Race Summary
The green flag came nearly half an hour earlier than planned, due to the impending rain showers which officials feared would lead to the race having to be completed on another day. Jeff Green was out in front at the start of the race, but he was quickly passed by Michael Waltrip, who led the first 34 laps. On lap 42, the race's first caution came out after Bobby Labonte spun out entering the backstretch. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the lead from Tony Stewart as the field raced back to the caution. The first round of green flag pit stops came on lap 50.
The most significant incident of the race came on lap 58. Ryan Newman was running solidly in the top-15, but defending Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton hit Ken Schrader and both Schrader and Newman hit the wall. The rear tire fixture underneath Newman's car detached from the car as he went sliding into the infield. Newman became airborne and when the car landed, the right-rear wheel dug into the dirt which caused Newman to flip several times and the car landed on its roof. Most of the car came apart in the infield, but Newman was uninjured and was able to walk away from the crash under his own power. Following Newman's flip, there were six caution laps, during which a light rain began to fall, and the race was red-flagged when the rain became heavier.
Following a rain delay which lasted over an hour, the race restarted with Michael Waltrip back in front. The race remained under the green flag until lap 95, when Jeff Green and Jimmy Spencer collided entering turn 4 and brought out a third caution. Spencer ended up hitting the frontstretch wall and coming to rest just past the start-finish line. Spencer had a very similar crash in the 2000 Daytona 500. A debris caution came on lap 103, and then Ward Burton hit the turn 4 wall on lap 106. There were three yellow flag laps after Burton's crash, and then the race was once again red-flagged due to rain. Although it briefly looked as if the race would get back underway, the race was eventually called due to the rain and Michael Waltrip was declared the winner. It was his third career Winston Cup win both overall and at Daytona, and his second career Daytona 500 win. Coincidentally, Waltrip's first three wins came in the first three Daytona races broadcast by Fox.
This was only the third Daytona 500 to have been shortened by rain, with previous instances being in 1965 and 1966.
Read more about this topic: 2003 Daytona 500
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