishes
On lap 74, it seemed like Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were going to join Jeff Green, who had engine troubles earlier, in the garage with poor finishes for all Dale Earnhardt Inc. teams. Earnhardt Jr. drove into turn 2 around the middle of the pack with Mark Martin just in front of him. Earnhardt made an aggressive move and slammed into Martin’s left side entering the turn. Martin began to slide and looked to save his car before Waltrip came along and bumped him. The bump lifted Martin off the ground and sent him spinning hard into the outside wall, which ended his day before the halfway mark and brought out the third caution. While the two DEI drivers were not done, repairs were needed on their cars. Waltrip had a large hole in the hood of his car from the contact and Earnhardt’s right side was flattened due to the initial contact with Martin. Both drivers made several stops during the caution period, but they returned to the track deep in the field for the restart. In the laps following the restart, both drivers moved slowly through the traffic before strategy went in their favor. As the drivers in front of them pitted for green flag stops around lap 110, Waltrip and Earnhardt stayed out longer due to pitting during the third caution. Fortunately for them, Ricky Craven’s car slowed on track and with an impending caution, the two drivers shot to pit road on lap 117 and returned to the track just as the caution waved. Due to Pocono’s size, Waltrip and Earnhardt stayed on the lead lap and as the field pitted under the caution, DEI took the first two positions. Throughout the rest of the race, Tony Eury Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, and Slugger Labbe, Michael Waltrip’s crew chief, played the strategy game perfectly and gave the two drivers Top 5 finishes despite crash damage. Plus, Earnhardt Jr. capitalized on Jeff Gordon’s crash to move to second place in the points behind Matt Kenseth, who he battled for Rookie of the Year in 2000. Overall, Dale Earnhardt Inc. turned a potential disaster into a positive finish for two of its teams.
While today’s race has not been over for long, the discussion has already turned to the 21st race of the 2003 season next Sunday at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the tenth time, NASCAR’s best drivers will invade IMS to see which driver can make it to the yard of bricks first. Like usual, there is a plethora of storylines heading into the Brickyard 400. After a huge hit to the outside wall in turn 3 today, hometown driver Jeff Gordon heads to his favorite race track for a chance to win his fourth Brickyard 400 and grab back his second-place points position. Ryan Newman will look to win consecutive races on the season at his home track and continue his impressive season thus far. He might be leading the points, but Matt Kenseth needs a rebound after his team missed the strategy calls in today’s race. Finally, Joe Gibbs Racing needs to bounce back from engine failures that ended promising runs for Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte. The tenth running of the Brickyard 400 is filled with anticipation and excitement for the NWCS. Like usual, fuel mileage was the story of the day at Pocono as Ryan Newman took his fourth victory of the 2003 season. Indianapolis has the same potential for a fuel saving battle, but the high speeds and limited passing at IMS make staying out front the most important aspect of the race.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 50- Jeff Green dropped oil in turn 1 and NASCAR waved the caution to clean the track.
2nd Caution: Lap 68- Robby Gordon turned Jeremy Mayfield exiting turn 1 after Mayfield came up the track. He ended up slamming the outside wall hard while Gordon drove away with only slight damage.
3rd Caution: Lap 74- Dale Earnhardt Jr. slammed into Mark Martin entering turn 2, which caused Martin to slide up the track. He almost saved his car until Michael Waltrip bumped into his rear end. Martin spun up the track and slammed the outside wall hard, which ended his race.
4th Caution: Lap 118- Ricky Craven stalled on the track in turn 3 after having problems in turn 1.
5th Caution: Lap 124- Jeff Gordon slid up the track in turn 3 after the field stacked up. Dave Blaney bumped him and sent him spinning towards the outside wall. He slammed it hard with the right side of his car and ended his day.
6th Caution: Lap 154- Tony Stewart had an engine blow up heading towards turn 2 while running second, which ended his day.
7th Caution: Lap 166- Casey Mears broke loose exiting turn 1 and slammed the outside wall hard with his right side, which ended a hard-fought day for the rookie.
8th Caution: Lap 183- Bobby Labonte had an engine expire entering turn 3, which caused him to slide up the track. He spun towards the outside wall and slammed it hard to end his day with considerable damage and a blown motor.
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Ryan Newman
2nd: Kurt Busch
3rd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th: Michael Waltrip
5th: Terry Labonte
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Jeff Burton
11th: Rusty Wallace
12th: Kevin Harvick
13th: Matt Kenseth
15th: Jimmie Johnson
17th: Bill Elliott
21st: Dale Jarrett
30th: Bobby Labonte
36th: Jeff Gordon
37th: Tony Stewart
39th: Ricky Rudd
41st: Mark Martin
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2003_Pennsylvania_500/W
-Image:
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xr/2339945.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=3&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD1577E5EC72F4184A61411E52AB5088703FE56FC43A0DF8F7
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URd9HuwDnm0
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