2003 Budweiser Shootout
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 2 exhibition races in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
| Date | February 8, 2003 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 175 mi (281.635 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 55.9 °F (13.3 °C); wind speeds of 18.41 mph (29.63 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 180.827 mph (291.013 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 75,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Brett Bodine Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 31 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 5.4/10 (Final) | ||
The 2003 Budweiser Shootout was the first of two exhibition stock car races of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The 25th Budweiser Shootout, and the first to be held at night to allow for prime time broadcasting, it was held on February 8, 2003, in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway, before a crowd of 75,000 spectators. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. won the 70-lap race from 19th. Hendrick Motorsports's Jeff Gordon was second, with Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth third. It was Earnhardt's first Budweiser Shootout win, and his first at Daytona International Speedway in the Cup Series since the 2001 Pepsi 400.
Although Geoff Bodine won the pole position by lot, he was immediately passed by Jimmie Johnson into turn one. Kurt Busch led laps five through fifteen before Earnhardt passed him on lap sixteen and kept the lead until the mandatory ten-minute pit stop at the end of lap twenty. Ten laps later, Gordon took the lead, which he held until all drivers made a second pit stop on lap fifty, when Mark Martin took the lead. Gordon regained the lead on lap 56, which he held until Earnhardt passed him 10 laps later. Earnhardt won the race by keeping the lead for the final four laps. No yellow flag cautions were issued during the race, which had 13 lead changes among 7 different drivers.